Robot ball

Goodday, i'm tadzioizdat and i'm new to the forum. I'm making a robot-shaped robot like the one in this instructables, but I have some trouble. It will be almost the same as the one I show here, but with some minor variations, like that the motor (a brushless one throug an ESC) and the servo (for steering) are controlled with an arduino mega and my phone, with a bluetooth shield.

My problem comes with the gyro, I have no damn idea about how to use it. In the instructables it just says "add a gyro for stability" but I don't know how I would do that with the arduino, nor what code i would use for it to create the stability. My gyro is a mystery (it's the brand), bought at dealextreme very cheap, about 20 bucks, and hopefully good enough for this little project.

PD: any ideas for the project would be appreciated too :grin:

You posted in Programming, where we expect to see code, not pictures. Where is your code?

I have no damn idea about how to use it.

What a shame.

In the instructables it just says "add a gyro for stability"

Do you have stability problems? Do you know what a gyroscope does?

This really belongs in Project Guidance.

Sorry about that, it's definetly better here.

PaulS:

I have no damn idea about how to use it.

What a shame.

I don't think I would be asking if I knew how to use it. It's my first time using one, and hell, making a robot by myself (not from a kit) so i'm a little lost.

And yes, I know what a gyro is, thanks for asking. I need it because the ball is uncontrollable without one, it wobbles too much.

Nothing? Please guys, I just need some advice on how to use the gyro's readings to stabilize the whole ball. =(

Is that a three dimensional gyro, or is it (given that it has the heli picture) just a heading-hold tail-rotor gyro?

It's a heading-hold-tail one. The type you usually see on rc helis.

Then I would presume that you just install it as you would in a heli. In line with the steering servo.

Ok, I'll try that, thank you very much.

I don't think I would be asking if I knew how to use it. It's my first time using one, and hell, making a robot by myself (not from a kit) so i'm a little lost.

If you have no idea how it should be used, then why did you buy one? Specifically, why did you buy that one?

If I were doing your project, and was at the point where I thought I needed to add a gyro, I'd have asked here first if one was necessary, and, if so, for recommendations on what kind to use.

PaulS:

I don't think I would be asking if I knew how to use it. It's my first time using one, and hell, making a robot by myself (not from a kit) so i'm a little lost.

If you have no idea how it should be used, then why did you buy one? Specifically, why did you buy that one?

If I were doing your project, and was at the point where I thought I needed to add a gyro, I'd have asked here first if one was necessary, and, if so, for recommendations on what kind to use.

Have you read the instructables? It clearly says there that if you don't add a gyro the ball will wobble too much and be incontrollable. And I bought that model because first, it was cheap, and second, on the comments he speaks of a "scavenged one from a helicopter".

Yes, I could have asked here first, but at the beginning of the project I didn't even think of using an arduino. It was going to be all controlled by a mini-itx board (because it will do other stuff than just roll around) but it did draw too much power, so I switched to use an arduino for the contrlling part and a raspberry pi for the other stuff.