Friends:
Does anyone know of a mast upon which I can mount the USB antenna and maybe some IR detectors or a GPS sensor?
I was thinking of making one out of Kydex or Lego Shafting otherwise. Is there anything prefabricated out there? Also, any ideas on how high it should be?
All the best amigos-Migs
Here’s a few pointers:
You don’t want your antenna to be metal if you can help it. This can introduce interference that would not be good. In this case plastic would be a good choice. Try a pvc pipe, it’s sturdy, cheap, and slightly flexible.
Be careful not to make the antenna too tall, especially if you are going to be adding heavy items at the top of it. This could cause your robot to fall over more easily if the center of gravity of your vehicle is raised (by putting weight high above the chassis).
Remember that Line Of Sight (LOS) gives the best reception for any type of signal you are trying to send or receive.
Hi honkweed:
You post some good pointers and I will heed them all. I cannot find PVC thin enough for the mast, so I will have to find something else.
Whether I want to or not some metal will find itself coming down the mast (if not the mast) because of the wiring. I plan to braid all the wiring to reduce any interference because of this.
All the best,
Migs
If you’re looking for thin, light plastic, hobby shops often carry extruded shapes of styrene, which work well as light structural elements such as masts. You might also look in the model aircraft section, where you can probably find some non-metallic tubes intended to be used as tail booms and the like.
If you’re looking for something a bit more robust, check the camping section at WalMart, where you can probably find replacement fiberglass tent poles. Cut the elastic cord that holds the sections together, and you have several pieces of hollow fiberglass shaft to work with. If you don’t necessarily need a hollow shaft, you might look at inexpensive fishing rods for fiberglass shafts. Solid fiberglass shafts can often be had cheaply at the hardware store, providing mounting stakes for curbside reflectors, often stoicked near the mailboxes and house numbers.
Finally, it may be a bit spendy, and may or may not cause interesting interactions, but thin-wall carbon fiber tubing can be found in arrow shafts, model plane booms, and wing struts.
Yes! Brilliant! I have arrows in my tool room! You were seeing outside the box. Thanks a bunch! -Migs
I was thinking about adapting a power antenna to a servo gear and mounting a camera on that. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Still looking for a ready made solution.
http://www.ecklers.com/images/vette/40723.jpg
ecklers.com/product.asp?pf%5 … %5Fid=1009
