444-AVXB Robot Module

Hello and thank you for your purchase of the 444-AVXB Robot Module. In this Instructable you will find instructions for assembly on this board. Follow the steps carefully and you should have no problem getting this guy together. Links to more information can be found at the end of this tutorial.

Overview:

The 444-AVXB was designed by Christoper Robinson (Chris the Carpenter) from Rocket Brand Studios. It has been designed to fit the Propeller Platform USB  from our friends at Gadget Gangster and can be purchased here.

What is the 444-AVXB Robot Module?

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 unit

The 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.

Step 1: Prepare Parts

Open up your little baggie of parts and remove the contents. I would suggest using a shallow dish or cookie-sheet --it is amazing how these little parts can fall off the edge of your desk and be lost forever. A complete list of parts can be found here. Don't worry if your parts don't look exactly like the ones in the picture, I change suppliers from time to time and there are sometimes slight variations in the appearance of the parts. I will note in the text of each step if anything is going to be different.