Monday 25 November 2013

1 hour Robot

Presenting ... The 1-hour robot, made using some HobbyKing and eBay parts.


1 hour of building time yielded many hours of great fun!



Parts:
  • 2 x Spring RC SM-S4315R Continuous Rotation Servo
  • Turnigy 9X Transmitter / Receiver 
  • Turnigy 2650mAh Li-Po battery pack 
  • 5V 5A Step-down regulator (a "UBEC") 
  • M3 screws and hex spacers
  • 4 x CDs 
  • Cable ties

This is a proof-of-concept for the "rotating mass" idea which will be used in a spherical robot.
It is amazing how quickly everything comes together with modern RC parts. Each wheel is made from 2 back-to-back CDs, which are held to the servo horn using short M3 screws. The servo horn was tapped to receive M3.

Control is accomplished by mixing 2 channels of the Turnigy 9X transmitter as the ailerons on a plane in a Mode 2 configuration.
  • Moving the left stick forwards turns both wheels in the same direction, propelling the robot forward. 
  • Moving right stick sideways turns the wheels in different directions, allowing the robot to pivot on the spot. 
  • A combination of these two inputs allows the robot to turn in an arc. 

Hours of fun were had with this simple robot. Surprising behaviours were also discovered - such as how it is faster to rock backwards before moving forwards. It is also fun trying to balance the battery above the robot, and using the momentum to get up onto larger and larger steps.

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