Phoenix, rebuilt from the ashes of a POP-BOT...

Update! This is Phoenix Revision 2.

I got tired of the round base plate so I decided to rebuild the whole thing on a solderless perfboard. This is another temporary webcam image (bet you can tell...) and I have changed out the IR Range-finder for a PING))) (Ultasonic). (For whatever reason, I find the PING))) easier to work with and get the results I want. 

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This is a better, slightly old image of Phoenix. I have routed and wrapped the wire bundles and I am now using a servo to turn the IR Range-finder so the robot can scan the horizon.

My much enjoyed POP-BOT met with a trajic accident, and Phoenix is a rebuild literally from the ashes...

So far the new 'bot has a new Arduino Uno brain (Atmega 328 based, the POP-BOT used a 168 so the new bot has more memory.) The H-Bridge in the POP-BOT let out silicon smoke, and the new bot uses 2 PWM controlled power transistors to go forward and turn with differential drive. No new H-Bridge yet, but with geared motors that can be (PWM) speed controlled and turn off this bot turns very nicely. For a object sensor I am useing a Sharp IR Range-finder. For power I am now using 4 AA cells for the motors and a 9 volt battery to power the Uno. (Seperate power supplies go a long ways in making this bot very electrically stable.)

Something I really like and make use of is the Arduino Sketch "random" function so when the bot "sees" something ahead it can "make a choice" as to which way it will turn. Sooner or later it seems to be able to free itself from any corner when it is stuck. About 5 percent of the time it can put on a burst of speed (it has been known to scare dogs and cats! :-)

I have it set up in the software so I can skip the random actions, but the bot seems more "biological" if the random actions are turned on. 

The Uno processor board wouldn't fit on the POP-BOT chassis so the bot now sports a new "stretched" look for the Uno (Arduino) and a small protoboard. The power transistors are reclaimed from an old, dead stereo and don't even get warm when the motors completely stall. Good use of PWM is the key here I believe.

More later, it runs but is far from complete (I would like to add a RF link and more sensors, particularly touch).

The original accident was sad and horrible, but little "Phoenix" has been a really fun rebuild!