Those are good ideas, indeed, with some being easier to implement than others. You might come to find that after you finish your SHR that the idea of designing your own add-ons is even more attractive than the ease of having them premade!
Regarding the more accurate IR sensor you mentioned, if I’m reading the same part you are, I think you misunderstood the sentence. IR sensors have their own benefits and drawbacks but they all are esssentially the same (some return analog signals, some digital). Other people choose to use ultrasonic sensors instead but they also have their own pros and cons. They tend to be more accurate than infrared distance sensors. Historically they’ve been more expensive but China is changing that by offering SRF005 clones for very cheap. Frits wrote a nice tutorial about attaching an SR005 type ultrasonic sensor to the PICAXE 28 Project Board. He provides some functional code that you can work into the original SHR programming with a couple changes.
As far as the code for the SHR goes, you can download it via the link just below the main picture for this project. Frits also provides code in the tutorial body itself.
Friends, i m really new to this field and have the least idea among you all… I have decided to make the robot as instructed at https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/start I have got all the item, Right from PICAXE tool kit to AERS to geared motors and motor driver IC, but the main problem that i am facing is that, i am unable to get a SERVO, actually i can find it, but my bugdet doesn’t allows to purchase it, the local shopkeepers, at India, have suggested me to use a stepper instead, i am still confused, whether it will work or not instead of a SERVO. After comparing SERVO and STEPPER over the net, i concluded, it may wotk… (just a sort of guessing being totally new to this…). So, first of all, anybody, who can suggest me solution to my problem, kindly answer my question, as soon as possible… If there is a possibility of replacement of the SERVO with a stepper, then kinly also suggest me, how to add this in the circuit. Thanks in advance… :)
I can answer your question only if you are a window user.
Go to Computer management, and then, select Device manager, from the left pane.
Now, you can see a console, named COM port,
there you can find AXE027 USB Download CAble,
there, you right click on that icon, and select Update driver, A dialogue box appears, asking, whether you will download that driver from Windoes Update, or find it over your own PC?
Select the second option i.e. search over your PC.
Now, another dialogue box appears, asking you the most probable location of that driver, now insert the CD you got with the starter pack, and select the location of you removable storage drive,
now Windows automatically searches the driver and, installs it, after a promt of permission.
Without going into too much detail, stepper motors require very different circuitry and operation as compared to servos, and there are several different types of steppers. The shopkeepers you mentioned should have steered you to some sort of stepper motor controller. Basically, you have to send timed pulses to the individual coils inside the stepper motor. A good way to get started and experiment with stepper motors, is the stepper motor/controller kit from YourDuino that costs under $5 american. But then, if you can order from them, they also have servos and just about anything else you might want to put into a start robot.
Wait a minute–that’s no so bad. Steppers and controllers come in at all sorts of sizes and price points. Even if you got the exact same parts as I was describing, I wouldn’t say you were cheated. You’reDuino has really low prices, (Tho you still have to deal with shipping and any import duties/taxes, etc.)
So you has a stepper, (One?) and a controller. Now it just becomes a matter of getting it to work. Do you have any sort of documentation? Even a web site stamped on to the circuit board would be a start.
All is not lost. If you have a pair of steppers and an appropriate controller, you just might be able to pull off a simple robot.
I suggest you take some pictures of the parts you’ve collected, and any other information you can find. Part numbers, manufacturers, etc, and repeat your question in the absolute beginners section.
No Problem Actually, i only have a stepper, not a controller, and no worries, i have ordered a SERVO, it will work now, just coz, i thought it was similar to a SERVO, i searched about in on the web, but now its of no use even if i work on that bloody stepper again.
Thanks for supporting me… :))
No. Sorry but hot glue is not an appropriate way to make electrical connections. Hot glue is melted plastic and would interrupt an electrical connection.
That being said, if you twisted wires together in a good solid mechanical connection, you could cover that connection in hot glue to insulate it. But then, why not just use wire nuts.
Electrical connections between components on a printed circuit board are intended to be made with solder. The only use hot glue has there is to hold wires down.
For all but the most basic robot projects, soldering is an essential skill and worth the small amount of time and effort it will take you to pick it up.
serial port error-port not present or already in use
When I try to plug in the robot into my computer and open the programming editor, and click on ‘check firmware version’ it says “serial port error- port not present or already in use”
Why is it saying this? Also, when i plug it in, my computer says device driver software was not successfully installed
I installed the Picaxe progamming editor already… what could be the problem? Please help!
There’s a folder called axe027_USB_Cable that has a program where the USB will tell windows that a new hardware is being installed. I try that, but when i plug back the USB, nothing happens!
I read this from the USB help in options > serial port > show port help tools > usb help
This is my first robot and I have made it to programing the servo. However, no matter what I type it does nothing. It only moves when I unplug it from the board or take out a battery and only then it is a twitch. Is there any way to fix this? I have double checked everything is round the right way. My servo is a Futaba S148 from the solarbotics package.
one of the two motors not working… Friends, after overcoming all the obstruction of collecting required items, and then everything, i have arranged the items, and even connected them, precisely!! The next problem, i m facing is from the motor… among both of the motors, the motor attached to the point A is working properly, it isn’t that another motor, i have, is nonfunctional, the problem is i think from the board… It is possible to attach it to another point or something else?? Any suggestion will be really appreciable… And Basile Laderchi, to you, my team is really thankful for your selfless helps, and your motivating ideas… Thanks to LMR…
I can answer your question only if you are a window user.
Go to Computer management, and then, select Device manager, from the left pane.
Now, you can see a console, named COM port,
there you can find AXE027 USB Download CAble,
there, you right click on that icon, and select Update driver, A dialogue box appears, asking, whether you will download that driver from Windoes Update, or find it over your own PC?
Select the second option i.e. search over your PC.
Now, another dialogue box appears, asking you the most probable location of that driver, now insert the CD you got with the starter pack, and select the location of you removable storage drive,
now Windows automatically searches the driver and, installs it, after a promt of permission.
I just got the kit last week, I managed to build it and it is working perfectly!
I got the same problem with the motor B. After doing some testing I realized that the problem was the way I solder the pins. I managed to unsolder them and solder two new pins. And that is it! Now my motor B is working correctly.
(just a sort of guessing being totally new to this…). So, first of all, anybody, who can suggest me solution to my problem, kindly answer my question, as soon as possible… If there is a possibility of replacement of the SERVO with a stepper, then kinly also suggest me, how to add this in the circuit.
