Poll

What robot tutorial would you like to see next?

Stepper Motors
Rapid Prototyping
Batteries (improved tutorial)
Tactile Sensing
Digital Compass
Sensor Modulation
Solar Robots
Simulation
3D CAD
Robot Grippers
Segway Tutorial
Pathfinding
Gait Programming
Voice Recognition
Dead Reakoning
Microcontroller Programming
Soldering Tutorial
Machine Shop Tools
Bootloading

Author Topic: want a new robot tutorial?  (Read 256395 times)

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Offline Trumpkin

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #180 on: February 13, 2008, 08:58:34 AM »
AC is alternating current, DC is direct current. DC is usually just for batteries, AC is usually just for wall plugs n stuff. 
Robots are awesome!

Offline Asellith

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #181 on: February 18, 2008, 12:54:22 PM »
Can we get a PCB tutorial done by those with more experience then me :) I have been working on some design and even had a small one produced for work that should work. We are assembling them now and will put them in service soon. But that was a REALLY simple board. I just feel as if there are some things I am missing and when I tried to order one from another company other then Express PCB which I used for the first one. They asked a lot more questions like material type and CNC rout points that confused me. Also would like a good idea of what the industry standard for PCBs is like. The rules of thumb and stuff that most people in the business know but is all greek to people like me who are just starting out.
Jonathan Bowen
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Offline javafiend

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #182 on: February 19, 2008, 10:25:14 AM »
I would really like to see the something like the $50 robot tutorial adapted for DC motors.

I've looked at the How H-Bridges Work schematic but still don't understand how to implement it.  Seeing it in action on something I already have a bit of familiarization with would be great.

Offline robonoob

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #183 on: February 19, 2008, 03:00:13 PM »
I would really like to see the something like the $50 robot tutorial adapted for DC motors.

I've looked at the How H-Bridges Work schematic but still don't understand how to implement it.  Seeing it in action on something I already have a bit of familiarization with would be great.
i've made some tests with my arduino and an h-bridge, i'll try to upload some pictures tomorrow if i have time...

Offline Webbot

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #184 on: February 20, 2008, 12:14:15 AM »
Another quickie suggestion would be intercommunication between several mcu's - ie. a system communication protocol.

Completely agree. Especially if the mcu's are on different bots plus the laptop to monitor whats going on! Having a horde of bots talking to each other would be cool and could open the opportunity for all sorts of simulations as per:-
http://www.red3d.com/cwr/steer/
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Offline AndrewM

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #185 on: February 29, 2008, 02:08:08 PM »
Another quickie suggestion would be intercommunication between several mcu's - ie. a system communication protocol.

Definitely agree on the need for this.  I posted an entry in my personal blog about the need for segregation of responsibilities to multiple mcus within robotics.  I think that if more people knew how to make mcus intercommunicate they might be inclined to start expanding into that direction with their own robots.
blog: www.iamwhen.com
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Offline ScorpIon

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #186 on: March 03, 2008, 09:34:45 AM »
Another quickie suggestion would be intercommunication between several mcu's - ie. a system communication protocol.
I would also like to see this. Being able to use more than 1 mcu means that you can do more advanced stuff, harder better faster stronger.

Offline Noob Robot Builder

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #187 on: March 08, 2008, 10:25:39 PM »
voice recongnition is even cooler that a automatic robot ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D >:( ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D :'( ;D ;D

Offline airman00

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #188 on: March 08, 2008, 10:29:15 PM »
voice recongnition is even cooler that a automatic robot ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D >:( ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D :'( ;D ;D
Look guys

as most of you know , I've used speech recognition on Chives, my butler bot, (check erobots.blogspot.com )

Now , do you guys want a tutorial on speech recognition on a PC bot or on a microcontroller bot?

Check out the Roboduino, Arduino-compatible board!


Link: http://curiousinventor.com/kits/roboduino

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Offline ScorpIon

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #189 on: March 09, 2008, 07:30:26 AM »
Ya Airman, would be nice. I would rather see how you would do it on a microcontroller (smaller, you don't need to strap a PC on the robot) but then again that must be way harder...

I guess since we are on the subject of skin for robots . . . I have done such a thing before and have pics . . . is there a big demand for a tutorial? Its kind of expensive, like $50 per pound of skin . . .
I would like to see that, Admin.

Offline cooldog

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #190 on: March 09, 2008, 08:36:46 AM »
voice recongnition is even cooler that a automatic robot ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D >:( ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D :'( ;D ;D
Look guys

as most of you know , I've used speech recognition on Chives, my butler bot, (check erobots.blogspot.com )

Now , do you guys want a tutorial on speech recognition on a PC bot or on a microcontroller bot?



i vote PC
robot will rule the world and i will be building them
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Offline superchiku

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #191 on: March 09, 2008, 12:38:36 PM »
 have got a specific request for admin sir if u plzz listen to this it can do us some good

1. plzz instead of spoon feeding with us with predefined functions and header files made by u i request u to give microcontroller based programming tutorials which can do us a lot of good

2.plzz include some tutorials on fuse bits and how to manupulate them

3.also some tutorials about image processing using different softwares like matlab(the practical approach)

sir it may take u some time but plzz do try to implemet and place these tutorials it can really help us
JAYDEEP ...

