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GPS Robot — Parallax Forums

GPS Robot

burp16burp16 Posts: 14
edited 2010-02-20 14:39 in Robotics
Hey guys how are you this is my first post and I seem to have run into a problem here. For my current project I want to make a gps guided robot but I have no idea how to tackle this dilemma. Please understand that I am in beginner level when it comes to robots.... a noob as you might say XD however can you provide me all the guidance needed to assemble this robot from what i need to all the way to how to prgram everything. Thank you!!!
P.S. I have a Basic Stamp 2!!!!!!!!!

Comments

  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-02-18 15:55
    burp16,

    You have to crawl before you walk or run. Do you have a BoeBot or any sort of working robot yet? That is the first place to start.

    People here are great help, but I've never seen anybody just give another person "the answer." The fun is learning how to do it a bit at a time.

    You can do it. Take little steps and you will be on you way.

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
  • burp16burp16 Posts: 14
    edited 2010-02-18 17:01
    Unfortunatly I dont have a boe bot, i have my own carrier board though but no sensors or servos, this is why i wanted guidance so I dont spend unneccessary money. Thank You
  • iDaveiDave Posts: 252
    edited 2010-02-18 17:13
    Start with the "What's a Microcontroller?" and the "Robotics with the Boe Bot" pdf's. I think available in the download section. They are a truly great start.

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    "A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer."
  • Spiral_72Spiral_72 Posts: 791
    edited 2010-02-19 02:21
    My advice would be get a handful of small 3mm LED's (for their low current draw) and some 1k resistors. You'll learn to program by making the LED's dance.... blink, strobe, then PWM to make them brighten and dim slowly.

    That'll get you used to programming, outputs, ohms law and Pulse Width Modulation.

    Buy a robot platform like mentioned earlier, or build your own: get two Parallax continuous rotation servos. That can be your wheel motors for a smaller bot up to maybe 2lbs. They're cheap, and very easy to program with decent torque. Make your bot and work your way to the GPS.

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    "puff"...... Smile, there went another one.
  • burp16burp16 Posts: 14
    edited 2010-02-19 03:33
    Ok i will do this but how if I may ask would you have the gps guide the robot through it's set course and what cheap appropriate gps can I use
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-02-19 03:52
    burp16,

    Check out erco's work on this thread - http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=869446

    Lots of good info there on a simple and powerful bot.

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2010-02-19 04:00
    For the Propeller? Parallax has a nice $25 one to use. For the BS2 you're best off using the $80 one. http://www.parallax.com/tabid/831/Default.aspx

    To use the gps to guide the robot you need to make a set of coordinates for it to go to, and have it use it's current coordinates to find out how to do so by going forward, or turning first then advancing. Unfortunately gps will not help your robot navigate around objects, so you might as well start with something cheap first like IR--explained in the Robotics with the BOE-Bot text.

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    PG
  • burp16burp16 Posts: 14
    edited 2010-02-20 05:48
    Hey guys thx for the support I am currently reading robotics with boe bot and it has been very helpful indeed, just one question that I had, how do you use relays as motors and are they cheaper than servos.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-02-20 14:39
    burp16,

    Relays are really just electrically controlled switches. You can use a really to turn a motor (or anything else) on and off. The low voltage - 5 volt high from the Basic Stamp can turn the relay on and off. The relay can have higher voltage running trough it - for example 12 volts which might run your motors.

    Relays can be built into an electrical circuit (an H-bridge) which can make your robot motors run both forward, one forward and one reverse or both reverse. See erco's post that I listed above and watch how it works. And see this to get an idea how it works - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-bridge

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
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