Blue Dome in progress

Let's Make Robots Robots
1

Well, I'm restoring an old robot, because I'm now able to use Basic Stamps. This robot is a Parallax & DeAgostini projects which came out from newsagent's, so file by file, component by component I've done this robot when I was 7. OMG !!! I was a bit distructive (I opened a servo to know how it works lol) BUT NOW I KNOW HOW TO WORK ON IT.

 

 

The hand was working bad for low batteries so now it's running with the aid of a power supply or good batteries.

The robot now can be controlled via IR SONY-Compatible remote, as you can see in this old photo.

IR Remote

It can run in all directions using 2 Futaba Continuous servos...

...here you can see also the Main Battery holder ( 6V ) and the Auxiliary Battery holder ( 9V ), the switch for "end-opening" and finally the connectors for two IR Sensors.

The hand works up/down & open/close, of course. There are also two switches for "end-lifting" and "end-dropping", the one mentioned previously and the "patented" OddBot Pressure Sensor.

Here are visible the Auxiliary Breadboard; the 20 ways BUS from Bs2 to the BB; low visible resistors and a condensator, to Pull-Down the switches and for the RC circuit wich interface the Conductive Foam to the Bs2.

Please, if someone more professional have any tips for me, I'll be very glad to know them!

Also working in progress:

_A 10 LEDs police siren pattern.

Special Thx to:

_OddBot ( for Pressure Sensor ).

_All who said my bot is nice.

For now is ALL

See you on next update.

It manipulates objects (test movements for now).

  • Actuators / output devices: 2 continious servos, 2 dc motors
  • Control method: non-autonomous until a soon update
  • CPU: Basic Stamp 2
  • Operating system: none
  • Power source: 6 V by Alcaline Batteries or Power Supply
  • Programming language: pbasic 2.5
  • Sensors / input devices: Autonomous
  • Target environment: indoor
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/blue-dome-in-progress
2

Woooa! Nice…

Nice Gripper hand!

If you have or can find some old Computer mouse, the ones with the ball, You can find 2 small encoders wells and the photo transmiter and receiver for each one inside. there small enougth to b mounted on your gripper.

Check This Link:

http://hackaday.com/2008/05/16/how-to-scavenge-a-mouse-for-parts/

Hope this can help.

3

Thx
Thanks a lot, nice tip to fix that bug. When I find an old mouse, I’ll try to mount it on!

4

Oddbot showed the

Oddbot showed the development of a simple pressure sensor that could be used on the inside jaws of the gripper, to detect how “closed” they are on an object. That combined with an IR detector and LED (to tell if something actually is between the jaws) could be some good additions for autonomy.

Cute little robot btw. Where did it come from?

5

Great

You’re a super engineer. This idea is great and i think the best choice. This robot came from newsagents. Many years ago, in Italy, it ca out with a file and a part. File by file, in about a year or two, all parts were collected but I weren’t able to use it (I was 7). Now I’m 15 and I now well Basic Stamps. I’ve got in my mind all program for him to be autonomous but I was blocked by this problem of the gripper. Soon will come the autonomous version or a version comprending both.

Thanks a lot and sorry if I made some mistakes in english.

 

P.S. Conductive Foam is the one you find whene you buy a generic IC, the black sponge, looks like many small bulles, that hold IC’s pins to prevent shock, isn’t it?

6

Yes, that is the correct
Yes, that is the correct foam, that usually used on IC pins to prevent shock. Hope your programming goes well.

7

I’m working… all well
Yes… I don’t already started to program… Tomorrow I’m going to buy switches and the foam, next I’m going to build the circuits to “tell” to the basic stamp if the hand is or not to the end of its range and so on… after that the programming side will be easy like drink a glass of water. BUGs permitting, I hope…

8

Very cool robot! Careful

Very cool robot! Careful when talking about Basic Stamps at LMR, folks 'round here don’t take too kindly to them :wink:

Seriously though, very nice job. :smiley:

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Maybe yes… :frowning:

I don’t know why, maybe for the simple way to program it or the low number of pins? Yes, this may be true but is all I’ve got.

I’ve got also a PIC, EasyPIC4 from mikroelektronika, but it don’t want to work… When it will, this will be my way to control bots.

This bot is too POOR, he’s ( HE because is my friend ) already upgraded with many sensors, but still missing the IRs.

To map the envoironment imagine to put two IR, so they will scan in fron of them in straight line. Those lines corresponds to the opening limit of your gripper . Now make your bot rotating , for example, to the left until a near object came in fron of the RIGHT IR. Now your bot will rotate in opposite way, COUNTING the TIME OR PULSES it takes to find the object with the other IR. If the object INTERRUPTS BOTH IR SIGNALS, IT’S TOO BIG, otherwise move the bot again in the opposite way using HALF PART of pulses counted before. Now you have the object in front of the bot, alligned to the gripper so move forward and pick up it.

I hope I was clear, because for an Italian is not simple.

Filip

10

Hahaha!

THATS A LIFESAFER!

11

What do you mean?
What do you mean?

12

very nice
very nice

13

Thx… Still UpDating!!!
Thx… Still UpDating!!!

14

It’s very simply… You can
It’s very simply… You can either download PDF Parallax Books from their official website or i can write you a long mail with a list of commands :wink: