Give the gift of Robot Invasion

Solar powered robot ornament wishes you holiday greetings during the day but when the lights go out radios home for reinforcement.

Step 1: Parts:

Electronics:

2N3904 Transistor
Rectifier Diode
1M resistor
Blinking LED
2 Rechargeable 1.5v batteries
Solar panel

Misc. Parts:

Copper plumbing parts
Grommets
Rivets
Brass & copper wire
LED holder
Copper mesh or beer can
Spring
Epoxy
Hot Glue

Comments

[Wasagi]

 A few questions, what is the wattage of the resistor? Also, why is the transistor necessary? What exactly does the rectifier diode do? Do you think that I could butcher a solar cell from a calculator?

Great work!

[Jodex]

The wattage of the resistor doesn't matter on this project. Something like ½ watt is okay. Rectifier diode rectifies the current so it can flow only one direction.
Negative will go this way->  |<   <-and positive that way on the schematic symbol. The stripe is is also on the diode witch shows the cathode(negative). And a solar cell from an calculator may not have enough voltage or current for this project. Of course you can connect couple of them in series and try! And I don't know why is the transistor necessary. Seems like its amplifying the signal there..(?) I dont see anything why you can't make it without the transistor a bit different way... Well, I don't know too much about transistors so I'm not very very sure about what I said :-D

[sponge212]

After analyzing the diagram I think the transistor is a switch to turn off the LED while the battery is charging. If the LED is ON the battery is not charging. It won't charge and run the LED at the same time.

[Wasagi]

 Ok, thanks! I don't know very much about them either...

[Mrlzeppelin]

Where can you find a solar panel as such? What are the values on it?

Thank you

[sponge212]

Seems to me the solar panel would need to produce at least 3 volts to begin to charge the 2.4 volt battery which is in series with a diode which has about 0.6 volts of drop across it. More that 3V would be better.

[Beduk]

you can buy them on ebay.You get many of them fo a few bucks.You can also buy them in the electronic store or radio shack near you.

[Misac-kun]

is posssible to use a LDR instead of a Solar panel? (solar panels are a bit expansive on my country)

also, great idea! i think i will be making something similar for my friends Xmas gift! (i think i will use normal leds cus the hight briliance ones costs 1,50 where i live)

[sponge212]

Solar panel generates electricity to recharge the batteries. An LDR is a light dependent resistor and produces no power.

[FrozenIce]

CHRISTmas people... NOT Xmas!!! YA HERD???

[l8nite]

actually it should be Xma$$

[black hole]

Xmas does mean Christmas, if you take the time to look it up. From the book Imponderables by David Feldman:

"The X in Xmas actually the decendant of the Greek equivalent of Ch as in 'Christos' which means 'Christ.' The letter X has stood for Christ since at least A.D. 1100, and the term 'Xmas' was first cited in 1551. 

So, if it's not on a Christmas card, Xmas is okay to use. : )

[canucksgirl]

just so you know its HEARD... HERD is a group of animals...

[golddigger1559]

looks like the humping robot from robot chicken

[controlledwrinkles]

Excellent Instructable, well written and well photographed. Kudos to you for getting to be the Instructables project of the day.

[canucksgirl]

Very cute. The expression on your robot is priceless. I love it. (and I have no idea how to make it yet). LOL :D

[ignoblegnome]

I loved your idea so much I just had to make some of them. I made some modifications and came up with a bunch of different designs. I gave them out as gifts to my whole family this year, and they were a big hit!
You can see my version of this robot at http://letsmakerobots.com/node/13326.

I credited this post on Instructables, of course. Great work; thanks for the inspiration!

[JoshuaZimmerman]

Your robots inspired several that I made this year as Christmas gifts. Want too cute.

My boards said "Do the robot" or "Robo boogie!". Those being my two favorite forms of robot dancing.

[JoshuaZimmerman]

I made a couple of these as Christmas gifts, people loved them!

If anyone is looking to have some made, contact me or visit my website http://www.bowndoggadgets.com. I can easily make one of several variations, and could always use some funding for my personal projects.

[MeCareFree]

 Newbie here:  What are the voltage and mah of the solar panel and where can I get one that looks like the one in this instructable?  Thanks for the great project!

[porcupinemamma]

Hi newbie Mecarefree!  welcome aboard the coolest website on the internet, with the kindest and most creative members in cyber space!!

[Jodex]

Try searching online. That might be the best or at least the easiest way.. Maybe

[qwertyuiop5433]

Where did you find your solar cell? Iv been looking around and can't seem to find a good one. Great project!

[Ron-Ray]

They have the 'cutest' little faces!  : |

{*idea} .. What if you used a thin hollow tube (empty ballpoint pen refill, etc.)  for the dish pole and ran wires inside...? 
{*idea} .. Could you use the "arms" themselves to conduct the charge voltage [+ | -}  (insulate inside body) and have no wires...? 
{*idea} .. Could you use a tiny micro-switch (through a rivets) to disconnect the system, for storage until next year...?

[ReeceLV]

Could anybody tell me if you could have a motor on it, because then you could make him drive away, or let the Satellite dish turn. Thanks in advance

[LordOlimar]

Where did you get your rechargeable button cells?

[XkidXhavocX]

Name him Chester Copperbot

[LordOlimar]

YES! WIN!

[H-Sama]

instead of a spring in the head, could one run another LED in the head so that the eyes and mouth would glow too? (or instead of the satellite?) and also would this electrical setup run 2 LEDs?

[pnorcross1]

Why not just get a green blinking LED, pop that on the dish, then a red led, and put that in the head. That way, the eyes glow an evil red when it gets dark, and then the alien/robot starts to "phone home". A nice plus for getting Christmas colors worked in there too!

[koolaidman8]

these are so cool

[evilmadscientistman]

heres an idea...why don't you add the blinking LED inside of the head and just use pop rivets so that it can shine through the holes and it looks all demonic with it's red eyes

[Falcore]

That would be sweet...

[frikkie]

I dont wanna be cruel but.....I like youre instructable.

[mntbkrguy]

This is such an awesome idea! Thank you for sharing your design.

[raykholo]

from a distance it kind a looks like a big stack of pennies, but in a good way i like it and its definitely really cool 5*

[ChoseTruc]

Bravo! MrMunki. I gave you a Hi-5. LOL
Your Bot's face is so cute, because of the K.i.S.S. approach.
It's look like IronMan. Let's call it = COPPER_FACE. Haha!!
I go along with what cyc4015 wrote "...rivets...like googley-eyes."
I like the inspiration you provided, by sharing your creation.
Proof is=Comments from; influx/Dec 25 2008, and masynmachien/May 13 2008.
Now, if I may,..., I have one suggestion for the welded connections:
:> Heat-Shrink Wraps, instead of Duct-Tape...To avoid shorts.
And those were my 2 cents..
Hoping that you, and the lucky receivers, had a 2006 Christmas to remember.

[cotton]

he is cool and cute i bet the girl i like would like one

[jinshengruan]

That is so cute,very cool

[nick9321]

thats really cool, nice job!