Hello, happy new year! (Suck it Mayans! :D) I am new-ish to the Arduino thing, but I am hooked! I am damn near a Electronics Engineer (1&1/2 quarters left for my associates) so I should be able to keep up (I hope). I really enjoyed my class on C programming, and the Arduino language seems similar, but I still currently suck at it! :blush: SO, I have got the following items together, and I would like to build a small RC rover, just to lean some of the ropes for one. Here is what I am working with:
I am good with hardware, just tell me how to wire it, and it will be done correctly (soldering too), but I need help with the code for sure. I AM trying to learn it, but for now, a little help to get this first one under my belt would be greatly appreciated. :D Thanks, Steve!
Various issues are discussed on that page, so you can pull out whatever seems relevant (if anything).
[/quote]
Cool project and I like the 'body work' your kids most likely came up with. A technical issue I came up with on first reading is on low battery detection:
So, a method of detecting low voltage was necessary. Since the car was powered by a Li-Po battery (two cells in series) its valid range was 7.4V to 8.4V. Now 8.4V is too much to plug into an analog port, so we need to get it down to the range 0 to 5V. Thus, a simple voltage divider will do it:
Typically a Li-Po cell is consider fully charged at 4.2vdc and most use a 3.0 value for low cut-off value. So your 2X cell should be using 6 to 8.4 as usable range and so you are not utilizing a whole lot of your pack by using a 7.4 cut off value.
retrolefty:
Cool project and I like the 'body work' your kids most likely came up with.
Er, yes, absolutely. My kids did that bit. Please don't show them this page.
Typically a Li-Po cell is consider fully charged at 4.2vdc and most use a 3.0 value for low cut-off value. So your 2X cell should be using 6 to 8.4 as usable range and so you are not utilizing a whole lot of your pack by using a 7.4 cut off value.
Thanks for the comments. I was being cautious after reading about fires and stuff.
Batteries are one of those things where you can read a dozen sites and get all sorts of advice, not always totally in agreement.
Arduino420:
...... I want to build a toaster! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:.("RC rover").....
Yes, but what do you want the rover to [u]DO[/u]?
If you don't want it to do anything then you can just pile the hardware into a box and put it in the middle of the floor and call it a rover.
I guess you want it to move backwards and forwards and steer, but you haven't defined that at all. Will it be completely autonomous? If so, will it need to sense its surroundings (how?) and what will it do in response to them? Will it be remotely controlled? If so, what communication mechanism will you use and what sort of input device for the operator to enter the commands? What sort of commands do you want it to recognise? Will it just a matter of holding a switch down to make it move forward and let go to stop, or something more sophisticated like "mow the lawn" and "go tidy your room"?
OK sorry about that. I was doing some drunken (non specific) posting last night.
To start with I just want to use the left stick on the transmitter (and receiver) that I posted a link to in my original post to do forward (up), reverse (down), left would signal the right motor to go forward and the left motor to go back, right would trigger the left motor to go forwards and the right motor to go back. That would do fine for now. After I get that going I have a robotic claw that I would like to control with the right stick, but that will come later. also toast is optional.... How should I wire up the duel motor gear box that I posted a link to? I have it assembled, and I have tested both motors. Thanks a lot for any help! Steve
Also!...... I have been told by the Super nerds on the Robosavvy forum that what I am trying to build is NOT a "Robot", it is a "Wheeled rover platform for Electronics"! That has a nice ring to it huh!?? :P
Two channel RC Transmitter to tank tracked chassis with low speed turning on the spot, high speed radius turns (I may have made that term up, but at low speed the tracks counter rotate, at higher speeds, the tracks rotate in the same direction but at different speed) -
PaulS:
Wasn’t that obvious? It needs to make toast. 8)
Are you insane? You need it to (1) deliver a cold beer to your hands, without your having to move from your chair. And then 15 minutes later: goto 1. (oops, used goto).