Society of Robots - Robot Forum
General Misc => Misc => Topic started by: RoboChan on June 09, 2009, 03:13:43 PM
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Hello im new to robots. My school team came in 4th in agbot at NRC. But i only used lego and i want to know how to build and mostly program real robots. Are there any nice kits out there that come with a microcontroller and some parts that could teach me this. I belive in "you get what you pay for" so im willing to get a nice kit.
Thanks
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well, if you want the satisfaction of doing it yourself check out the $50 robot http://www.societyofrobots.com/step_by_step_robot.shtml (http://www.societyofrobots.com/step_by_step_robot.shtml) this little tutorial covers everything to get you started with avr's and programming.
otherwise there are thousands of robot kits out there but they are generally quite overpriced and you don't get the satisfaction of making it yourself...
im sure if you wanted a "nice robot" you could make your own and touch it up with snazzy wheels etc...
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not like a robot kit. i can build anything. I wnat a kit with a microcontroller like some leds or something and a book to teach me how to program.
My goal is that maybe later i can make a 2 by 2 by 2 125lbs sumo bot with big DC motors and stuff but i have no clue how to program C. I like having a book to look off of becouse i cant always be looking at the internet to find out how to do something.
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ahh, then i would recommend the arduino or roboduino...
the arduino is easier to hook led's up to but the roboduino is easier to hook sensors ans servos up to...
check them out! www.arduino.cc (http://www.arduino.cc) and http://www.curiousinventor.com/kits/roboduino (http://www.curiousinventor.com/kits/roboduino)
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Try this:
http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml)
Exclusive to CircuitGizmos: The Getting Started with Arduino book with a free kit of many of the parts used in the projects in the book. Kit includes a small motor, a TIP122, a pushbutton, a small lamp, LEDs, various resistors, and capacitors.
And this:
http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbbb/cgbbb.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbbb/cgbbb.shtml)
Bare Bones Board (Arduino Clone) Kit
This "bare bones" arduino kit (made by the Modern Device Company) is a low-cost entry into the versatile Arduino (compatible) market. This is a small stand-alone microcontroller easily interfaced to a variety of electronic devices. The Bare Bones Board kit comes complete with a microcontroller with a bootloader. All parts needed to complete the kit are included in this product.
Order the kit with the Getting Started with Arduino book and easily enter the exciting world of Arduino programming.
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so for $27.98 on http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml) i can get everything i need to start? do i need like a usb cord or....? Do i need a fast computer becouse my laptop is 256MB ram and is old...
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so for $27.98 on http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgbookgoodie/cgbookgoodie.shtml) i can get everything i need to start? do i need like a usb cord or....? Do i need a fast computer becouse my laptop is 256MB ram and is old...
You need a serial port to TTL device to program the board (once completed). Do you have a serial port on your laptop? Is it running windows?
ETA: If http://arduino.googlecode.com/files/arduino-0015-win.zip (http://arduino.googlecode.com/files/arduino-0015-win.zip) will run on your laptop, then you have a development system that is free.
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Ya im on windows XP. is that the green IOIO port that looks like the screen port? that file did open up.
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If you have a 9-pin serial port on your laptop, then a simple RS232/TTL adapter will work with the Bare Bones Board. Otherwise you need a USB serial port for your laptop.
From your description "green IOIO port that looks like the screen port" it looks like you have a serial port on your laptop. This Wikipedia page also has descriptions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-subminiature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-subminiature)
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ya it has a 9 pin. so it dose come with the cable?
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ya it has a 9 pin. so it dose come with the cable?
Nope. But I'll send you one. For free. Because I'm a heckuva nice guy. And astoundingly good looking.
*snort*
Seriously, though, I have one of these:
(http://moderndevice.com/Images/P4_800.jpg)
fully assembled. I'm happy to give it a good home.
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i would love that!!!! at least let me pay for shipping. send me a pm and we will get the info.
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gearmotion, how much do those boards cost? i think i really need to buy one sometime.
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gearmotion, how much do those boards cost? i think i really need to buy one sometime.
