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[on:]

Hi, I'm planning to get a DFRobotShop Rover and I'm not sure what I should do with it. Originally I was planning to somehow mount an ultrasonic sensor and program the Rover to move around autonomously; someone else suggested teaching it to follow a flashlight around, since the kit comes with a light sensor. Any suggestions/thoughts would be great.

Also, I don't have much experience with Arduino; the last robotics project I worked on I used the MindStormsNXT language and hardware, and the switch is turning out to be pretty difficult to make. If anyone has a good tutorial on how to write code for a mobile robot--rather than just turning an LED on and off, which is most of what I'm finding--in Arduino, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks!

[Reply #1 on:]

I recently picked up one of these myself(as posted here), however, it's still on my desk in pieces.
You should note that the light sensor is built onto their custom board and faces directly up, so it wont be of that much use. Also, they are removing the built in light and temp sensors with the upcoming v2 boards, so if you want that make sure you order the v1.5

Again, it's still in parts on my desk so I haven't really played with the code yet, but they do provide sample code and there are plenty of sensors with code you can add. The most I have done so far was paint the wheels and sprockets, because I hated the orange color.

I also picked up a compound ir sensor and rotating mount from dagu, as I thought it would be funny to have that on the rover compared to the ping sensors I see on most.

If you are really interested in that product, then go for it as there is plenty of help to find online, and what better way to learn that just do.

[Reply #2 on:]

Thanks for the information about the light sensor--I'll probably buy an ultrasonic sensor or something similar and see what I can do with that, instead. I think I will purchase the Rover and update with any further issues/discoveries I find.

[Reply #3 on:]

Hey guys!  I have a blog that has post's about my DFRobotShop Rover on it and how it all works.  I have played around with it a lot and would be willing to help you out.

If you want to read the post's I have on the DFRobotShop Rover check them out here: www.theelectronicsclub.blogspot.com

There will be another new post on it tommorow!

[Reply #4 on:]

TECman, thanks for sharing. I finally put mine together but I have not gone any further, just been really busy with work.

[Reply #5 on:]

Its really cool once you get it going.  Tomorrow I will have a new post on your first autonomous program.  Then on Friday I will have how to upload a computer controlled program.

[Reply #6 on:]

I finally took the time to assemble it, but had hell with the BT as my new adapter is busted. Robotshop.com took care of replacing the dongle for me asap, so I am just waiting on that(plus 6V motors and encoders). In the mean time I just connected to the BT via terminal using my droidX and was able to move the bot around with no issues.

I haven't added any sensors yet or dived into the code, hopefully I can make time to play this weekend.

[Reply #7 on:]

To get started, I would highly recommend the following book, cheap at $2.06 used. Even though
written in 1998, it still has, to me, the best overall info on both hardware and software, the
following on how to build many subsumption robot projects.

http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Robots-Inspiration-Implementation-Second/dp/1568810970

Jones' other book is good too, but better as a 2nd book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Robot-Programming-Practical-Behavior-Based-Robotics/dp/0071427783

[Reply #8 on:]

After being busy for a couple weeks I finally managed to put my Rover together; I ended up getting a Ping))) sensor but as dropdeadkick pointed out the front axle is in the way of mounting a sensor; with a bit of finagling the brackets I managed to get it on there though. TEC, unfortunately it looks like I was too late to learn any helpful information from your blog! I hope others did, and that you update soon. I'll keep posting updates (and probably pictures) as I go along.

Oric_dan, I will definitely check out those books! The first one especially looks useful.

[Reply #9 on:]

Oric_dan, I will definitely check out those books! The first one especially looks useful.

In your first post, you said your weren't sure what to do with your robot. The nice thing about
the Mobile Robots book [besides cheap on used] is it describes a number of easy to program
projects, including light-following.

Both books describe the Subsumption robotics scheme invented by Rod Brooks from MIT back
in 1985 or so. If you use the state-machine approach described initially, it's easy to program the
robots without needing a multitasker, like Jones uses in later examples. The only real difference
between the 2 approaches is, with state-machines you have to do time-checks explicitly, while
with the multitasker you can use sleep() functions to produce timing pauses.

Using Subsumption, you can build a smart-appearing robot with a range of different behaviors
very easily.