My only robot!

[Barnaby]

Hi there!
Here I showcase my only built robot... LineBlob!  It lives up to it's name, as it's really slow, probably something to do with the fact I made the line too thick.  I can't link my pictures here, as the server I use for my website replaces them with 'we're sorry, but remote linking of images is not permitted' image.  You can find the images , along with more information, here.  I'll see if I can draw the schematic up for it, i'll put that on my webpage.  At the moment, LineBlob uses a very simple transistor circuit with voltage divider and LDR's to dect the line.  I plan to upgrade it with a light sensor on the top and a comparator, so thet it dosen't get excited in bright light, an annoying problem as the robot often just ignores the line and runs off the table!  I've got the main sensor module prototyped on my breadboard, but I haven't been able to work out the maths for the 'incident light' detector.  Any ideas?  It may not be much, but I'm only young!

Thanks,
Barnaby

[airman00]

pretty good for your 1st robot

did you have any trouble using the perforated board? did you get a lot of short circuits (and headaches ) from the board?

[Barnaby]

Hi
Yes, it did take ages and I had a problem with the right motor at one point as it behaved irratically, turning on and off randomly.  This was caused by an expoxed wire touching the underside of the bosrd, which I fixed.  Is it very easy to etch a PCB?  It would be so convenient, but seems quite complicated and expensive, what with all the 'UV exposure units' and 'heated flow-regulsted etch tubs' sugguested by a book on electronics I've got.

Thanks,
Barnaby

[Crooksie]

Have a look at whats called toner transfer etching, you can do it with a laser printer.  I do it all the time and get pretty reliable results.

check out this tutorial:
http://www.headwize.com/projects/garbz2_prj.php

[fredb]

Have a look at whats called toner transfer etching, you can do it with a laser printer.  I do it all the time and get pretty reliable results.

check out this tutorial:
http://www.headwize.com/projects/garbz2_prj.php

I've had great success with this method as well. Interestingly, I get the best results using any standard page ripped out of a magazine rather than a transparency or special photo paper. A warning for anyone who wants to attempt a transparency: make sure to use a transparency intended for a laser printer and not a standard one. A standard one will melt into a solid chunk of plastic and you can ruin either your printer or your day from snapping out brittle chunks of plastic.

[Rebelgium]

Have a look at whats called toner transfer etching, you can do it with a laser printer.  I do it all the time and get pretty reliable results.

check out this tutorial:
http://www.headwize.com/projects/garbz2_prj.php

I've had great success with this method as well. Interestingly, I get the best results using any standard page ripped out of a magazine rather than a transparency or special photo paper. A warning for anyone who wants to attempt a transparency: make sure to use a transparency intended for a laser printer and not a standard one. A standard one will melt into a solid chunk of plastic and you can ruin either your printer or your day from snapping out brittle chunks of plastic.

True, and another warning: Don't use normal transparency (intented for laser printing) in an inkjet printer, the ink will just run out... Buy a matte transparency for inkjet printers.

[Barnaby]

Thanks, I'll check it out.   

Barnaby