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Step 2The Hardware, Brain, and Other Components
Ok. To start off, the hardware that was used for this robot was part of a kit I got. It is the "Boe-Bot" kit from Parallax (http://www.Parallax.com), but this design is very flexible; you can use any chassis you want, just be sure that 1) the ultrasonic rangefinder is at the highest elevation on the robot so it doesn't hit bottoms of railings, etc, and 2) the IR sensors are angled in such a way that they can even detect objects that are about 1" away from the robot. This keeps it from hitting edges of things that may hit the wheels.
Mounted on the chassis is Parallax's Boe-Board which came with my Boe-Bot kit, which is simply a development board that can be used with any Stamp microcontroller with the same voltage requirements and pin layout. There are many different Stamp development boards on the internet. It is $65 from Parallax.
On the dvelopment board, as Bob's brain, is the BS2e (BASIC Stamp 2 e), which is basically the same as the BS2, except with more memory (RAM and EEPROM). The EEPROM is for program storage, and the RAM is for storing the variables (temporarily, of course). Bob may not be the fastest thinker in the world (~4,000 instructions/sec), but hey, that's good enough.
Bob moves via two continuous rotation servos from Parallax which, as many servos do, have a LOT of torque. For the juice, he has a 4-cell AA battery pack (for a total of 6V) connected to the 5V regulator on the development board, which gives a steady output of, you guessed it, 5V as to not fry the components. Many devices for robotics run on either a 5V or 6V supply; for some reason, it's a standard. And you DON"T want to fry these components; they're expensive. The BS2e has an internal regulator, but don't give it more than 9V if you are not using a development board! Also, if you don't use a development board (which always have regulators), then BE SURE to use a 5V regulator.
NOTE: As for power consumption, Bob is very greedy. Use RECHARGEABLE batteries for this; they last a LOT longer. I used 4 Energizer rechargeables @ 2500ma each, which definitely prolongs the life.
Mounted on the chassis is Parallax's Boe-Board which came with my Boe-Bot kit, which is simply a development board that can be used with any Stamp microcontroller with the same voltage requirements and pin layout. There are many different Stamp development boards on the internet. It is $65 from Parallax.
On the dvelopment board, as Bob's brain, is the BS2e (BASIC Stamp 2 e), which is basically the same as the BS2, except with more memory (RAM and EEPROM). The EEPROM is for program storage, and the RAM is for storing the variables (temporarily, of course). Bob may not be the fastest thinker in the world (~4,000 instructions/sec), but hey, that's good enough.
Bob moves via two continuous rotation servos from Parallax which, as many servos do, have a LOT of torque. For the juice, he has a 4-cell AA battery pack (for a total of 6V) connected to the 5V regulator on the development board, which gives a steady output of, you guessed it, 5V as to not fry the components. Many devices for robotics run on either a 5V or 6V supply; for some reason, it's a standard. And you DON"T want to fry these components; they're expensive. The BS2e has an internal regulator, but don't give it more than 9V if you are not using a development board! Also, if you don't use a development board (which always have regulators), then BE SURE to use a 5V regulator.
NOTE: As for power consumption, Bob is very greedy. Use RECHARGEABLE batteries for this; they last a LOT longer. I used 4 Energizer rechargeables @ 2500ma each, which definitely prolongs the life.
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