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Great August Servo - Arlo and MD-1 and Question for Parallax Smarties — Parallax Forums

Great August Servo - Arlo and MD-1 and Question for Parallax Smarties

WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
edited 2014-08-04 09:56 in Robotics
Great articles in the August Servo magazine!

Chris Savage reviews the history of the Arlo platform and Robert "robotworkshop" Doer shows his Stingray based MD-1. Check it out!

@Chris, Matt or Ken - By the way - I have a set of the original 12 volt Motor and Wheel kit. The original plastic notched encoder wheels were less precise than the new ones. Will the new encoder wheels work on the original kit and original IR reader? And can I get some?

Edit: Lower in the thread, Ken confirms that the new encoder wheels will work on the old kit! He also offered to send me some! Parallax customer service is beyond amazing!

The new Arlo Power Distribution Board is must, of course. Better get in line!

Comments

  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2014-08-03 21:22
    Hello Whit,

    I'm glad you enjoyed the article on MD-1. It was a lot of fun to build and adds a lot of character. We had that robot running around the Maker Faire at the Henry Ford last month. After tweaking the wander routine to use the new upgraded motor that Parallax sells the robot roams around great. It moves about walking speed and it did an amazing job avoiding the crowds throughout the museum. The kids at the museum really had fun with the robot.

    The only bad part was early in the morning while setting up. When I came back from returning the cart I found that the robot had slipped off the table and did a face plant. It is ok but it squished a couple of the PING sensors in the front. I thought for sure that one would be out but even with the bent sensors it still worked fine. Luckily I have a couple spare brackets that go on the front of the robot and a spare PING to replace the one with the bent can.

    I was able to get a sheet of white plastic that I can use for the lower panel. Still need to do some work on the template and then try to cut out a plastic one. The sheet is large enough that I can make several attempts if the first one doesn't work out.

    Robert

    bent_pings.jpg


    MD-1_robot.jpg
    1024 x 443 - 88K
    640 x 1189 - 95K
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    edited 2014-08-03 22:12
    Whit wrote: »
    @Chris, Matt or Ken - By the way - I have a set of the original 12 volt Motor and Wheel kit. The original plastic notched encoder wheels were less precise than the new ones. Will the new encoder wheels work on the original kit and original IR reader? And can I get some?

    The new Arlo Power Distribution Board is must, of course. Better get in line!

    You bet, Whit! We always try to make our products backwards compatible if practical.

    Since you've moved in the last couple of years I should verify that we've got the right address for you. Please drop me an e-mail with a title "encoder upgrade" and include your shipping address. I'll take care of it early this week.

    Ken Gracey
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2014-08-04 05:37
    @Ken - Thanks so much! Parallax customer service is the very best. I edited this thread as solved and edited the original post with a note. Address is on the way.

    @Robert - Sorry to hear about the damage to MD-1 - glad you got it repaired. Thanks for a great article! By the way, my son and I cleaned my lab and organized it last week. It was still a mess after our last move 3 years ago! We are planning some project time now...
  • Matt GillilandMatt Gilliland Posts: 1,406
    edited 2014-08-04 08:29
    Hi Whit-
    We produced an encoder "upgrade kit" specifically for upgrading already-put-together Eddie's and MadeUSA's to the new 36 position encoders. It was part number #29320. It was designed so that you didn't need to remove the axle drive pin from the unit (which is really difficult without the proper tools). It consisted of a couple of snap rings and a "split-ringed" encoder disk, (that allows you to install the new encoders easily) and as well as the encoder boards and cables,.

    Unfortunately that Product has been discontinued.:blank:

    However, being a Pack-Rat - I snatched them all up and am holding them for ransom :thumb:

    If you really want a set (or more) you must follow these instructions exactly...

    Instructions to receive an Upgrade Encoder Pack are as follows:


    Step #1: Send us your mailing address.

    Step #2: Receive package.

    Any deviation from these instructions may result in a delay in getting your free encoder upgrade package.

    :tongue:-MattG
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2014-08-04 09:56
    If you really want a set (or more) you must follow these instructions exactly...

    Instructions to receive an Upgrade Encoder Pack are as follows:


    Step #1: Send us your mailing address.

    Step #2: Receive package.

    Any deviation from these instructions may result in a delay in getting your free encoder upgrade package.

    :tongue:-MattG

    @Matt

    Got it...

    Step #1: Receive package.

    Step #2:
    Send us your mailing address.

    ;-)
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