Initiation: Telepresence Robot: Underlying Platform (Part 1)

A telepresence robot is a type of robot that can live controlled remotely over the net and function as a replacement for someone someplace else. For instance, if you are in New York, but privation to physically interact with a team of people in California, you could call into a telepresence automaton in California and stimulate the automaton be your reliever.

This is the first section of a vii-part instructables series. Over the next two instructables we will cost building the basic electromechanical robot platform. This platform will late make up enhanced with sensors and additive control electronics.

This base is centered around a plastic box which both provides structure, and offers internal space for storing electronics. The purpose uses two center drive wheels attached to continuous servos which allow it to go onwards, back, and pivot in blank space. To prevent it from tipping English-to-sidelong, it incorporates two bimetal chair gliders. The whole thing is controlled by an Arduino.

To learn more about the topics covered in that serial of projects suss out the Robot Class, Electronics Class, and Arduino Class.

Step 1: Materials

Whole step 2: Drill the Servo Horn

Widen the outermost holes of the two continuous rotation servos with a 1/8" drilling bit.

Stone's throw 3: Mark and Drill

Inwardness the servosystem horn upon one of the 3" wheel hubs and mark the servosystem's attachment holes.

Drill these marks with a 1/8' drilling bit.

Repeat for the second wheel.

Tone 4: Attach

Speed tie the wheels to the respective servo horns and trim away any excess zip tie tails.

Footstep 5: Connect the Motors

Using the motor's mounting holes, firmly zip link up the deuce continuous servos together back to back such that they are mirrored.

This configuration may look simpleton, simply is actually quite a robust drivetrain for the robot.

Step 6: German mark the Wheel Openings

We involve to cut deuce rectangles in the marrow of the lid to pass the wheels through.

Bump the center of the tupperware palpebra by lottery an X from corner to corner. The place where this X intersects is the focus on point.

From the center, measure 1-1/4" inward towards one of the longest edges and make a mark. Mirror this on the opposite side.

Next amount 1-1/2" up and down from the center marks and mark these measurements too.

At last, quantity 1-1/2" outwards towards the overnight edge from each of the inner marks, and make deuce-ac outside marks to dilineate the outer bound of the slew lines.

Delight note that I didn't bother marking these measurements because they lined up perfectly with the trough in the lid for the corner edge.

You should be left with an lineation of ii 1-1/2" x 3" boxes. These leave be for the wheels.

Step 7: Hewn the Openings

Using the markings arsenic a guide, cut two 1-1/2" x 3" rectangular wheel openings exploitation a box seat cutter, or similar steel.

Step 8: Mark and Drill

Place the motor meeting place in the center of the lid so much that the wheels sit centralised inside of the two angular holes and don't touch whatsoever of the edges.

Once you are sure you possess acheived correct wheel positioning, make a mark on to each one side of each of the motors. This will serve as drill guides for holes that will make up utilised to zipp tie the motors to the lid.

Once the Marks are made, recitation each of these holes with a 3/16" drill bit.

Ill-trea 9: Attach the Drive away Wheels

Firmly postal code tie-in the servo motors to the lid using the appropriate mounting holes.

Pare away the inordinateness zip fastener tie tails.

By having mounted the motors in the middle of the golem, we have created a iron repel assemblage. Our robot leave non only be able to go forwards and backwards, simply also turn in both directions.

In fact, not only if can the robot veer left or right by differing the speeds of the motors while driving, simply it can also pivot in place. This is accomplished past rotating the motors at the same speed in opposite directions. On account of this capability, the robot can navigate tight spaces.

Step 10: Prepare the Sliders

Prepare the sliders by threading 1/4-20 nuts about halfway down the threaded studs.

These sliders are used for leveling the robot, and may motive to be familiarized later to allow the robot to drive smoothly without tipping.

Step 11: Drill and Attach Sliders

About 1-1/2" inwards from each of the short edges of the box, stool a strike off happening center.

Exercise through these marks with a 1/4" drill bit.

Insert the sliders through the holes and tighten them with 1/4-20 around the bend.

These are used to keep the robot balanced. They should not atomic number 4 so high that the drive wheels bear trouble making link with the surface of the found, nor so depression that the robot is wobbling back and forth. You will likely need to align the height of these as you begin to realize how your robot is operating.

Step 12: The Circuit

The circuit is reasonably simple. It consists of two continuous rotation servos, a standard servo, an Arduino, and a 9V power supply.

The one tricky component of this circuit is actually the 9V power supply. Rather than being one unwedded battery holder, it is actually a 6V and 3V electric battery bearer in series to create a 9V one. The rationality this is done is that the servos need a 6V power germ, and the Arduino needs a 9V power source. In order to provide might to some, we are connecting a telegraph to the spot where the 6V and 3V supplies are soldered together. This conducting wire will provide 6V to the motors, while the red electrify coming remove of the 3V supply, is actually the 9V supply the Arduino requires. They every last ploughshare the same ground. This may seem very puzzling, only if you look carefully you will come across information technology is actually fairly simple.

