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How to create an open source Arduino controlled robot for under $100.
Hopefully after reading this instructable you will be able to take your first step into robotics. Ard-e cost about $90 to $130 depending on how much spare electronics you have lying around. The main costs are:
Arduino Diecimella- $35 https://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSP1
Bulldozer kit- $31 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=70104
Servo- $10 I got mine at a local hobby store
Worm gear Motor- $12 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=72004
Various other Electronics- around $10 radioshack or digikey.com
Sensors- anywhere from 0 dollars to $28 depending on how many you want and how extensive your pile of junk electronics is
So with spending around $100 you get a remote control robot with a pan and tilt system that could be used to aim a camera, a hacked airsoft gun ( http://inventgeek.com/Projects/Airsoft_Turret_v2/Overview.aspx ) or you could attach a laser to it because thats what you have lying around. If you wanted to be really cruel you could attach a dvd laser to it and burn whatever you wanted ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJ0EpxjZBU )
In addition to making the pan and tilt system that is remote controlled you can also buy about three dollars worth of chips, attach sensors to Ard-e and make him fully autonomous. For around a hundred dollars you can build your own robotics system that has most of the functionality of a roomba or a lego-mindstorms robot: It can sense when it bumps into something be programmed to avoid what it bumps into, it can follow the brightest light, smell pollutants, hear sounds, know precisely how far it has gone, and be controlled by an old recycled remote control. All of this for about half of the price of commercial units.
This is my entry into the RobotGames robot contest so if you like it make sure to vote for it!
Note- Originally I was going to enter the remote controlled version only as my entry to the contest but since the deadline was pushed back Im gonna show you how to make Ard-e run himself.
So on to how to build Ard-e
Hopefully after reading this instructable you will be able to take your first step into robotics. Ard-e cost about $90 to $130 depending on how much spare electronics you have lying around. The main costs are:
Arduino Diecimella- $35 https://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSP1
Bulldozer kit- $31 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=70104
Servo- $10 I got mine at a local hobby store
Worm gear Motor- $12 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=72004
Various other Electronics- around $10 radioshack or digikey.com
Sensors- anywhere from 0 dollars to $28 depending on how many you want and how extensive your pile of junk electronics is
So with spending around $100 you get a remote control robot with a pan and tilt system that could be used to aim a camera, a hacked airsoft gun ( http://inventgeek.com/Projects/Airsoft_Turret_v2/Overview.aspx ) or you could attach a laser to it because thats what you have lying around. If you wanted to be really cruel you could attach a dvd laser to it and burn whatever you wanted ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJ0EpxjZBU )
In addition to making the pan and tilt system that is remote controlled you can also buy about three dollars worth of chips, attach sensors to Ard-e and make him fully autonomous. For around a hundred dollars you can build your own robotics system that has most of the functionality of a roomba or a lego-mindstorms robot: It can sense when it bumps into something be programmed to avoid what it bumps into, it can follow the brightest light, smell pollutants, hear sounds, know precisely how far it has gone, and be controlled by an old recycled remote control. All of this for about half of the price of commercial units.
This is my entry into the RobotGames robot contest so if you like it make sure to vote for it!
Note- Originally I was going to enter the remote controlled version only as my entry to the contest but since the deadline was pushed back Im gonna show you how to make Ard-e run himself.
So on to how to build Ard-e
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Signing UpStep 1Build your Bulldozer
So once you get your new bulldozer kit either in the mail or at your local hobby shop you have to put it together. These kits from Tamiya tend be a little on the expensive side but they are worth it. I found the worm gear box that I use to pan the laser in a box of old projects covered in dust, it hadnt been touched for maybe three years. After blowing off the dust and hooking it up it ran fine.
A pocket knife or leatherman should be all the tools you'll need to set up the bulldozer. The instructions are step by step and easy to follow even if the English is a little shaky. Since I wasn't planning on using Ard-e as a really weak bulldozer I didn't attach the plow.
The dc motors that drive the bulldozer are controlled by the double pole double throw (DPDT) switches that make up the controller. I added a diagram about how to hook up your own DPDT switch to control a motor because I later end up controlling the panning motor with another DPDT switch. Hopefully the diagram makes it clear that the switch when thrown one way makes the motor turn one way and when thrown the other it turns the other way.
A pocket knife or leatherman should be all the tools you'll need to set up the bulldozer. The instructions are step by step and easy to follow even if the English is a little shaky. Since I wasn't planning on using Ard-e as a really weak bulldozer I didn't attach the plow.
The dc motors that drive the bulldozer are controlled by the double pole double throw (DPDT) switches that make up the controller. I added a diagram about how to hook up your own DPDT switch to control a motor because I later end up controlling the panning motor with another DPDT switch. Hopefully the diagram makes it clear that the switch when thrown one way makes the motor turn one way and when thrown the other it turns the other way.
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#include
int potPin = 2; // selects the input pin for the potentiometer
Servo servo1;
int val = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the potentiometer
void setup() {
servo1.attach(8); //selects the pin for the servo
}
void loop() {
val = analogRead(potPin); // read the value from the potentiometer
val = val / 5.68; //convert the value to degrees
servo1.write(val); //make the servo go to that degree
Servo::refresh(); //command needed to run the servo
}
=====================================================
The IDE seems to have a problem with the following line in your code:
Servo::refresh(); //command needed to run the servo
do you have a solution for this error?
I'm running the latest version of Arduino IDEs version 0023.
and try using Servo.refresh();
Would this be caused by the first motor (#1) in line with the + would cause a voltage drop to motor (# 2)?. Would placing a resistor in line with M#1 control the voltage better?
Another possible work around for this is to use the chip to control the ground circuit from the motor.
Just a thought, as most DC motors in automotive interiors use "Hot" motors and use the PCM directly or the PCM controls micro relays to control the ground to operate.
NooB.
~snipe