I started trying to get into Robotics and Electronics abour 14 or so years ago, when Robot Wars was on the TV weekly. Always been interested in tinkering but never really got much further than that.
I did manage to build a couple of basic bots, a passive Robot with a couple of bump switches / capacitors and relays, a small RC controlled roller called SeargAnt and a Basic Stamp wheeled robot with home made Infra Red Detection and Bump Switch collision detection whiskers called R2D3.
Anyway, I am now a (mature) student teacher and have been running a Computer Club after school but in the New Year it will become a Robotics and Electronics Club. So in preparation I intended to do three things:
(a) Source on the Internet some bits to make a really cheap roller with or without collision detection.
(b) Locate a couple of my old bots as demo's (I had R2D3 out a while ago and he still worked, with new batteries of course).
(c) Build a new bot out of any bits that I could find.
So I have just spent an hour or so in the garage and did not realise how much stuff I had hoarded, apart from a few key components I will definately have enough to build something, as well as give life back to my old bots. Would be a shame not to as I remember reading in one of the first robot books I bought 'Robots, Androids and Animatrons' that you should never dismantle anything that you had previously built, well about 5 house moves meant that I had to I'm afraid.
Here are some of the pics, as well as what's in the pics I have loads of components some new and some scavenged, resistors, capacitors, voltage regulators, switches cables etc. I also found all my reference materiel and notes as well as a box of brand new bits from RS components that I ordered I think to make a H Bridge for a Robot Wars project Robo Rodent (never got past the drawing board really), now I need to go through and list everything that I have to avoid buying again.
Think i'd better start a blog on here?
In the pic above are just some of the bits I have (recently acquired second hand RC Car in the middle), on the right is R2D3 and middle right is what’s left of SeargAnt and BumpBot - they will live again!!
Above are a few other bits that I had stashed away , a windscreen wiper motor, electric drill motor, some wheels, small motors etc.