$5 plus shipping here: http://moderndevice.com/connect.shtml (http://moderndevice.com/connect.shtml)
If CircuitGizmos carried them, they would be about the same price.
Should CircuitGizmos carry a kit of all of the $50 robot parts? What is your opinion?
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yes. if you are a noob at something the last thing you would want to have to do is go out and look
for all these strange named components that you have never heard of. i think that if one store stocked a "kit" containing all the components for the $50 robot it would be great!
and thanks for the link, ill pick one up soon. btw, does anyone know where to get an FT232R chip on its own?
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That would make a lot of people happy.
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and not to mention resolve the thousand posts saying "help finding $50 robot parts".
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Yes definately, and also don't forget the reviving of 1 year old+ posts. >:(
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OK. Working out some details... Thank you all for the support!
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yes. if you are a noob at something the last thing you would want to have to do is go out and look for all these strange named components that you have never heard of. i think that if one store stocked a "kit" containing all the components for the $50 robot it would be great!
This has to be the hardest part of starting. why can't they name stuff like "controller thingy" "plug thingy" and "that one thingy, you know the thing im talking about" then there would be not trouble finding parts ;D :-)
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But then it would come to the point where everything would eventually be called "thingy" and no one will know what heck you're talking about! ;D
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Preview of Society of Robots Kit:
http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgsorkit1/cgsorkit1.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgsorkit1/cgsorkit1.shtml)
Does not include servos (perhaps I'll sell those separately). Has a few more parts than the minimum required for the electronics of the $50 robot.
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Sooo...Now that the the $50 robot can be bought as a "kit" does that mean the authenticity of saying that something like "Its not from a kit" or "I made it without a kit" still apply?
Everyone, including myself, who has made the $50 robot up to this point had to buy the parts from digikey or mouser as separate components, not all packaged together in a kit. IMO, a $50 robot kit somewhat destroys that "building your first robot without a kit" kind of experience.
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That's not much of a kit... just for convenience a package that contains all the components, you still have to put everything together.
My reccomendation is add another chip socket, that is the first thing most people solder and also the first thing most people mess up.
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Sooo...Now that the the $50 robot can be bought as a "kit" does that mean the authenticity of saying that something like "Its not from a kit" or "I made it without a kit" still apply?
Everyone, including myself, who has made the $50 robot up to this point had to buy the parts from digikey or mouser as separate components, not all packaged together in a kit. IMO, a $50 robot kit somewhat destroys that "building your first robot without a kit" kind of experience.
you still have to make the robot... i see this in no way as a kit.
its just organizing the components for you...
the hardest thing i had to solder in the $50 board was the single hole from the I/O pin to the header pin.
in all my other $50 boards i had the headers one hole closer to the mcu.
@gearmotion, nice work on the kit!
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Sooo...Now that the the $50 robot can be bought as a "kit" does that mean the authenticity of saying that something like "Its not from a kit" or "I made it without a kit" still apply?
Everyone, including myself, who has made the $50 robot up to this point had to buy the parts from digikey or mouser as separate components, not all packaged together in a kit. IMO, a $50 robot kit somewhat destroys that "building your first robot without a kit" kind of experience.
This isn't a kit of all of the parts, just of many of the smaller electronic components. The intent of the kit is to make it easier for the SoR project builder to obtain the correct components. The kit saves a little money and contains a few extra parts. The kit really doesn't help the SoR project builder build the robot easier, just obtain the parts without trouble. And the kit has matching phototransistors, which the Radio Shack assortment may not.
Don't consider it a kit as much as a pack of electrical parts. Nothing stopping anyone from ordering each single part from Digikey/Mouser.
That's not much of a kit... just for convenience a package that contains all the components, you still have to put everything together.
My reccomendation is add another chip socket, that is the first thing most people solder and also the first thing most people mess up.
That is a very reasonable idea. 1 in the kit for now, but I might add another later.
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Good points, touché. :). The kit would be quite practical if there were backordered parts you might otherwise have to wait on from digikey.
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Thanks. The kit has a few more extra parts in it, and costs less than what you would pay for the parts at Digikey.
