PING Head BOE-Bot ...

This is another 3D Printed Plastic Project:  "the PING Head BOE-Bot" ... 

The Parallax.com BOE-Bot is one of the best starting points for learning robotics ... if you can read, then in less than a month you can become an intermediate Roboteer.  But when you're done you end up with a BOE-Bot ... a very nakid little robot with electronics sticking out on top, wires here 'n there etc... 

What I've been doing is finding ways to convert these projects to a more complete solution so that after completing the last of chapter 8 in the manual the Roboteer can finish the robot into a toy for a small child to safely play with.  

The PING Head BOE-Bot is my 2nd completed design for the BOE-Bot projects ...

As you can see in the first image the lid is "Z" shaped and it simply snaps on top ... but is easy enough to remove to replace the 9V radio battery on the Parallax.com HomeWork Board inside.  The cut-out on the side allows for re-programming without having to remove the µController board ... also, there's a cut-out on the back for those using the original BOE (Board of Education) be it the older Serial version or the newer USB version.  

The other images (SolidWorks 3D CAD/Modeling views," you can see the back and bottom views ... 

Grab the .STL files to build your own ... although I designed the back plate for the head, I'm not using it on mine.  
http://www.Brainless.org/

See how rather than the PING servo rotating side to side the head rolls to look in the direction desired including down or straight forward for the most view with minimal parts.  Yeah, there's a mini-Servo inside that head along with the PING, 3-LEDs, an IR Receiver and two Piezo speakers ... 

The reason to put everything into the head is so that the head and software can be used on several other robot designs.  

Find more of my 3D Printed Projects on my website:  http://www.brainless.org/

Step 1: Assembly ...

The PING Head BOE-Bot is easy to assemble ... 

First, the big body just slips down over the top of the BOE-Bot ... I only use two 3x10 mm screws in the front to hold the body in place, but if you insist on more you can install screws on the sides and back ... I just found that two screws in the front seem more than adequate.  

Then Install the front neck servo ... immediately, you will notice that you may need to move or remove some of the components on the µController bread board ... using a female to male servo cable I connected the IR Receiver to the breadboard, then using a female to female servo cable I connected the mini-servo inside the left side of the head to the µController bread board.  Using some 20cm long female to male jumper cables I connect the LEDs and Piezo speakers to the µController bread board, and lastly, the PING is connected using a female to male servo cable.  

No need to solder or crimp ... the connections are very stable ... I just shove the component wires in as far as I can into the female servo cable ends.  

One trick to the LEDs ... get 12V LEDs and you don't need to have current limiting resistors in your circuit design ... just drive them directly from the BS2 PINs.  

Final step ... programming ... I'll leave it up to you to write your own programs ... mine are just a amalgamation of software found online to perform different tasks but using the components I use ... then I remove what I don't need and modify a little to fit my needs.  My software sometimes looks like a horror story, while other times looks like something a grade-A student might turn in for college credit.  

OTOH, I do hope people will send me their BS2 and other µController code so I can post it on a webpage on my own site to support others ... 

http://www.Brainless.org/  

I will eventually get the PingHeadBOE-Bot page online ...