Hello,
I'm an absolute beginner with robotics, and would like to make a serious start, but I'm not sure where to start, should I read books first? I want to buy the tools and parts I need, but I don't want to spend a lot of money, and then I can't use it..
Maybe someone can help me! :)
Thanks in advance!
+1 ossipee’s suggestion
Another option is to buy a PICAXE or an arduino and learn to program one or the other. Blink a LED. Blink a LED with a switch. Control a LED’s brightness with a potentiometer. Control a LED via keyboard input from the computer. Send the potentiometer data back to the computer via serial. If you were to add a transistor circuit to the pot/LED circuit, you could be a step closer to learning to drive a motor. It really boils down to how you learn. Do you learn by example, or, do you learn by doing?
To add on to what has been
To add on to what has been said, I really liked this book. It will definitely save you money and has plans for at least one robot.
Some people might not need something so basic, but I certainly did!
Welcome to LMR. Good luck and I look forward to seeing something cool from you soon.
Regards,
Bill
**Double post. **
Double post, sorry!
**Conclusion **
So everyone here just started by making robots I guess right? I think the best option is to just give it a try and follow a tutorial and just try making it, or maybe I could go for a kit… I don’t know. 
I started wanting to build robots when I was 12-ish. I’m 43 now.
I have read 6+ books on building robots. One of them was Robot Bonanza. My copy was a yellow hardback, and, there were no arduinos around then. 
My suggestion about getting a PICAXE and/or an arduino was meant to help you choose which way to go. With arduino, you will spend about $10 to jump through the suggestions I made earlier. A PICAXE 08m2 board will cost about that + the LED(s), resistors, switch(es), potentiometer(s), transistor(s). You could always try the one and then the other with the same extra components. There is no reason to limit yourself.
Arduino
Wow, this is very helpful! I’d like to thank everyone for the help!
So I think the best way to start is to buy a arduino, I live in The Netherlands, and I I see that It’s harder to get Picaxe here… I don’t know very much about microcontrollers, but I’m gonna read about it! I’d just already want to ask, which Arduino would you recommend me? I just need to begin easy of course, and I see there are a lot available…
Thanks!
Thanks!! Would something
Thanks!! Would something like : https://www.iprototype.nl/products/arduino/boards/trinket-3v3 this be good to start with? It’s very cheap haha that’s why it’s maybe good for a beginner like me… and I guess I need LEDS or something to learn how to begin with robots right? Only a microcontroller won’t be enough I guess…
And if I buy something like
And if I buy something like https://www.iprototype.nl/products/arduino/boards/mini-pro-5v-16mhz you can program the microcontroller, but what could I program without Leds or without wiring? Do you need to buy those too, or can you practice with just the microcontroller too?
Thank you so much for your
Thank you so much for your help! I choose the arduino uno, since a lot of beginners use that, and it is looks like a good board to start with. Ill read a book and follow some tutorials, I think it’s the best way to start with robotics btw. I think that a USB cable isn’t included with a board right?
And last question, are there
And last question, are there people here we learned arduino or who know how to start wihth it?Is a book the best choice to learn how to program? I see a lot tutorials about blinking the LED… but there has to be some more advanced stuff for beginners right?
** autonomous robot**
Hi,things?
I am a total beginer here, I am doing a project for college to make a robot. I was wondering could anybody tell me if you can get an R/C robot which uses sensors not to bump into things?
The whole autonomous robot thing is completely baffling me, any help would be so greatful.
Thanks
Maybe I could help…
Sir, the Start Here Robot V2.0, would be a good example or a good guide for you to have that robot plan of yours…Since you want your robot avoid obstacles autonomously…
But if you would make it into RC mode, you can buy this stuff http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/_9042__Hobby_King_2_4Ghz_6Ch_Tx_Rx_V2_Mode_2.html …
Though you may be giving us confusing questions, I would still like to attemp to give you the answer, cause I know that feeling bro…
but, at least try to study about the robotics,in order not to be looked down…
and we’re both begginers…
IMO…
I’ve built a few projects now (probably less than a lot of the guys on this thread), and the easiest robot i built used an arduino, 2 continuous rotation servos a battery pack and a proximity sensor (digital sharp ir).
This is the easiest way to build something really quick so you don’t have to worry about dc motor drivers with various communications, and you don’t have to worry much about the mechanics like getting wheels onto dc motors etc. DC motors will be much faster and more powerful and cheaper, but a set of continuous rotation servos will get you up and running very quickly.
Personally, i was in the exact same position as you a few years ago. I wanted to build robots but had no idea where to start. My wife got me an arduino starter kit with led’s, resistors, transistors, a few sensors etc. and it came with an arduino starters guide (http://oomlout.com/a/products/ardx/) the manual is online and there are a lot of other tutorials out there that have the same info so you don’t really need to buy one as a book. (the internet can be overwhelming though so you may want a book to follow instead).
Like someone else said… start simple by learning how to read and write to/from a pin. Make an led blink… then make it turn on when you push a button. Then make a motor or servo run. then make a sensor detect something (temperature or proximity etc). Then you can go ahead and take everything you know how to do and put it into a robot.
Robot logic like what you’re talking about is usually very basic:
Sensor reads a state “do i detect a wall?” (or in your case line of a court).
“IF YES” then “Back up and rotate”.
“IF NO” then drive forward.
That’s the basic autonomous robot there.
You want to control it by remote then have it run the same loop.
do i detect the line? if so then stop… or don’t go any farther
Do i detect the ball? (or has the “kick button” been pressed) IF Yes: move the motor for kicking.
hope that helps some. Its a lot less overwhelming once you build a very simple robot and master some very basic concepts of microcontrollers.
One other idea that may save time/money
Once you get the basics down instead of going full on out and buying RF Transceivers and Remote controllers that can get expensive very quickly… you MAY be able to get by with a bluetooth serial module hooked up to your arduino.
BT serial modules just use the RX/TX pins on the arduino just like if you hooked up your arduino board to the computer via usb (uses pins 0 and 1). Then you can sync an android phone to the robot and turn your phone into a robot controller VERY easily.
I like “bluetooth serial controller” for android as a way to test functionality or do simple BT comm with boards. You can assign buttons differerent serial values “F” for foward “L” for left etc.
And i just noticed the dates of the OP
oops. i would hope this poster already built a robot in the past 4 months or at least got started. heh.
@Zorps, @just_learning, first you need to understand the limitations of these robots and the sensors that you require. In order to make a robot avoid hitting walls or any objects, what you need is a proximity sensor. A proximity sensors gives you a signal whenever there’s anything within its given range. Using a proximity sensor at its sides, a robot can determine which way to go. Smart programming is required to make the robot as smart as possible. More advanced calculations can be used in order to make the robot aware of its position and so on.
