Build a Bot
Take your first steps in building a solar-powered robot.
SunRover part 1: Track motor controller/power system
Lead Image © iimages, 123RF.com
I've always wanted to build a robot. Wait a second, I built one in the 1980s from a kit. A Heathkit HERO I robot to be exact. The HERO I cost me a fortune and I could not do very much with it, but I did chase the cat. I think the cat thought it was a vacuum cleaner and ran in terror whenever it started up.
The HERO 1 [1] cost $1,500 and had a Motorola 6808 (read 8-bit processor), 4KB of RAM and a 2KB ROM monitor. The storage was a cassette tape, and the display was made of fabulous seven-segment LEDs. It even had a speech synthesizer that sounded worse than a TI Speak & Spell [2]. Your $15 Arduino has more functions and storage, and a Raspberry Pi is orders of magnitude more powerful.
It was a great introduction to robotics, though, and when I became a professor I used the robot extensively in embedded systems classes because students could see the physical results of their programming. We always walled off the stairwells in the hallway, because sometimes the robot would go crazy and head straight for the stairs.
[...]
Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).
Buy this article as PDF
Express-Checkout as PDF
Pages: 8
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)
(incl. VAT)
Buy Raspberry Pi Geek
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Related content
-
SunRover Part 2 – Solar Power Controller/Power System
Putting power in your robot is more than just running wires – you'll need to make sure the power supply doesn't cause interference that will disrupt other components. This article explores the problem of electrical noise and describes the design for a multiplexing solar power system.
-
Building the SunRover navigation system
The Switch Doc continues his effort to build a solar-powered robot. This month the emphasis is on the navigation system.
-
SunRover Part 4 – Adding a Pi Camera and Diagnostics System
A Raspberry Pi Camera module and a diagnostics system allows SunRover to see and check that all systems are go.
-
Managing solar power systems with SunAir boards
A successful solar power project requires data analysis and the ability to modify the system to take advantage of prevailing weather conditions.
-
Protect your electronics from lightning strikes
Add a lightning detector to your vulnerable projects via the I2C bus to protect them from electrical storms.
