Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: sabenfox on October 07, 2008, 01:39:51 AM
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Hello all, i'm new to this robot building thing and i had some questions. I've never built a robot before and was really looking into getting the lego mindstorm nxt set. I've came very close to buying it, but in a way i feel like it is kind of cheating, seeing how it is all put together for you and it seems to me to be proprietary
Ok here is what i have so far for my first mini robot. I want a basic robot that moves back and forth, and maybe have a light sensor so it doesnt straight run into things.
THINGS I KNOW I STILL NEED
--robot chassis
--wheels
--light sensor
THINGS I'VE PICKED OUT
http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/984 My basic gears/motors to make the thing spin
http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1173 Rechargable batteries, i'm not sure how much power i'm going to need or mah ?
http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1216 Microcontroller to control what exactly, the gears/motor right ?
that's all i have so far. I'm worried about the microcontroller, will it come with instructions on how to program it ? I want to build from scratch and build small, i feel if i do it this way i will learn a lot more then the likes of the nxt. Also the more i learn i can slowly add more and more things to a kit.
I'm curious if you guys can give some insight on to the parts i've selected, and any additional parts i need. Is a voltage regulator required ?
That part kind of confuses me a bit.
Your help is appreciated :)
MY GOAL
end result of years of playing with these varios parts mortors servos and ect is to build a robot that will go to the fridge, open the fridge up and grab a pop out if it and bring it to me. Sound a little extreme/lazy, i'm sure it does. I just think it would be cool. I could see myself spending hours programming different tasks/voice commands, eccetra into it.
Also what do you guys think about prebuilt robot kits like the nxt, or the floor vacuming robot that they turned into a kit, can't remember the name. Also i saw microcontrollers with lcd screens on it, what's that all about ? I know this is a lot in one email but i appreciate any information you can provide. The simpler the explanation the better :)
Thanks,
Justin
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Hey there. All of the info you have asked for and prob a little extra is right here http://www.societyofrobots.com/step_by_step_robot.shtml (http://www.societyofrobots.com/step_by_step_robot.shtml) The $50 dollar robot. It moves forward, backward, left, right, has sensors, help building the microcontroller with programming and much more. Just search this site for $50 robot and you will also finds loads more info on upgrades as well.
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cool, thanks for the info, i will defiently check that out. Also do you have any opinions in regards to the already built robots ?
For example the nxt, or that vacume robot ect.
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The only pre-built one I have experience with is the BOE-bot from Parallax. I bought it a few years back from Radio Shack in the $150 range. Similar to the $50 robot except MCU and programming language. It came with everything needed to make an autonomous robot with many differant sensor options. The programming is extremely easy, (it's done in Pbasic), and has extra parts for modding. It uses the Basic Stamp microprocessor. If you decide to go Stamp,http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/26 (http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/26) is a member made tutorial on how to make a much better version of the Stamp that comes with the kit, for way cheaper than buying it pre-assembled.