First post here, but I just wanted to share what I'm doing.
My history: casual programmer since 20 (basic back then, COBOL, JCL, then some VB5/6 and DOS scripting, InstallShield, WIL and some C), IT manager and programmer back in the mid-late 90's. Just getting back into programming. One thing I've never been is an engineer. Though I was an aircraft mechanic in the AF, electricity is all new to me (beyond sticking a plug in a wall). I look to upgrade my knowledge there. That's why I turned to Makeblock for my first robots.
First bot was the mBot, which I drove around a bit then started reprogramming. Makeblock is a great place to start, terrific system for those wanting to program but not necessarily do all the wiring themselves. You have to live within their ecosystem for the most part, but it is expanding quickly. Added a pan/tilt to the mBot and tried mBlock but quickly switched to Arduino IDE. Added front wheels to the mBot, replacing the ball bearing, but I don't like how it works and I'll probably look for some kind of swivel wheel instead. The mBot is fairly limited in terms of both upgradibility of its running gear and in terms of connections for sensors.
Built a 'starter' bot from them next in tank configuration. Added a tilt/pan, plus a compass and LCD display. That's where I am now, coding my avoidance bot that displays some of the info on the LCD. I wanted to challenge myself, so if it encounters an obstacle, it stops and pans/scans the area, looking both for edges and objects. I'm writing the code to store it in an array, which it will use to pick the route with the longest distance to drive. I want to use the angle of the pan servo to add to the compass reading to get the new heading. I know a lot of folks have had trouble with the MeCompass, but as long as I load it before I load the LCD in the sketch, it works quite well. I think this bot, especially if I can get a Auriga board, will serve well for awhile. It will be my test bed for everything else to come.
My next project will be my Rover 5 platform, which I just bought some new tires for to replace the treads. I have both the Dagu motor board and a MegaPi with encoder motor drivers, so I'm not sure which path I'll take. Probably both, one at a time. I've also looked at the new Intel RealSense board/depth camera offering for $250 and I think I'll order that to eventually power the Rover. I absolutely want to explore RGBD methods of navigation and map-making.
The Rover, in my dreams, will use a camera (either the Intel or the Pixy5 I have in a box) to select objects. I'm hoping it can stay out on my deck at night and chase the raccoons off! A loud buzzer and some bright lights plus it chasing them should do it. I have issues.
That's it. Next post will include some pictures of my creations. I'm not sure how active things are here or if this post will stir any questions, but I hope to ask questions and get answers as I move along.
