12 May 2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:29:59 GMT

Ah, btw...

I'm planning on joining the DPRG...I wasn't really going to say anything cuz I didn't think anyone would care, but I just realized that the webmasters of this site were or are in the DPRG! :P I'm definately joining by August, so I hope to see some of you guys from the DPRG then. :P Cya around.

12 May 2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:24:08 GMT

Designing Stage for RIP (Robot in Progress that is probably doomed to die)

Since I'm building up money for this robot right now, I'm spending most of my free time designing.

I'm using Google Sketchup to design. Sorry, I don't have $10,000 for Autodesk or AutoCAD. :P

The robot will use differential drive; Two wheels in the back, with a castor of some sort in the front.

I'm using the Arduino Diecimila board to make my robot. The circuit is already designed, and is fairly simple due to my poor knowledge of circuits.

I thought I might just throw a IR Rangefinder sensor mounted on a servo on the robot and call it a day; But it seemed far too boring. And so, I'm buying all sorts of...fun stuff.

I'm buying a Pyroelectric sensor, which will detect humans or my cat, whichever I prefer. :P I'm also throwing in a sound sensor and CMOS camera if I can implement it properly with my horrible knowledge of circuits.

All of these sensors (minus the sound sensor) will be mounted in some way onto a head. Yes, like a robot head.

The head will be run by two motors; a 360 degree servo to rotate it left and right, and a sub-micro servo to tilt the head up and down. Designing the head has been a pain; I've had to go back and forth between what my design would look like and what's on http://mcmaster.com . If somebody could recommend to me a site that can cut HPDE (High Density PolyEthlane) to custom lengths, that would be appreciated. ;) I now have the design, the question is what I'm going to put on to be the cover for the head. Glass is too expensive; I can't find the right dimensions for clear or translucent tinted plastics. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually.

Anyway... EARLY Designs:

robots.net blog for Opal

12 May 2008

12 May 2008