After probably 9 years of silence here, I'm back with some robotics :)
As my 6yr son was eyeing on my good old BoeBot, I finally got into building him the LMR classic "Start Here robot".
And finally use the Picaxe28x1 board with the Sharp sensor still left in its original package.
With the help of my 3D Printer, I was able to quickly print an exisiting Thingiverse project, with some additional parts designed for it.
But was really disappointed to see it forbid any remix or contribution.
That's how I came to design my own modular chassis, with a lot of accessories, and more to come !
Here is the project : https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2647474
Current status : - release of the V0_1 chassis, that's just been printed for a first time
If you want to build your own, you'll have to mod a pair of servos for continuous rotation, as explained here : https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/how-modify-a-micro-servo-continuous-rotation
- if the distance is too short when looking ahead, it will go into the look right/left logic, that can lead to a decision to back up if neither left or right offer a sufficient range
- if the distance is short (but not so short…) looking left and right when roaming, it will trigger a brief halt of a single wheel, in order to divert from side walls
The next step is to finish the pan/tilt bracket, to be able to took down and detect that we’re stuck against en obstale. If necessary add a bumper kit with a pair of switches.
My kid is currently running it againt the BoeBot with Ping))) in a maze-esque arena, and the comparison is just unfair despites the similar navigation logic.
EDIT : The more I watch it and the more it becomes clear that the easiest solution is to reverse the sensor and have the caster wheel on the front rather than on the back. It will ensure a 10cm range looking forward no matter what.
