I'm just planning my first, so I lack experience, but what I've found out while doing research is that its very difficult to find parts that will work together. Either you have to make them yourself or pray.
My biggest problem is programming, Hardware I can handle with my eyes shut, I have built many Robots all complete, except for programming 4 of them. Wish I had some of the brains on this forum regarding programming. Seth: It depends on your ability hardware wise as to how you approach your robots, First plan it out what the final robot will look like and what you want it to do. Either you buy a kit or scratch build one, If it is the size of a Boe Bot I would use 1mm alloy fabricated around a 4-5mm acrylic base to which you can add sensors,servos,main board ect. It will depend on your ability and imagination to put it all together. Have you built a robot before Seth?? or is this your first time??.If I can help you hardware wise please feel free to PM me or on this forum.
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I don't know what kind of experience you have but, I have had the best results if I take the final project and break it down into the basics first and continue to build form there. I start with what I can do and work into other projects. It tends to keep the frustration·level low, ·and as you progress you may come up with better ways to reach your final goal. I had little experience with robotics and find the more time I put into it the more I get out of it. Just my $.02 worth.
It all depends on where your talents and resources are.
Regarding talents,
Generally, people are either builders or programmers - not both.
Regarding resources,
Either you have a shop that can fabricate mechanical devices or you have deep pockets to pay for whatever you want.
Regardless of the electronics revolution making cheap components available, mechanical parts that are not produced for mass markets have remained expensive.
Most of us seek out surplus or salvage from broken devices rather than build completely new. I would love a complete machine shop, but a half million dollars might not be enough. And you always would have to move with a forklift.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Not right now. I have two that I am working on right now. I took an old canister vacuum cleaner and am replacing the guts with a BS2.
My other one is a biped built from scratch. It is very close to completion. But most of my projects have been with the BOE-Bot. I made a simulator for the Mark 48 torpedo that goes through all the navigational steps. Plus I made some other smaller projects. The project that I am starting now does not have anything to do with robotics.
Comments
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Never give up when things go wrong.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Al
Regarding talents,
Generally, people are either builders or programmers - not both.
Regarding resources,
Either you have a shop that can fabricate mechanical devices or you have deep pockets to pay for whatever you want.
Regardless of the electronics revolution making cheap components available, mechanical parts that are not produced for mass markets have remained expensive.
Most of us seek out surplus or salvage from broken devices rather than build completely new. I would love a complete machine shop, but a half million dollars might not be enough. And you always would have to move with a forklift.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
Post Edited (Kramer) : 9/9/2007 5:10:48 PM GMT
StampNut2,
I have built several robots before. I am fine with the programing and the hardware, I was just curious about everyone else.
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http://www.myspace.com/droidworks
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My computer, http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=630466
What does this mean?
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Never give up when things go wrong.
My other one is a biped built from scratch. It is very close to completion. But most of my projects have been with the BOE-Bot. I made a simulator for the Mark 48 torpedo that goes through all the navigational steps. Plus I made some other smaller projects. The project that I am starting now does not have anything to do with robotics.