Robot group build / workshop

[JamesCooper]

Boy, I didn't realize it had been so long since I did an update.

I have the whole kit together and working. The line sensors work great, other than that they tend to bump the ground and lose sight, but that's with 10mm standoffs. I'm switching to using 8mm standoffs for the production build to avoid this. The collision avoidance sensors are difficult to get the sensitivity set, but now that I have them set appropriately, they are working reasonably well. I tried the sonar and it worked wonderfully, but I still have to build a servo mount for it, which I am currently working on. I added a barrel jack and switch to the build. I can now kill the whole thing at a flick of the switch. I can also connect the Arduino via USB without powering the motors to ease programming and testing.

I'd like to put in the order for the parts within the next two weeks. Please confirm your interest within the next two weeks. The total price will be $90. See the parts list for a full breakdown of the included items. I am asking for $40 deposit before I order parts to ensure everyone is bought in, but feel free to pay all at once if you wish. You can send it via PayPal to james@coopercs.ca.

If all goes according to plan, I'll order the weekend of the open house (July 19th). The parts should all arrive within 4 weeks. Unfortunately, I'm very busy in August, so the workshops will have to wait until September.

[jmeier]

I've just sent you my deposit. I'm looking forward to this

[Kaldonis]

I'm in, deposit headed your way.

[JamesCooper]

Hi everybody,

Seems I haven't updated this in quite some time.

The kit is all together and working. I have all of the parts. The only thing I have left to do is write some example code. So we're ready to start the workshops!

I'm hoping to do the first workshop (assembling the robot kit) on Saturday, October 18th. Will this work for people? I suspect I'll end up doing two separate days, so if that doesn't work, please suggest an alternate day. I should be able to make almost any day work.

I'll also hold a poll at the meeting on October 14th in case people miss out on this post.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

[jmeier]

What time on the 18th should we plan on?

[JamesCooper]

October 18th's build session was a great success. Thank you Scott, Rachel, Drew, Jeremy, Jim, and Jon for coming out. Though not everybody got finished, we made some great progress. I've already seen that people have been playing with them since then.

For those who were unable to attend or didn't finish, I will host another session on November 1st from 1pm-5pm. Please let me know if you will be attending so that I can plan appropriately.

[JamesCooper]

Here is the Arduino sketch that I wrote for testing our robots. To use this:

1. Open it in Arduino
2. Connect the USB cable from the Arduino to the computer
3. Under the Tools menu, select Board, then select Arduino Mega 2560
4. Under the Tools menu, select Serial Port, then the appropriate COM port (typically not COM1, probably COM5 or higher)
5. Under the File menu, select Upload

Once the sketch is running, you should be able to interact with the robot through the serial monitor connected via USB. Go to Tools, Serial Monitor. There is an entry box at the top. Press Q and Enter. The servo should rotate counter-clockwise 30 degrees. Q and E rotate the servo, W and S cause the robot to drive forward and backward about a foot, A and D cause it to turn left and right. Pressing G will read all of the sensors, but note that this will hang if the range finder isn't operating correctly. I'll fix this in a later version.

If you aren't sure which pins on the Arduino to connect to your peripherals, check the definitions at the top of the sketch.

[Drew_Manchu]

Robot Assembled and working as of Tuesday night. Fixed the self-inflicted wiring problem where I had the power and ground connections reversed at the motor controller. Good to know that today's boards are tough enough to handle an oops like that.

Next plan for the robot would be to get wireless going on it so that it doesn't need tethering. Was wondering if anyone else plans this and wanted to group order pieces?