Digital Media Project

Last Friday I was finally able to finish assembling and building the Robot Kit. The soldering was the most challenging for me. I find my hands aren't very steady when I want to do something that requires precision, such as soldering wires onto the pins of the motor shield and the terminals on the two Gear motors.





I am quite happy about it so far.

Programming
I have tested it using a test sketch/script using the Arduino environment.

Here is a video of the Arduino robot using the test sketch..

I Had to modify the code as it wasn't running very well.. Essentially, I was unable to get most of the code to work (I am currently looking into why) so had to strip most of it off in an effort to get the basics working. Currently, all it really does is spin in each left and right directions in an endless loop.


I Uploaded it to my youtube account because I couldn't do it on Blogger. Sorry for the bad quality, used my old nokia 6500 to record

Finally,

It's starting to feel like I am getting somewhere with my project. A couple of weeks ago I wasn't very enthusiastic about my project at all. Initially I had in mind to buy a R/C car and modify it using an Arduino and various other hardware, but decided to take a different route which did not require as much Electronic/Robotics experience or skills. Taking this route will mean I won't have to spend as much time building the robot, and therefore I can focus on more important aspects of the project. In terms of budget, I believe this route is much more suitable as you buy the core components required as a bundle.

The ideal route was to buy a robotics kit and work from there, focusing on how to controll it from a web page. There was one kit I really liked and also looked easy enough to assemble, i.e. it did not seem to require much knowledge in Electronics or building robots. The kit is called a SERB (Arduino Servo Controlled Robot). Unfortunately I was unable to aquire this kit as it appeared to be out of stock from the only website that sold it.

In the end I decided to buy a different kit. The Kit I bought is called 'Arduino Robot Kit', I was led to believe by various sources that this kit isn't easy to assemble and requires soldering and other electronic skills. I will need to do quite a bit of soldering to assemble all the parts, which I I have never done before.

Unfortunately I did not have a choice, as it was the only other kit using an Arduino micro controller. Last week I did my first soldering attempt. I worked on the Motor shield, which is a very important component of the project. To my surprise the soldering was a success, though it took me quite a while to get the hang of it through trial and error. Fortunately I did not damage the board and so far the Shield is working.

Motor Shield (Assembled)


Prototype
Next week I am hoping to have the kit fully built or atleast partially built, this will be my first prototype. Then I can get started on the programming phase of the Project. It all depends on any problems that arise. For example at the moment I am unable to do any actual work, I keep discovering that I am missing essential tools, the last couple of weeks it was soldering equipment, pliers, wire cutters, wires (i.e. jumper/hookup wires [think that's what they are called]). This week I find out I am missing specific screw drivers required to tighten the screws on the kit. I have already ordered the screws, I am hoping I'll get them in the next few days.

Parts

• Two 50:1 Micro metal Gearmotors (These are the motors that move the wheels)

• One pair Micro metal Gearmotor brackets (these are used to hold the wheels and motors in place)

• One pair 42x19mm Wheels

• One 3/8" Ball Caster(This is a small wheel, to create balance)