Project: Remote Lawn Mower
gablor
Posts: 7
There are many things you can find in the web. If you want something all you have to do is put things together, fine-tune it and you can develop you own product. For example it has been my long dream to have a remote controlled lawn mower. A tool you can remotely operate from anywhere else in USA.
Here's how I plan to have one just for kicks. I know it will be an expensive lawn mower but who knows it may also be usable for something else.
Step 1- Get Basic Stamp and learn to program it. - Completed. See attached picture of my first model. Sorry lost the video when my drive crashed.
Step 2- Get USB converter and learn how this thing works and communicate. - Completed
Step 3- Learn how to control DC motor using Basic Stamp, HB-25 - Completed. Video and Program to follow. Video too big. Need to find a way to chop it.
Step 4- Get or develop simple C# program that can communicate with Basic Stamp. - Completed.
Step 5- Add video capability to the C# program. - Completed. Video to follow
Step 6- Find a way you can communicate via internet. I am currently operating via remote connection to another computer which is connected to the Basic Stamp. I will check XBEE wireless modules later this will be an alternative solution - Simple version completed.
Step 7- Build a platform to carry the Basic Stamp, HB-25, CPU, Battery, Video Camera and DC motors. In-Process
Step 8- Attach the lawn mowing motors - Not started
Step 9- Learn how to monitor battery power - Not started
Step 10- Develop a way to self charge battery using special wall socket. - Not started
Step 11- Enhance the C# and Basic Stamp programs to allow storage of programmable instructions. This will allow
your lawn mower to do its task by just a click of a button. - Not started
Keep tuned in for updates.
Here's how I plan to have one just for kicks. I know it will be an expensive lawn mower but who knows it may also be usable for something else.
Step 1- Get Basic Stamp and learn to program it. - Completed. See attached picture of my first model. Sorry lost the video when my drive crashed.
Step 2- Get USB converter and learn how this thing works and communicate. - Completed
Step 3- Learn how to control DC motor using Basic Stamp, HB-25 - Completed. Video and Program to follow. Video too big. Need to find a way to chop it.
Step 4- Get or develop simple C# program that can communicate with Basic Stamp. - Completed.
Step 5- Add video capability to the C# program. - Completed. Video to follow
Step 6- Find a way you can communicate via internet. I am currently operating via remote connection to another computer which is connected to the Basic Stamp. I will check XBEE wireless modules later this will be an alternative solution - Simple version completed.
Step 7- Build a platform to carry the Basic Stamp, HB-25, CPU, Battery, Video Camera and DC motors. In-Process
Step 8- Attach the lawn mowing motors - Not started
Step 9- Learn how to monitor battery power - Not started
Step 10- Develop a way to self charge battery using special wall socket. - Not started
Step 11- Enhance the C# and Basic Stamp programs to allow storage of programmable instructions. This will allow
your lawn mower to do its task by just a click of a button. - Not started
Keep tuned in for updates.
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Comments
Do you plan to use a gas powered motor on the lawn mower?
It shouldn't be too hard to get commands from the computer to your robot wirelessly but what about the video? How are you going to get the video signal from the robot to the computer? One way I can think of is to use a video transmitter and have the receiver connected to a video capture device on the PC. It would probably be easier to use one of the wifi enabled cameras I've seen.
Before you buy XBees you might want to think about these Nordic modules. They're not as easy to use as XBees are but they cost less ($7 on ebay) and have a faster data rate. Ron C. has written a driver to use them with the Basic Stamp. (I personally use them a lot in my Propeller projects.)
Again, thanks for sharing your progress.
Duane
Peter