Hey all, new to the forum (also didn’t really see anywhere to introduce myself, so move this as necessary ), but I’ve been following Lynxmotion for a few years looking at the robot kits and such. I’m moderately-new to robotics, I’ve built 2 very, very beginner robots from kits (1 and 2), and I haveone I still have. I plan to major in college as in Robotics, I’m a senior in high school now. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can start off on the right foot? I would really like to get ahead in college, as I’ve been to a few open houses and seen what the college I’m going to can do.
The best suggestion i could offer is buy yourself a Basic Atom pro 24/28 and a botboard 2.
An SSC32 and the appropriate software
Or an Arc32, and get yourself a bunch of servos and brackets.
If you’re poorer than non-farm grade dirt like myself,
then i’d suggest getting 10 packs of these hobbypartz.com/60p-dy-1002.html
and some hotglue/icecream sticks from walmart.
Yes your robots will be very simple, and flimsy but they’ll also be cheap.
$50, vs $500+
The toughest part of robotics for me is programming.
You’ll find your contraptions are only as good a the programming behind it. So even a $2000 robot will be a paper weight if you cant program it.
Welcome to the forums, and welcome to the world of programmable robotics.
What ever you do, don’t let the complexity of other peoples bots intimidate you.
If your heart is in it, you’ll be building your very own terminator in no time.
Lots of good technical information to be found on the net for reading and study. I suggest you get a multimeter, soldering iron, and a bread board for the electronic work. You also can get some type of microcontroller to start learning how to program. I’m currently tinkering with the arduino as it is inexpensive and has some network capability. It also has a very active forum with a lot of various technical discussions (below). Your budget will determine how mild or wild you can get. Most important is learning how to figure out how things work so you can move into your own projects.
RobotDude is correct, the servos aren’t compatible with any brackets.
Sorry, no tutorials. I’m having some trouble posting on Basic Micros blog, so theres a delay on my posting.
But i’ll see about uploading a quick video of my 2DOF hexapod tomorrow.
I would suggest getting some strong servos and brackets, and you’ll have a nice professional bot. Only problem is the professional price that comes with it.
The craft stick bot is more or less, an introduction into programmable robots.
You can get 20 of those cheap servos, for $36 or so, craft sticks at walmart are like $2.47 for a 150 pack. Hotglue is a buck or two.
If you can afford more expensive servos and brackets, i would strongly suggest getting them. I’ve personally been unable to, simply as the cost of brackets alone can set you back a few hundred bucks. You make due with what you can afford.
On the bright side of the craft stick robot, every craft stick bot is unique, no cookie cutter bots. Even if i gave you exact instructions on how i made my hexapod, you wouldn’t be able to duplicate it exactly. Which i actually like.
As far as those cheap servos go, they are strong and fast for their size, but that doesn’t mean you can make a robot that can lift a cat.
You would probably have trouble lifting a can of soda with those. And their gears are somewhat fragile, i’ve already broke a tooth on one of the servos gears, still works, just clicks.
), but I’ve been following Lynxmotion for a few years looking at the robot kits and such. I’m moderately-new to robotics, I’ve built 2 very, very beginner robots from kits (1 and 2), and I haveone I still have. I plan to major in college as in Robotics, I’m a senior in high school now. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can start off on the right foot? I would really like to get ahead in college, as I’ve been to a few open houses and seen what the college I’m going to can do.