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New User Questions

madigajmmadigajm Posts: 4
edited 2008-11-11 03:51 in BASIC Stamp
I have never built any type of real robot. I was thinking about trying to build one and was looking through all of the microchip controllers on this site. I was wondering what microchip or package you would recommend for someone who is just beginning to learn how to build a robot.

Thanks

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-11-11 01:46
    Get the BoeBot. This includes a basic small robot chassis and a controller (the Board of Education). You could also get a PING))) ultrasonic sensor with the matching bracket and servo (to be able to scan for obstacles from side to side).

    Along with these, you'll get a manual (Robotics with the BoeBot) that contains lots of exercises and problems. You should also download the "What's a Microcontroller?" tutorial and go through that as well since it teaches how microcontrollers work and also has lots of exercises and problems you can work through to learn. If you go to the main Parallax webpage and click on the Resources tab, you'll see Downloads as one choice. Click on that, then select Stamps in Class Downloads and you'll see the list of tutorials for downloading along with their sample programs.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2008-11-11 01:55
    I did this little project in about 5 months; from knowing nothing about uCs to being able to program effectively. The wonderful parallax books helped quite a bit. I'd stick to the wheels, and also recomend the ping on a servo. It's so much more fun to have moving "eyes" that motionless IR. Also, I'd recomend the BS2e: it's my favorite BS2 series model since it's completely compatable with the BS2, yet it has much more memory to play around with.
  • RoboticsProfessorRoboticsProfessor Posts: 54
    edited 2008-11-11 03:51
    I'm an electronics college instructor. I've taught Motorola 68HC11 assembly, PIC18F8680, C, C++ and Visual Basic.

    I recently decided to convert an embedded systems class from the PIC18F8680 (To difficult for beginners and no documentation for the SSE8680 Development Board) to the BOE-Bot.

    WOW!!!· The students really love the BOE-Bot and they have running projects up in no time in PBASIC! I picked BS2 as the chip, but will probably expand the class to the other variants. I expect my students to have:

    3 line-followers

    2 MicroMouse-like maze robots

    3 Line Maze robots

    1 fully operational toy tank that searches for a target, using Ping))), and fires a series of plastic bullets at the target.

    I am totally impressed by the documentation, assistance and the information available for the BS line of chips and robotics info!!

    All this variety in a one semester class!!· I was pretty amazed how creative students get when you make the hardware and software so much easier.

    This is sounding like a blurb I got paid to say, but it isn't. I'm just amazed at how great the BOE-Bot experience is for my students.

    If you want to stay in touch with developments in the above robots, check out my sites:

    www.PICRobots.com (I've stopped using the PIC, but kept the name.

    www.RichardVannoy.info (Where, over the next few months, I'll be posting student accomplishments.)



    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Richard Vannoy

    Programming and Electronics Instructor
    www.PICRobots.com
    www.SailingStrategy.info
    www.TeachingTechnicalTraders.com
    ·
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