Rocketting Fun

March 11, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 14 Comments

cansat

[Gabe] sent in this project summary from his rocketry club’s yearly project(pdf). The goal was to build a rocket that would go up to about 800 meters and eject a robot that would pilot itself to a destination on the ground for re use. There’s tons of great information from what hardware is in the robot to hardware design for the ejection mechanism. There are great pictures of the final build, not so many of the construction itself. The project seemed to go well until EMI problems caused everything to fail during flight. If you’re interested in seeing more from the club, check out their site (translated).

Automated DVD Dispenser

March 5, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 24 Comments

dvd

[Andrew] made this DVD dispenser for his senior project in high school. It is using an ATmega8515 for the brains, and a custom coded driver for the LCD. As you can see in the video, after the break, you can select a DVD by various identifiers such as genre or title. It then pushes that DVD out of the rack so you can grab it. Right now, all the DVDs have to be placed in predetermined positions, but it’s not a bad start at all. Thanks for sending this in [Andrew].

Continue reading “Automated DVD Dispenser” →

Hexapod Helicopter

March 2, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 24 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMhrSwatSiE]

[Kiethrobot] built this six legged little helicopter. You can see that it is fairly mobile. You can also see that it doesn’t really make it off the ground really well. He must have gotten more power out of it though because he destroyed it in a crash the day after filming this. It is surprising how much character those six little legs add to the RC helicopter. This thing is almost as cute as something from crabfu.

[via BotJunkie]

Parts: Analog Distance Sensors (Sharp GP2D12/2Y0A02)

February 24, 2009 by Ian 23 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGiRK0vmcUw]

Sharp GP2D12 and 2Y0A02 infrared rangers output a voltage proportionate to the distance of an object from the sensor. The GPD12 senses objects at a distance of 10-80cm, while the 2Y0A02 has twice the range.

We’ve previously looked at the Sharp GP2Y0D02 digital proximity sensor. It only signals the presence of objects, while the GP2D12 and 2Y0A02 measure distance to them. If you’ve got a GP2YoD02, it might still be possible to tap the analog output. We’ll show you how use these sensors below.

Continue reading “Parts: Analog Distance Sensors (Sharp GP2D12/2Y0A02)” →

Bar2d2 Gets Automated

February 24, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 24 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITcC3QazHyg]

When we showed you Bar2d2, the bar tending party bot, there was one huge hurdle left to solve. It was only a drink dispenser at that, while awesome, couldn’t actually mix drinks. That has been remedied in this update. Now, a computer handles all of the drink orders, then sends them via bluetooth to bar2d2. The drinks are mixed right there in front of you in the comforting blue glow of bar2d2’s neon. You can check out more build pictures here.

4 Or More Servos On An Arduino

February 23, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 17 Comments

roboduino

The latest version of the Arduino software allows you to use more than two servos at a time. Curious Inventor has posted a demo showing how to run 4 servos from a keyboard input. The code should also work just fine on Arduino clones, like the Roboduino pictured above. They point out that if you are running version 12 of the software, some manual additions will be necessary.

Flatpack Walker

February 20, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 9 Comments

flatpack

If you’re into robotics, you’re probably already familiar with the 2 motor walker. This design, usually used in B.E.A.M. robotics is a pretty easy way to make a 4 legged walking robot. [Edwindertien] has made the design a little bit easier to build with these flatpack walker plans. He used 4mm thick birch, cut by laser to get his walker into shape, but the design would work with almost any material. His walker is Arduino powered, so it could be programmed for all kinds of behavior, especially if you add some sensors. You can see his bot in action after the break.

Continue reading “Flatpack Walker” →