IT AND ROBOTICS ENGINEER

"IN THE END IT DOESNT EVEN MATTER"

Offline alessio136

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #192 on: March 22, 2008, 02:20:02 AM »
stepper motor for me  ;D

Offline Webbot

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #193 on: March 27, 2008, 03:39:36 PM »
I want to replicate some stuff we did in analogue electronics about 20 years ago (!) that actually changes the bot from a repetitive box of bits into something that show learning. ie Why follow a line? Why follow a light? Why would you do that? Answer - coz I'm a maggot  ;D !!

So think of your sensors as 'basic instinct' and 'other'.  'Basic Instinct' tend to be binary ie 'I have or haven't hit a wall' and so should do something about it. Other sensors like light, sonar, infra-red are just subjective things about the present that may predict the future.

So 20 years ago we did stuff whereby when the robot actually made impact with something (primary instinct) then it made a response eg back up and rotate in a random direction. (Yes-it may hit something when doing that but lets keep it simple for now).

So now your bot can bump into stuff - turn around and head off in another direction.

So now you need to build some conditioning software between the other inputs (sonar, light, sound etc). So for example: if you shine a light on the bot and then within 5 seconds it hits a wall then it should start to learn that 'light' means 'wall' and start to take evasive action on receiving the light before it hits the wall. This is all like Pavlovs dogs! However: if it hits a wall without having a light shone on it then it should un-learn the conditioning.

Why is this good?

Well it means that you dont have to solder in some wire, or write some code, to imply that one thing means the other. So the bot should soon learn that a 'blip' on the sonar means that it is going to hit something so it can take avoiding action on the blip. If you clap your hands before the sonar blip in a consistent way then it should learn that noise = sonar blip = bang'your'head and so take action on the noise.

Sorry if this sounds a bit dull but IMHO it actually demonstrates how bots can learn and un-learn responses depending on their environment and makes for something that is still simple but demonstrates a more 'wow factor' of learning.

This leads on to neural networks and more interesting stuff but - oh no - we are back in the C++ object orientated debate to make that happen!

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Offline jman571

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #194 on: April 22, 2008, 08:07:13 AM »
I just realized the need for this...After reading through many of Admin's tutorials he makes many veiled references at needing to heatsink components, mainly electronics. But there's no good tutorial explaining how to do this.

So that's what I want, a heatsinking tutorial  ;D

Offline izua

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #195 on: April 22, 2008, 02:49:37 PM »
That's an interesting idea on learning, but how exactly are you going to make software 'learn' like a pavlov reflex? you know what they say about Pavlov anyway, after his dog died, he kept brining him food out of reflex XD
Check out my homepage for in depth tutorials on microcontrollers and electronics.

Offline Webbot

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #196 on: April 24, 2008, 05:26:25 AM »
Quote
how exactly are you going to make software 'learn'

Assume that your sensors are binary (ie 'can the sonar see a wall - yes/no', 'can I see light - yes/no', 'can i hear a noise - yes/no' etc). Then you can set a variable against a sensor when it changes from 'no' to 'yes'. The variable is given a number and you decrement it each time around your main loop until it reaches zero. So the variable means 'have I been fired in the last xxx seconds' - where 'xxx' depends on the initial value that you give the variable.

Now lets assume the bot hits a wall and trips a micro-switch. You look at each of your sensors for a 'non zero' value. You then take this value and add it to another variable which represents the conditioning between that sensor and hitting a wall. Lets call it 'the conditioning variable'.  So if the robot always saw a light just before it hit a wall then this variable would increase at a faster rate than if it saw the light 5 seconds before it hit the wall. So it would learn quicker. Then in your main loop, when you check the microswitch' to see if you have hit a wall you also check each of the 'conditioning variables' from the other sensors. If any of those have reached a 'trigger value' then you also check that sensor and if it is 'on' then you assume that you have hit a wall. So if you keep shining a torch on the bot just before it hits a wall then it will learn that seeing a light means it is going to a hit a wall and will take evasive action.

This checking would be recursive. ie when you check to see if the light sensor is 'on' this would also test the 'conditioning variables' from the other sensors to the light sensor. So if you clap your hands before you shine the torch then it will learn that noise means light means hit the wall. And so on.

What about 'unlearning'?  Well first of all you could decrement each of the conditioning variables each time around the loop so that if there is no re-inforcement (ie you never shine the torch and it never hits a wall) then it will un-learn that 'light means wall' over time. More importantly if hits a wall without seeing a light then you subtract a larger value from the conditioning variable so that if it happens several times then the conditioning variable drops below the threshold so that light no longer means wall. Obviously if the conditioning value has dropped to just below the threshold value then it will soon re-learn if you start shining the torch again.

