Write Out "LMR"... Sorta

Let's Make Robots Robots
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Here's my shot at this challenge... I really didn't figure on how far the tail-end swings around during turns, but the basic shape is there! I am wicked happy with the encoders working and all the direction and distance commands were "pre-stored" on the EEPROM. Well, actually I just wrote a program that had all the directions and distances written out and I used it to store info to the EEPROM. In actuallity, I could have just entered that info directly into the drive code but it was cool to know I could store complicated instructions seperatly in an EEPROM and use them in a different chunk of code later. Well, I guess it is about time to solder up a stand-alone EEPROM programmer! For now, enjoy this silly video of my "Writer-Robot". (Bear in mind I have a wicked bad cold and I am all "sniffily" on the video)...

 

**Also, if you notice, on one side of the plywood, there are a series of 4 lines with marks on them. This is a little "jig" that I used on this guy to calibrate the IR distance sensors. I made a series of marks on lines indicating where each sensor was "looking". I then used a small block, wrapped in white paper, to set on each of the marks and using the DEBUG command could record what each sensor was spitting out. I did this test with the "white-paper-block" at 90 deg. to the beam and also at very shallow angle (to simulate a wall parallel to the direction of travel). I also used this method to find out how wide the "beam" was. I guess what I am saying is that the hour or so I took to draw-up this little test and record my results ended up with me cutting my "trial and error" coding in half. I cannot recomend enough that some step-by-step experimenting and recording the data will end up in far better code!**

Writes out "LMR"... Sorta

  • Actuators / output devices: 2 GM3's
  • Control method: Pre-programmed
  • CPU: 28x1
  • Power source: 3 AA's
  • Programming language: Basic
  • Sensors / input devices: 2 IR Encoders -Data stored in an EEPROM
  • Target environment: A big chunk of plywood
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/write-out-lmr-sorta
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Very cool :slight_smile:

Very cool :slight_smile:

Maybe try moving the permanent marker to the front?

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On-the-spot

Are you just stopping one of the wheels to turn? I’m sure you know that reversing it will make for a tighter turn. I’m surprised that you’re surprised!

Nice work. Floor turtles haven’t been this popular since the 1970’s!

 

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I AM surprised that I’m suprised…

I don’t really know what I was thinking… I guess I figured that stopping one wheel (a slide instead of a spin) would result in simple curved 90’s. I don’t know why I didn’t realize the ass-end would “swing-out” so far. In hindsight, a spin would have probably tightened up the corners there, but really I just needed the pen on the center-line between the wheels. I dunno, in actuallity I could care less about the LMR part, I was really just stoked that the way I coded it worked. The chunk of code I used to count the marks on the wheels is a great little subroutine and can now be reused in a lot of different stuff I have going on. I guess what I am saying is: Screw the funny corners, I have a solid proof of concept here which is going into a LOT of other robots!

 

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**This works pretty good **

Dang it! I keep wanting to submit a "Write LMR" robot and everybody else gets one. Way to go CtC! (grumble)

No really, good job!