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Chris The Carpenter has put together possibly the most complete robot module for the Propeller Platform. Called the 444AVXB, he writes… [via]
Let’s start with the name, 444-AVXB stands for:
4 Amps (2 amps x 2 motors) via a L298 motor driver
4 ADC’s (Analog inputs) via a MCP3204 chip
4 Servos with connections to power and with current-limiting resistors on the signal wires
Audio-out (non-amplified)
Video-out via a standard RCA jack
Connections for an X-bee
Connections for a BlueSmirf Bluetooth unithe 444-AVXB was designed with the robot hobbyist in mind. Connections are available for just about every “standard” thing you would find on a small to medium-sized robot. A hefty motor driver handles decent-sized motors with nice screw terminals for both power and motor connections. (4) 3-pin connections are provided for servos which can be powered by either external power or on-board power. An ADC chip allows for 4 analog inputs to be read, great for analog sensors, pots, LDR’s etc.
Video-out takes advantage of the awesome video capability of the prop and can be connected to any TV with a “video-in” and/or many of the cheapie 7” LCD screens (found on Ebay). Audio is just that, audio out with the circuit being the same as can be found on many other propeller products. Pin 15 has been brought forward as well for a Ping))) sonar unit. Finally, there is room and connections for EITHER an X-bee or Bluetooth module. All unused pins are accessible via female headers.
A Robot Module with Everything - [Link]
Robot System Description :
- 2 mobile phone vibrator
- AVR ATtiny45 Microcontroller
- IR RC5 Receiver for remote control
- NiMH rechargeable battery
- LED status indicator
- Dimensions 12mm x 10mm x 18mm
Wheels less smallest Robot “ROBO-BijanMortazavi” - [Link]
adafruit.com writes:
A group of researchers from Osaka University have created what they call The Omni-Ball. It’s made up of two matching hemispheres attached to either side of an axle. The hemispheres can move independently or together as a sphere. They then used the Omni-Ball to create the Omni-Crawler, a small vehicle that can move in all directions.
The Omni-Ball - [Link]
Line follower simulator. [via]
A model of differential driven wheeled robot is implemented. The width of the line sensor, the line sensor position and the wheel gauge (distance between the two wheels) can be adjusted.
Apart from the geometry settings, there is also a possibility to adjust the motor behavior. The “acceleration” scrollbar sets how quickly the robot chassis reacts to commands form the PID regulator.
Line follower simulator - [Link]
adafruit.com writes: [via]
In the spirit of the slow, automated writing machine in Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”, but channeled through laser-cut plastic, hobby servos and ink, “The Bureaucrat” was at the NYC Resistor table at MakerFaire, stamping the date on hackerspace passports.
“The Bureaucrat” — A Hackerspace Passport Date-Stamping Machine - [Link]
The department of Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) of Leuven University, Belgium, together with Flanders’ Mechatronics Technology Centre (FTMC) successfully converted an existing mini tractor into an autonomous self-learning field robot.
The tractor learns to identify soil characteristics, and on the basis of results controls its speed and steering angle allowing it to follow a certain route very accurately, all without a driver. Precision in the control of agricultural machinery is an important feature for organic farming.
Self-learning driverless tractor - [Link]
Liquid Robotics – autonomous data data collecting surfboard robots via 2020. [via]
Oceans cover most of Earth’s surface with an average depth of more than two miles. Placing observation equipment anywhere in this vast area is difficult and expensive, yet the oceans provide essential resources, influence climate, and enable human life to exist on land. Understanding them requires detailed observation. Liquid Robotics’ patented Wave Glider unmanned maritime vehicle* (UMV), which uses waves to propel itself, provides a new way to achieve this understanding.
By harvesting abundant natural energy, Wave Gliders provide a persistent ocean presence for commercial scientific and defense users. With a demonstrated endurance exceeding one year, Wave Gliders are now in service with a variety of customers and ongoing engineering development is regularly adapting the vehicle to new applications.
Liquid Robotics – autonomous data data collecting surfboard robots - [Link]
David Schneider relates his own experience and gives some advice on building your own underwater ROV. He writes: [via]
Last year at about this time, crews in the Gulf of Mexico were working feverishly to bring BP’s blown-out oil well under control. Some of the more spectacular parts of that effort, as you may recall, involved the use of remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. Perhaps you had the same thought as I did—that it would be cool to build one.
To be sure, no garage-workbench hacker is going to build an undersea robot that operates a diamond saw or wrestles with a stuck blowout preventer. But those vehicles also monitored events on the seafloor and streamed some amazing video to the Web in real time. A small inspection-class unit—one that carries just a video camera around underwater—ought to be within the grasp of an avid DIYer.
…
I even built an ROV for fun in the late 1990s. Its underwater thrusters, like the ones employed by most DIYers today, used DC motors mounted in watertight housings. Flexible shaft seals prevented water from getting to the innards of the motors. It used trolling motors, the kind you see pushing small fishing boats around. Submersible bilge pumps are another popular solution.
The great thing about bilge-pump motors is that they are dirt cheap—perfect if all you want is something that can swim around at shallow depths. At greater depths, though, the pressure will cause the flexible seals to close down around the spinning shaft, sapping power and heating the seal. Ultimately, the seal fails and the motor floods.
I wanted my next-generation ROV to be able to go deep, so I took a different approach this time, which was to fill the motors with oil. Shaft seals are still required to keep the oil on the inside separated from the water on the outside. But the two sides of the seal are always at the same pressure, so the motors should be able to operate at any depth.
Build Your Own Undersea Robot - [Link]
DIYLILCNC 2.0 – Open-source plans for a low-cost CNC mill… [via]
DIYLILCNC is a robotic cutting machine that you can build yourself. It works kind of like a desktop printer: send it a file, and the device uses this information to carve out an actual object. The lil’ CNC handles many different materials, including plastics, wood, and light metals. The things that you can make with a lil’ CNC aren’t just pretty to look at: they can also be strong and functional as well! Applications include making circuit boards, mechanical parts, sculptures, toys and more.
There are lots of bigger, fancier CNC machines that do similar jobs in factories and shops. Unfortunately, they’re really expensive. How great would it be to have an idea, then walk out to the garage and tell your robot to make it?That’s where we come in: visit our website, diylilcnc.org, to download a free, Creative Commons licensed copy of all the CAD plans, parts lists and instructions needed to build a little CNC. With this information in hand, you can make a lil’ CNC of your own for as little as $700, depending on your access to a laser cutter.
DIYLILCNC 2.0 – Open-source plans for a low-cost CNC mill - [Link]
Arduino based security bot – [via]
I started with the Arduino last Oct or so and wanted to make some cool first projects. I had wanted a security robot for a long time now for when I am away from the house. I know you can buy premade stuff but I wanted to do it from scratch. So I created SBot 1 and then wanted one with sensors and pan/tilt camera and so SBot 2 was born.
Arduino based security brot - [Link]
