Robot vehicle chassis

crazynight

Senior Member

bfgstew

Senior Member
Why not get some Meccano or Lego, both are easily adaptable and have all the features you would need for a walking/driving robot, once satisfied with the build just glue it together!
 

Ravenous

Member
I had a look at the first ebay kit you linked - that's cheap!

However even cheaper would be two gear motors glued under a piece of board or something. Recycle an old furniture castor wheel to keep it level.

Trouble is these days, individual components can be found on the internet really cheaply but buying them all separately will cost you a lot in postage... I'd find a good supplier and when you get the motors, make sure you get the battery box and other stuff you need at the same time.

(As for Lego/Meccano - motorising that is expensive! At least the Lego anyway.)
 

xtech007

Senior Member
sort parts first!

Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
As personal experience building a robot its alot of fun specially with picaxe.
Why?
Lots of options!
Start by thinking what your robot is gonna do. Then options. Then what picaxe to use. Example: go fwd, reverse, then single motor or 2wd or 4wd, if single motor how you gonna control steering, if 2wd you gonna have to control the speed of each motor or robot might just never gonna go stright. Also drivers for motors like the L293 which works great with first kit you linked!
U want it automous, rc controlled.
How about sensors like range finders, line followers, switches, proximity sensors. Get the picture!
Personally start with a big chasis to keep adding options as you learn along!
As per the picaxe, well it will come to your options, keep in nind input and outputs to control your options!

Good luck
 

crazynight

Senior Member
Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
As personal experience building a robot its alot of fun specially with picaxe.
Why?
Lots of options!
Start by thinking what your robot is gonna do. Then options. Then what picaxe to use. Example: go fwd, reverse, then single motor or 2wd or 4wd, if single motor how you gonna control steering, if 2wd you gonna have to control the speed of each motor or robot might just never gonna go stright. Also drivers for motors like the L293 which works great with first kit you linked!
U want it automous, rc controlled.
How about sensors like range finders, line followers, switches, proximity sensors. Get the picture!
Personally start with a big chasis to keep adding options as you learn along!
As per the picaxe, well it will come to your options, keep in nind input and outputs to control your options!

Good luck
Am I being too optimistic to expect a 2wd robot to go straight automatically? the first kit I linked to just has two motors I assume using a L293 there will be no way of controlling there speed they will be either on or off? so left on for it to rotate right and right on to rotate left.
 

neiltechspec

Senior Member
As technical mentioned, use PWM to control speed, even through an L293D it will still work.
 
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xtech007

Senior Member
2wd might go stright!

Well, I have build 2 or 3 robots 2wd and none had gone stright per say.
To correct u can control the L293 with pwm. Controlling each motor!

But, what do u have in mind?
 

crazynight

Senior Member
Well, I have build 2 or 3 robots 2wd and none had gone stright per say.
To correct u can control the L293 with pwm. Controlling each motor!

But, what do u have in mind?
PWM just turns the motors on and off quickly the more on the faster they go etc, makes sense. would a 4wd robot be any better?

Something that moves and will not fall of a table to start with; really no real end game at the moment just going to be fun to have motors and something that moves after a project which was very static and serious.

Have got some 433 rx/tx's which I salvaged so might make it remote control in the end, I have also ordered some of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131010226432?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 for test for the timer project so might have them available. They should plug straight into the picaxe providing I run it at 5v.
 

geezer88

Senior Member
Look around for a Roomba floor cleaner. They have a nice drive system, a number of sensors, and are available now and then in second hand stores. I've taken them apart, and they have an amazing array of the useful parts.

tom
 

xtech007

Senior Member
Great start!

Cool!
For starters and learning curve, the 2wd robot (first link) is great! Plenty space for battery pack and extras!
Will provide with a picture of mines!
2wd chasis and gearmotors can be used to go fwd,rev, left and right!
No steering mechanism is used.
To go stright u might be lucky! Or play with the pwm a lilttle!
I used A picaxe 28x1 and 1 L293 driver. A servo to move a range finder so it would not crash to obstacles !
 

crazynight

Senior Member
Cheers guys feel happy to purchase the bits tonight, given my project some thought this afternoon; think ultimately I will convert some sort of RC car and fit a range finder but need to start with the basics.
 
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