We’re expecting the remaining component (the metal frame) later this week or early next week. The version has not changed, though the package contents of the bluetooth and xbee kits have changed slightly due to the Soalr Charger Shield being discontinued.
Hi Eric1180,
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. The DFRobotShop Rover is based on the Arduino microcontroller, which is ideally suited for autonomous applications. An R/C receiver takes the data sent by the transmitter and sends timed pulses to the data pins (repeated every 30ms or so). Therefore to use an R/C receiver, the code you would need to write for the DFRobotShop Rover would be several times more complicated than the code needed to make it autonomous. You would need to connect the relevant receiver pins to the Arduino’s digital pins and write a program which would time each incoming pulse (not that the ATmega328 used on the Arduino Uno/Duemilanove only has one onboard timer) and write code which reacts to the time for each pulse.
Hope this helps,
Hi Eric,
Code written for Arduino should (for the most part) be compatible with all Arduino microcontrollers. If you send four signals simultaneously to the Arduino (ar less than 2500us separation) then one timer would not be enough to time each of the pulses. The Arduino MEGA has four built-in timers. The pseudo code would be:
signal received -> start timer -> signal ended -> stop timer -> convert time into a value -> send value to motor(s).
If a second signal is received during this time, and there is only one timer on the board, it would start the timer again and cause you to lose the value associated with the first signal.
Hope this helps,
Hi Rift,
TheLiPo would work well with the platform, but the motors included with the Tamiya twin motor gearbox operate at a nominal 3 to 4.5V, so this battery would do more harm than good. Fortunately, we sell a 6V motor comatible wit hthe Tamiya twin motor gearbox: RB-Sbo-50. When you purchase the kit, purchase two of these as well and use them instead of the two motors included with the Tamiya gearbox. We can likely special order for you so you can purchase everything here. You can certainly mount it to the underside or top of the rover (remove the 4xAA pack).
Hope this helps,
For a reason unknown to us, the delay from our Tamiya supplier has taken a bit longer than expected. They have assured us that we should be receiving the stock early next week. The Tamiya motors and tracks are the only items missing from the kits.
Sincerely,
Hi LaurenceC,
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. We are glad to hear you were able to resolve your issue quickly.
Sincerely,
Hi Rift,
We understand your sentiments and again apologize for the inconvenience. Almost all customers who have had issues with the board have posted on this thread, and can safely say the defect rate is small compared to the total number sold. It is very unfortunately that you happen to get two defective boards, one after the other and we will try our best to correct the situation. We have contacted our partner (and manufacturer of the boards) DFRobot to further tighten up their quality control for these boards and we will also be adding extra padding to the shipments. We would be happy to issue another RMA to have you exchange the board at no cost to you and will do our best to try to ensure you are satisfied with your experience.
Sincerely,
Hi Jormundir,
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. The DFRobotShop Rover Basic kit as you noted, is a “basic” kit where it is left up to the user to determine which products they wish to add. We will soon be releasing the 7th lesson of the “RobotShop Grand Tutorial: How to Make a Robot Series” on GoRobotics.net which will be about sensors.
Since you are new to electronics, we suggest using either a solderless breadboard or a prototyping shield (which allows for easy connections). There is also the more recent I/O Expansion Board which you might consider. Since you are new to robotics, you can play with the two sensors included on the board (light and temperature) and then you might want to start with an IR distance sensor. Alternatively, consider mounting an IR array and create a line follower. You can mount it easily using the multi-purpose sensor housing and the asssociated sensor cable. After that, you can try to use an accelerometer or IMU to give you an idea of the distance travelled. To add even more functionality, consider an onboard magnetic compass. If you want to denote boundaries, add a custom bracket and mount a magnetic sensor and lay strips of magnetic tape. When you think you are ready, consider adding the Compound Infrared Sensor and a pan/tilt to create a more sociable robot.
Hope this gives you some ideas,
Hi Rift,
As you seem to be the first customer to receive two defective boards, we will test the third one before it is sent to you. We have also contacted our partned to look over their QA procedures and we will also be checking the boards in greater deail when we receive / ship them.
Sincerely,
Hi Jormundir,
The dual motor controller onboard can provide a maximum of 2A per channel, and the Tamiya motors included with the kit consume about 1A each. You should not connect a DC motor directly to the pins of the Arduino (unless it is very small and would consume less than 100mA). You can connect a few small servos directly to the board since they normally consume less than 100mA. Connecting large servo motors is not good since they would draw more current than the digital pins or 5V pin can provide. The compound eye does not come with cables, but the pinout is standard. The suggested pan/tilt bracket (including servos) is the Dagu mini pan/tilt kit.
Sincerely,
Hi Jormundir,
If you want to connect small servo motors, you don’t need anything extra except wires; you can connect the servo motors directly to the digital / GND / 5V pins of the Arduino. If you want to use larger servo motors, you would need a separate circuit (4.8V to 6V) and possibly a servo motor controller (so you don’t draw too much current from the Arduino).
If you want to connect additional DC gear motors, you need a DC motor controller which has the correct current and voltage rating for the motors.
“Normal” wiring is the three pin servo cable: GND / V / Signal, which is often the same as for sensors.
There is no direct connection between the small Dagu pan/tilt and the DFRobotShop Rover PCB, so we suggest double sided tape.
The DFRobotShop Rover is a stand-alone product and is not part of a series of kits / sensors / motors like you might find with LEGO. The DFRobotShop Rover requires that you learn how to connect components from different manufacturers, read through specification sheets etc.
Most of the time a hot glue gun does not get hot enough to cause any damage, although in some instances using hot glue where there is current (wire or trace) may cause a short circuit. Don’t put hot glue over components because they may easily come off when you try to removethe hot glue.
Hi Rift,
We are happy to hear that the board is working. Can you double check that you included all components in the gearbox? We have also noted that some gearboxes are indeed noisier than others and finding the root cause is difficult. Adding grease does help a bit.
Sincerely,
It looks like we should be getting a shipment in about 10 days.
Hi E-Penguin,
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. Can you send us the order number of web reference number by e-mail to [email protected] and we will look into why your order is taking so long.
Sincerely,
Based on the tracking number, we should be getting them in about 4 days (~March 23rd). For issues regarding deliveries, availability and shipping, it’s best to contact us via the Support Center.
Sincerely,
Hi,
We have also found that for a yet unknown reason, some of the gearboxes produce more noise than others. Grease does help, but each seems to rub very slightly in different places. To determine the source of the noise, try rotating the gearbox slowly and listening to where the noise is coming from. One of the areas seems to be between the gears and the cylindrical grey plastic “spacers”.
Sincerely,
Yup. Just be sure you get the polarity right (you can set the digital pin you want to use to high and try either way for just a second to see which way lights up).
The space underneath one of the three axles seems ideal (preferably the front axle). You can create a simple cross member to support it and spacers to get the distance right. We look forward to seeing photos / videos of your progress.
Sincerely,
Its great to see videos! Your clipboard ramp certainly lacks friction. Try making it climb something! We got ours to climb over a tissue box - can you beat that?