If you want the robot to remember the conditioning between power-ups then you can save them away to persistent memory.

Obviously: most sensors are analog. So I guess you would change the value of the initial sensor you are reading  (haven't got my head around it yet !!). So you assume that the microswitch is actually analog - lets assume it can give a value of 0 to 100. Initially, since its a switch, then it will either give 0 (open) or 100 (closed). Then assume that you have a sonar which gives a value of 0 (can't seeing anything) and 100 (there is something right in front of me). Initially the sonar will see the wall but the bot takes no action until it hits the wall. It will soon learn that sonar means wall. At this stage when you check the microswitch you see that the conditioning variable is over its trigger value so you get the sonar value and return that as the value for the microswitch so now it can be anywhere between 0 and 100. So now the bot can turn left/right if the microswitch returns a value between 10 and 90 (say), and if its over 90 then it reverses and turns. Since the microswitch will have a conditioning variable between it and all of the other sensors then you will need to sum them all together to get an average.

Sorry for the length reply - but hopefully it makes sense. Gotta go and feed the dog  ;D
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Offline gjgfuj

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #197 on: May 28, 2008, 12:14:17 AM »
[you should make a tutorial on how to add a camera or non electronic things to a robot

paulstreats

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #198 on: May 28, 2008, 06:44:22 AM »
like a "PIMP MY BOT" tutorial :)

Offline photray94

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #199 on: June 15, 2008, 03:02:55 AM »
Hello admin,

I'd enjoy it if tutorials - pertaining to the usage of a computer - could be converted for use on a macintosh computer.  I understand this may not be easy, but at least put it into consideration!

Thanks :)

Offline TheHuk

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #200 on: June 19, 2008, 06:31:17 PM »
First of all, I just found this site and have to admit - it's simply brilliant! Really nice tutorials on a lot of subjects, thanks a lot!

Onto the new tutorials, something suggested by others also, the communication between multiple MCUs, especially using some really cheap RF transceiver (like this one for example http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=690 or if it's not possible using this one, any other cheap one will do :)).

Offline Caduscus

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #201 on: June 23, 2008, 01:36:23 PM »
Yeah.  Please give us a good how-to on how to get grant money and the like.

I'm 13 and can't just poop out $1k.

lol me too ;D

Offline Judan

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #202 on: June 24, 2008, 04:58:57 AM »
I was wondering if you could make a tutorial on like beatle and flea weight robots and how to make weapons for them etc...

Offline Roberto

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #203 on: June 28, 2008, 03:44:28 PM »
Micro controller voice recognition please.  ;D
Vote for Roberto The All in One Robot in the 3rd SoR robot contest!

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Offline garriwilson

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #204 on: July 04, 2008, 08:29:45 PM »
How about the relay tutorial. It has said "Relay tutorial coming soon" for as long as I can remember.

http://www.societyofrobots.com/electronics_advanced_components_tutorial.shtml#relay

all the way at the bottom

Offline GhostCell

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #205 on: August 03, 2008, 08:05:26 AM »
When your desinging a robot, what program do you use?


All the ones i have been trying dont work so well for me.

Offline airman00

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #206 on: August 03, 2008, 08:24:25 AM »
When your desinging a robot, what program do you use?


All the ones i have been trying dont work so well for me.

Google Sketchup

http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/70
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Offline MarkBrown

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #207 on: August 14, 2008, 01:55:12 PM »
I am not sure if they have been asked for, as I haven't read through all 7 pages of this thread, but there are 3 tutorials I would love to read:

  • Component Testing: How to test salvaged parts using multimeters and other such common and cheap tools
  • MCU Programming: Not general programming but more specifically how to programmatically get the values of sensors and control motors and such using either the $50 robot controller or the Axon.  Upon further review of the web site and analysis of source code, it looks to be simple enough to understand.  It would be nice to have a tutorial where it could be found and explained in one place though, especially for those who haven't done alot of programming
  • Chip arcitecture differences: The differences between PIC, AVR, and any other such types

I am still very new to this so I ask forgiveness if these tutorials already exist or are too simple.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2008, 04:28:56 PM by MarkBrown »
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Offline ert481

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #208 on: August 17, 2008, 12:49:18 PM »
this isn't really a robot but it has to do with electronic stuff.
maybe something that has an LCD screen and you play games on it.
sort of like gameboy or somthing. ::)
young people can build robots to!!!

Offline ankit_ipu_niec

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Re: want a new robot tutorial?
« Reply #209 on: September 14, 2008, 01:11:32 AM »
I would like to see a detailed descriped tutorial on image processing using roborealm software /
matlab that is which type of camera to be used,how to connect it (wirelessly),how to communicate between
mcu and computer etc.


i would also like to see tutorial based on voice recognition using visual basic6  or something else

 


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