Recent blog entries for Seb

Currently making a mini bot 100mm * 72mm, it will be totaly made by my self with the exception of the Ultra sonic rangers by deventech. This may sound wierd but I find useing kits so unrewarding, I feel like I might as well have brought it ready made. The robot will 2 motors (controlled by a home made/designed driver), 3 ultra sonic rangers, a peizo sounder, LED and button, and a Basic STAMP 2sx, it will be powered by 4AA batterys. I want this to stop my craving for biulding things (robots) as it cost too muct right now, so I will want to be able to make it do many things.

PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS GOR progeammes EMAIL ME no matter how chanlenging! madgwickboys@aol.com

My current ideas are: 1. rover avioding objects by taking the clearest route (from 3 ranger). 2. the robot will head towards the nearest object, so it will be following, well thats the idea.

AHH HAA! I've just made a motor bridge for me robot. cos there was soooooo much programming the modified servos wouldn't keep turning (they would go, and stop, and go, and stop, OOOooooo that pisted me off, go and stop, go and stop). But I have solved all my problems now, well one anyway.

I biuld the chassis kit and added all my own eletronics to get it to work with one sonar ranger when it rived but there are two problems: 1. the drain on the battery with my stamp IIsx, 2 speed controlers, ultrasonic ranger, and 4! motors will only let the robot run for aproxemently five minits on one battery (racing pack: 7.2V, 1400mA). This is not ideal at all for may experiments as I need to constantly change the programming, test it and the battery just dose not last. I will instead biuld a smaller chassis with 2 mod. servos for now. 2.This is not so mutch a problem in the long run but an advantage, but for now it is a newsence. The ultrasonis rangers can only see solid object directly in front of them, so one faceing forward will not see the the robot's side is running into or scraping the wall. But when I get some more money I'll buy two more rangers for left and right and my robot will see everything.

Robot stuff arived andbiuld is in progress, I've been experimenting with the sonar modual and am surpriced at how accurate it is, and how easy it is to program. When I get the money I am buying two more so my root will truely be intouch with its suroundings, but for now I am paying my dad back the now £120 I owe him.

Mail order not arive 2day & tomorrow is Sunday, so Wait until Monday, AAAHHHHHH!

I also found out that my IRPD is not working, AAAHHHHHH! AAAHHHHHH!

A load of robotic and eletrical stuff ($325 worth to be procise) should be ariving any day now so I can get started on my rover. If any one has ideas on what to do with it I.e wheel encoders, please tell me. It will have an LCD screen, BS2SX micro controller, two high power motor bridges and four motors. One four each wheel with differntial stearing. Sensors are are IRPD if I get it working and so far one ultrasonic ranger. The speed of the robot may contradict the use of a wheel encoder, but if you know other wise please tell me.

madgwickboys@aol.com

Waiting for dad to sort out a mail order for robot stuff, also me haveing problems trying to programa BS1 cos me used to a BS2SX, oh well.

Should be sending of for the chasis and motor bridges for the sumo bot tomorrow. Also I hoped to build my own sonor range finder to save money, but I can't find the ICs anywhere. I'll have to buy ready built ones (more money!). I want to put one of my bots on the net but I've taken most of them apart and half biuld something else, although I think I still have my lego mind storms so I'll quikly go and make some thing with that now.

I'm not sure want this diary is but I'll just mention (if anyone reeds this) that I'm starting to put together a small experimenal rover that I can expand on. All so I want to make my own sumo bot (see lynxmotion.com) cos I've had some great ideas for the programing side of it. Not sure where to get money fron though, could be looking at a couple of hundred pounds.