Do you want to learn how to build your own robot? This is easy and quite cheap to do! The tutorial below will instruct you on how to build a BeetleBot, which moves very similarly to a Roomba. This is a great introductory robotics project for almost any age or experience level. This robot will move around, and turn around when it bumps into an object. It works due to simple circuitry, with no distance sensors required.
Steps
- Fit the heat-shrink tubing to the wheel on the original motor. Cut a piece of the tubing just a little longer than each wheel, fit it onto the wheel and shrink it using a lighter or the soldering iron. You may wish to put a few layers in increasing diameters to really build up the “tires”.
- Glue the switches to the backside of the battery holder. The battery holder should be rated at 3v or 2*AA. These switches are called SNAP ACTION Switches. Glue the switches to the back end of the battery holder, on the flat side where wires are coming out. Place the switches at an angle in the corners: the contacts farthest from the lever-like metal bar should touch the center line of the device.
- The levers, which are the switches themselves, should be at the outside, near the wires.
- Place the metal strip. This metal strip will act as a motor holder. Make sure that the metal strip does not contact the switch pins. Place the 1”x3” (2.5–7.5cm) strip of aluminum just behind the switches. Center it, then bend the excess down at a 45° angle. Glue the strip in place with hot glue. Let it set completely before moving on.
- Attach the motors to the metal wings. Using hot glue, attach the motors to the bent-down sections of metal, such that the “tires” are touching the ground. Pay attention to the charge markings on the motors, as the tires will need to go in opposite directions. Make sure that one motor is placed “upside down” as compared to the other.
- Make sure that the motor pins don’t contact the metal strip.
- Form the back wheel. You will need a back wheel so that the robot doesn’t drag. Take a large paperclip and form it into the outline of a TARDIS or a house, with a medium-sized round bead at the peak. Place it at the opposite end from the protruding wires and hot glue the ends of the clip to the sides of the battery holder.
- Solder the robot. Use a soldering iron and solder to connect all of the electrical wires between the components of the robot. This must be done carefully, as a wrong connection will stop the robot from working. There are several connections you will have to make:
- Solder the end pin on one switch to the end pin on the second switch. (The end pin is the pin directly underneath the switch lever.)
- Solder the center pin on one switch to the center pin on the second switch.
- Solder a small piece of wire to one of the motor's "+" pin. Solder this wire to the adjacent switch’s remaining pin.
- Solder a small piece of wire to the other motor's "-" pin. Solder this wire to the adjacent switch's remaining pin.
- Solder a long wire between the remaining connections on the motors (connecting the motors to each other).
- Take the positive wire from the battery holder and solder it to the end pin of a switch.
- Take the negative wire from the battery holder and solder it to the "-" pin of a motor.
- Create the feelers for the robot. These feelers can be anything that act like the extension of the switch’s arms. They can be made out of paper clips. Bend them such that they form the shape of a bugs antenna.
- Attach the feelers. Attach the feelers to the switches using the spade connectors and glue (if you need it — they should clip or slip on just fine.)
- Turn it on by putting in batteries. The robot should move in much the same way a Roomba does. It just won’t clean your floor. Congratulations! You've made your robot. Make sure to teach your little guy the Three Laws of Robotics.
- If you want to you can program a remote from a remote controlled car, so you can turn on your robot at a distance.
Video
Things You’ll Need
- 2 small motors (these can be found in some toys and in electric toothbrushes)
- 2 SPDT or 3-way switches
- 1 AA battery holder (with space for 2 batteries)
- 1 piece of metal (roughly 1”x3”, aluminum works well)
- 2 spade connectors
- Heat-shrink tubing
- 1 small bead
- A handful of paper clips
- Two "servo" motors
Tips
- You can create a shell for your little robot using household items and otherwise customize it to look however you would like it to. Just be careful not to impede the connections or wheels.
Warnings
- Be careful using all tools.
- Don’t put the batteries in the battery holder until you’re done. You don’t want to shock yourself.
Related wikiHows
Sources and Citations
Related wikiHows
- How to Build Your Own Variable Bench Power Supply Using an ATX Power Supply
- How to Buy Salvaged Computers to Resell
- How to Add Commands to the Quick Access Toolbar
- How to Build an Internet Controlled Robot
from How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1UsjY1J
No comments:
Post a Comment