(click images for better view)

Because the direct drive of the first robotoy was hard to control and consumed current like nothing else, another attempt would need gearing. I didn't have the time or patience to construct something from scratch, so I looked around for an inexpensive flexible platform to use. Fortunately, Pololu has several options available. Although the pieces are already fabricated, you assemble enough (e.g. the gearbox, coaster, mountings, etc.) to feel satisfied that you are constructing something rather than just purchasing it. The pieces are precision made, and Pololu laser cuts their own custom base which fits the drive system well. This is a very nice touch, and results in a well constructed affordable platform. This is kind of a DIY Boe-Bot with great flexibility and extensibility at 1/5 the cost. It took only a few hours of assembly and contains no duct-tape. Of course, tweaking software will take considerably longer, but that is part of the fun.

Chassis Components

The chassis consists of:

• base plate¹ - a round plastic disc available in multiple colors, contains miscellaneous holes in it for mounting other components
• twin motor drive kit¹ - an "assemble it yourself" Tamiya twin-motor assembly with choice of gearings. Mates well with the base plate. Remember to solder capacitors across the motor tabs to reduce noise.
• wheels¹ - rubber treaded robot wheels that fit the motor kit
• ball bearing coaster¹ - an adjustable ball that rolls in any direction to provide 3 legged stability in conjunction with the wheels
• A small solderless breadboard - attached to the base plate with 2 sided tape, contains the brains and driving electronics
• Battery pack - obviously this depends on what you want to power. I've used a single supply of 2-4 AA cells (2.6-5.2 volts from NiMH) with success.

¹ purchased from Pololu Corp

The Electronics

I won't draw a schematic because the electronics are pretty simple and it should be somewhat obvious how to hook everything together. In fact, the 3rd picaxe manual titled "Interfacing Circuits" contains schematics for wiring the L293D and LDRs.

The electronics consist of:

• Picaxe 18A (or 18X) - This microcontroller provides multiple I/O lines and A/D capability. It is directly programmable from an RS232 in a simple but powerful basic language, holds a few hundred lines of code, and costs < $10. I short, it is quick, cheap, and effective for this project. See my picaxe page for more thoughts on Rev-Education's clever product line. It definitely fills a niche.
• L293D - This is a motor driver which works to interface the logic of the microcontroller with the motor. Basically, each motor gets 2 logic lines which can drive the motor forward, backward, or stopped. Using this is easier than discrete elctronics, it has diode protections, and it provides a convenient control/drive system. Some crude PWM could be written in software to control the speed of each motor, but for now this beast is running full throttle at approximately .7ft/sec.
• Misc resistors - Read through the excellent picaxe manuals and you'll see that a few resistors are needed for programming the microcontroller and hooking up analogue sensors.
• A few capacitors - Don't forget to place small caps (.15uF were used here) as close to the motor tabs as possible and across the microcontroller supply to reduce electrical noise.
• 2 Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) - These inexpensive pieces allow your robot to sense ambient light and turn toward it, or perhaps to scurry toward the shadows...

The Software

Although this is a very simple platform, the microcontroller is completely programmable which means you are only limited by your imagination and the lack of a plasma beam attachment. This code exercises the motors with all possible combinations of actions. Notice that the round design allows for "in-place" rotation. This means that the robot won't get caught on its environment as it turns to navigate its environment. Roomba anyone?

Add 2 light-dependent resistors (LDRs) for sensors and the obligatory photovore takes shape. This simple code takes an ambient light reading from each LDR, turns toward the sensor with more light, move forward a bit, and loops back to sensing the light again. Simple but effective, this robot will follow a flashlight or navigate a sun filled room to avoid shadows. This is a neat demonstration of digital processing, feedback, and electromechanics that cost about $35 dollars complete, took a few hours of time, and is easily adaptable to new sensors.

A Note about Electrical Noise

• Put caps as close as possible to the motor terminals
• Put caps across the supply of any digital logic
• Don't run motor and logic power from the same rails, use separate leads, even though electrically they appear to do the same thing.

Dealing with electrical noise can be a bit of voodoo, so if things in the digital realm are behaving funny, consider electrical noise as a possibility before you lose too much sleep.

Future additions

• Power supply sensing - probably the easiest way to do this is to use a 2.5 volt reference to one of the A/D lines. Since ADC reading is relative to Vss, the reference will appear to rise as the Vss drops.
• Solar charging - A photovore which can sense its charge level, steer its way to a recharge, and then steer away to prevent overcharging doesn't seem that far off.
  

Disclaimers

This code is explicitly released under the GPL. And this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.  

Write me if you find this project useful. Link to this page if it is relevant..

Constructing autonomous solar-powered self-repairing sentient platforms may hasten the demise of our species. This project is provided without any warranty.