I Just ordered the Arduino Diecimila from the Modern Device Company (Because the Maker Store was sold out) and I'm really excited. I drew up some plans for a simple project to convert a RC car into a Programmable Autonomous Vehicle (PAV) and I drew the schematics and got and RC car and a decent stepper motor from a printer and I was rip and rearing until I came to the point were i didn't know how to program the stupid ATTiny2313 (Which is what someone suggested I use) So I tried and tried to do some research and i didn't find anything useful besides some books about how to program a AVRmicro (Which at first i got confused with the how to program a PICmicro) So I figured to use C++ (Which i didn't know, so i got a book how to learn C++ is 21 days.......didn't work...besides it was due in 14 days) So then I figure that PICmicros are better to start with so I searched the internet for a decent PIC development board complete with instructions and compiler and the whole bit (Because C++ compiler, interpreter, and IDE....equals very hard to find, well cheap anyway) and so I watched a make mag podcast about the Ardurino and I thought oh thats neat but not what I want. So I went another long while without finding a good PIC development board. So I found myself being lazy on the computer and decided to look up what this whole Arduino thing was, and I found amazingness. So I ordered it today and I cannot wait for it to arrive so I can actually build my PAV.
Welcome to the Arduino club!
I'm interested in following the progress with your RC car project.
I'm doing a similar project called the HummBot, see http://megabotblog.blogspot.com
Your Right! Indeed our projects are very similar. The only differences that I was able to pick up are you are using IR sensors and I'm using transducers and you're using a DC electric motor for the propulsion and I'm using a stepper motor. All in all our projects have the same outcome: an obstacle avoiding robot. Its gonna take me a while to get mine up and running seeing how my Arduino still has yet to arrive. Also, because I'm using a stepper motor I have/want to order a Quad Half H-Bridge Motor Driver Chip....Thats a mouthful. But I made the mistake of ordering a bunch of stuff from goldmine and I forgot to buy that and one other item...and it sucks. Well anyway I'll begin to post information about my project as soon as I rework everything.
P.S. I love your project.
idk if it's shown on the hummbot link, but are you using a 9v battery to power ALL that stuff?
or is it a larger voltage batteries?
or do you use opto couplers, and separate batteries for the motors?
I just got my Arduino Diecimila today and I was really ecstatic when it arrived. I've changed my plans for my "PAV" and now I plan to use a DC motor rather then the previous Stepper motor. The reason for this is because I can use the stock transmission that was equipt with RC car, in order to use the stepper motor, I would have to gear the whole thing myself. but in the future I plan to do that anyway, when I take what I learned and apply it to a bigger and more functional platform to which I can expand to create a robot. Wow all this just to create the platform. My stuff from Goldmine was postponed due to inadequate billing information so now I have to wait even longer, and I still need a H-Bridge.