PICAXE Pete

Most of the LEGO platform used for this robot was used in DTU RoboCup 2006.

PICAXE Pete is my first time using the PICAXE controller.

The robot has a homemade line sensor using light dependent resistors (LDRs) and a homemade PICAXE-board with an L293 driver chip as well (see picture).

It can either connect to a single 7,2 V pack og two of these in serial (for giving the motors more power).

Power to the chips and line sensor is regulated by an LM7805 voltage regulator with some bulk capacitors. Of course the PICAXE board also has a means of connecting the programmer cable to the board for programming the PICAXE chip.

I took the robot apart and took some pictures while putting it back together - just so you can see how it's made. I think the design is rather nice actually :-)

First of all there is the "engine block":

Then there is the "tail section":

These two are then put together:

(Disregard those grey 1x4 plates in the left side of the picture. They're a leftover from some strange idea I had. Next image shows some added axles for the active wheels (notice they run through the rotation sensors - they're the blue ones in case you wondered). There's also been added some things at the front for the line sensor:

Then finally the active wheels (from the Technics Super Car set) are added and the vehicle is finished:

A look from the rear:

This is kind of an expensive construction since it uses bricks from a MINDSTORMS 2.0 set, a Technics Super Car set and two separately purchased LEGO rotation sensors (they are NOT cheap!). Anyway I like this vehicle!

With line sensor, controller board and batteries the whole thing looks like this:

It's not really the prettiest robot in the world :-).