These are the parts:
Kit Item Quantity
Printed Circuit Board 1
ATmega8 AVR, DIP package 1
Socket for ATmega8 1
CdS Photoresistors (matching) 2
5V Linear Regulator 1
Red LED 5
Green LED 5
Yellow LED 5
1.62 k ohm Resistor 8
340 ohm Resistor 8
30 position single in-line header 3
220 uF Capacitor 1
.1 uF Capacitor 3
Lead-free Solder 36 inches
Misc wire, 24 gauge, solid 20 feet
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This looks like a great list of parts for the package. :)
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Thanks. The kit has a few more extra parts in it, and costs less than what you would pay for the parts at Digikey.
These are the parts:
Kit Item Quantity
Printed Circuit Board 1
ATmega8 AVR, DIP package 1
Socket for ATmega8 1
CdS Photoresistors (matching) 2
5V Linear Regulator 1
Red LED 5
Green LED 5
Yellow LED 5
1.62 k ohm Resistor 8
340 ohm Resistor 8
30 position single in-line header 3
220 uF Capacitor 1
.1 uF Capacitor 3
Lead-free Solder 36 inches
Misc wire, 24 gauge, solid 20 feet
Nice ! I wouldn't include solder, especially lead free. I've been told that lead free solder is harder to use and that you need a more powerfull iron (melting point is higher?), not very good for beginners. What about female header and stranded wires ?
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Don't forget the Molex style 3 pin connectors for making the sensors and battery pack.
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Newest list:
Kit Item Quantity
Printed Circuit Board 1
ATmega8 AVR, DIP package 1
Socket for ATmega8 1
CdS Photoresistors (matching) 2
5V Linear Regulator 1
Red LED 5
Green LED 5
Yellow LED 5
1.62 k ohm Resistor 8
330 ohm Resistor 8
30 position single in-line header 3
220 uF Capacitor 1
.1 uF Capacitor 3
3 position crimp header 3
Crimp pins 10
Lead-free Solder 36 inches
Misc wire, 24 gauge, solid 20 feet
http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgsorkit1/cgsorkit1.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgsorkit1/cgsorkit1.shtml)
The CGSORKIT1 contains the electronic parts for the $50 robot (except for the servos) all collected in an easy-to-purchase pack. No more wondering if the parts that you selected are right for the $50 Society of Robots tutorial. There are several benefits to buying this kit. First, you save some money over getting the parts all by themselves. Second, this kit contains more than the bare minimum for the $50 robot tutorial - wire, solder, LEDs, extra resistors. Third, the CdS cells are matched to each other - no guessing which ones are the same in the surplus set from Radio Shack.
Fourth, the ATmega8 AVR microcontgroller comes programmed with the Arduino bootloader, if you choose to develop with that environment. And, even if you don't, having that bootloader in the chip helps with debugging as the bootloader will blink PB.5 on power-up.
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nice work gearmotion!
when you say pcb you mean the proto board right?
just a suggestion but i think maybe an additional 220uf cap should maybe be included? i remember i fried my first one because i put too much heat on it.
and wow, its the same cost as a bare bones board!
EDIT: gearmotion... wth is up with the shipping to australia for one bb board? look at the attached image.
ive heard of bad shipping rates but geez! ;D
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nice work gearmotion!
when you say pcb you mean the proto board right?
just a suggestion but i think maybe an additional 220uf cap should maybe be included? i remember i fried my first one because i put too much heat on it.
Thanks!
Yes PCB - Printed Circuit Board as a "sea of holes" protoboard. Just like the board used in the $50 SoR Robot. (Not the white "solderless breadboard")
Like this: http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgpcb/cgpcb.shtml (http://www.circuitgizmos.com/products/cgpcb/cgpcb.shtml)
I appreciate the suggestions. But at some point I have to stop adding parts, otherwise I have to bump it above $14.99 and I really want to keep that price low.
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and wow, its the same cost as a bare bones board!
EDIT: gearmotion... wth is up with the shipping to australia for one bb board? look at the attached image.
ive heard of bad shipping rates but geez! ;D
Yes. Right now there is an _issue_ with shipping. It should be fixed in a day or so.
(I'll offer you half off shipping, Smash. Just for you. :-) )
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Yes PCB - Printed Circuit Board as a "sea of holes" protoboard. Just like the board used in the $50 SoR Robot. (Not the white "solderless breadboard")
ahh ok, maybe call it protoboard? i always thought a pcb was the one with tracks all over it?
(I'll offer you half off shipping, Smash. Just for you. :-) )
aww, how sweet! i think i have $500k sitting in my change bin right now ;D
although we are kinda thread-jacking and i think we may need to stop before we piss someone off...
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nope im cool i like this kit and "almost" wish i got it not the bare bones kit.
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i will have to agree that the kit packs more "value" as so to speak into the package for $15...
but the bare bones looks a bit cleaner as in it has less jumpers running around the place but it lacks the power buses :(
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Wow, I apologize for any negative comments I made earlier about your $50 robot kit GearMotion :P. What I especially like in your store is that you sell the protoboard for the $50 bot!......(Damned radio shack doesn't ship to Canada >:()
edit: o wait, I just read this: "CG ONLY ships to/within the United States." ......phoey...will u ever ship to canada?
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Wow, I apologize for any negative comments I made earlier about your $50 robot kit GearMotion :P. What I especially like in your store is that you sell the protoboard for the $50 bot!......(Damned radio shack doesn't ship to Canada >:()
edit: o wait, I just read this: "CG ONLY ships to/within the United States." ......phoey...will u ever ship to canada?
Yes..... Getting that to happen. Stay tuned....
i will have to agree that the kit packs more "value" as so to speak into the package for $15...
but the bare bones looks a bit cleaner as in it has less jumpers running around the place but it lacks the power buses :(
The kit is geared toward the SoR Robot. SoRobot? ;) The Bare Bones Board does have the A0 to A5 lines that are set up for sensors and servos. More _would_ be nice.
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Wow, I apologize for any negative comments I made earlier about your $50 robot kit GearMotion :P. What I especially like in your store is that you sell the protoboard for the $50 bot!......(Damned radio shack doesn't ship to Canada >:()
edit: o wait, I just read this: "CG ONLY ships to/within the United States." ......phoey...will u ever ship to canada?
Yes..... Getting that to happen. Stay tuned....
Canadian shipping, now. :)
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Thanks :), but then again, $41.95 USD is a little pricey for shipping... :(
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Thanks :), but then again, $41.95 USD is a little pricey for shipping... :(
Did you order 20 pounds of stuff?
Or is there something wrong with PayPal?
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Oh I just checked - there still IS something wrong... Lemme fix.
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yea, I looked into it myself. I had selected the arduino starter book package, thats what jumped up the shipping up by $23...from 19.95 to 42.95. The book cant be That heavy now can it...^^
Edit: Awesome! Its fixed ;D, Thanks...$12.95 is much better :D
Edit 2: I just previewed the book through a youtube vid...good thing also because the book seems overly simplistic...
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yea, I looked into it myself. I had selected the arduino starter book package, thats what jumped up the shipping up by $23...from 19.95 to 42.95. The book cant be That heavy now can it...^^
Well, it is "Getting Started" so it is obviously carved on a stone.
Now the next step is for me to move to Canada and test it out.
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"good thing also because the book seems overly simplistic"
Just what i need ;D
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No but I mean like over-over simplistic...stuff like...
"In order to program your arduino board, you have to plug the usb adaptor into a com port on your pc, or a usb serial port for a mac,...open up your arduino library and find "blinking LED" (or whatever it may be called). Load the program and then press the "upload" button to program your arduino...to attach the LED, plug the longer lead of the LED, the anode, into port 'x' (whatever port was used in the program) and the shorter end into ground, or the pin marked "gnd"...."
I mean simple stuff like that...and unless this book has more advanced things, I dont think ill buy it...
edit: To SmAsH's comment below: ^^ yea lol, (or for people who only work one 4-5 hour shift per week due to inflation...)
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that does seem a bit too little... like for people who have never heald a microcontroller before type thing.
the more advanced stuff is free on the internet! which is good for us people who are poor :)