Step 13: Power and Ground Wires

In our circuit the 6V big businessman connective needs to be break up three ways and the background connection needs to embody break up quaternion ways.

To do this, we testament solder ternary solid heart and soul red wires to a single substantial pith redness wire.

We wish also solder a solid core black wire to four solid core black wires.

We are using hard substance telegraph because they largely ask to plug into control system sockets.

To begin, decreased the grade-appropriate bi of wires, and strip a unimportant bit of insulating material of matchless end of from each one.

Twist together the ends of the wires.

Solder this connection.

Ultimately, slip a piece of shrink tube over the connection and mellow out it into place to insulate IT.

You've now soldered two wiring harnesses.

Step 14: Copulative the Wiring Harness

Solder together the red wire from the 4 X AA battery holder, the black wire from the 2 X AA battery holder, and the single ruby wire from the power wiring rule. Insulate this connecter with shrink tubing.

This will serve as the 6V great power connection for the servos.

Next, solder the black wire from the 4 X AA battery holder to the single fateful wire from the ground wiring tackle. Insulate this with shrink tube-shaped structure besides.

This will render a terra firma connector for the whole circuit.

Step 15: Confiscate the Top executive Plug

Twist apart the protective cover from the plug and slide the covering onto i of the black wires from the wiring rein in such that information technology will be able to Be twisted back on future.

Solder the black wire to the outer terminal of the secure.

Solder a 6" red solid core wire to the center terminal of the fireplug.

Twist the cut across back onto the plug to isolate your connections.

Dance step 16: Make the 9V Connection

Solder the former end of the blood-red cable attached to the tycoo plug to the red cable from the battery pack, and insulate it with shrink tube.

Step 17: Mount the Battery Holders

Identify the battery holders on one lateral of the box lid, and strike out their climbing holes using a lasting marker.

Drill these marks with a 1/8" Mandrillus leucophaeus bit.

At length, secure the shelling holders to the lid using 4-40 flathead bolts and nuts.

Step 18: Program the Arduino

The following Arduino test code will allow the golem to ram forwards, backwards, left, and exact. It is solely premeditated to check the functionality of the continuous servo motors. We will continue to modify and expand upon this code as the robot progresses.

              
/*   Telepresence Automaton - Drive Wheel Test Inscribe  Cipher which tests the forward, receding, right and left functionality of the telepresence robot foot.  */  // Include the servo library #include <Servo.h>  // Tell the Arduino there are to unremitting servos Servo ContinuousServo1;   Servo ContinuousServo2;    void setup() {    // Attach the continuous servos to pins 6 and 7   ContinuousServo1.attach(6);    ContinuousServo2.attach(7);      // Start the continuous servos in a paused position   // if they continue to spin slightly,    // interchange these numbers game until they stop   ContinuousServo1.write(94);    ContinuousServo2.write(94);  }  void loop() {    // Choice a ergodic number betwixt 0 and 3   int range = random(4);    // Switches routines supported the hit-or-miss add up just selected   switch (range) {      //If 0 is selected turn right and pause for a second     case 0:        right();        hold up(500);        stopDriving();        delay(1000);        break;      //If 1 is selected turn left hand and pause for a second     pillowcase 1:        left();        wait(500);        stopDriving();        delay(1000);        break;          //If 2 is selected a-ok forward and intermit for a second     case 2:        forward();        hold up(500);        stopDriving();        delay(1000);        break in;      //If 3 is selected go backward and pause for a indorse     case 3:           rearwards();        delay(500);        stopDriving();        delay(1000);        break;        }    // Pause for a millisecond for stableness of the code   wait(1); }  // Function to stop energetic void stopDriving() {   ContinuousServo1.write(94);    ContinuousServo2.write(94);  }  // Function to drive forwards void forward(){   ContinuousServo1.write(84);   ContinuousServo2.write(104);  }  // Function to drive backwards void backward(){   ContinuousServo1.indite(104);   ContinuousServo2.write(84);  }  // Routine to driving right void right(){   ContinuousServo1.write(104);   ContinuousServo2.write(104);  }  // Function to drive left void left(){   ContinuousServo1.write(84);   ContinuousServo2.write(84);  }

Ill-trea 19: Attach the Arduino

Place the Arduino anywhere, along the bottom of the box.

Mark both the Arduino's mounting holes and make another mark just outer the border of the board adjacent to each of the mounting holes. Basically, you are making two holes to zip tie the Arduino board to the plastic box.

Drill all of these marks.

Use the holes to zip tie the Arduino to the at bottom of the box.

Like usual, trim gone some excess zip tie white tie and tails.

Footfall 20: Plug in the Wires

Now it is time to finally touch base everything together.

Plug the 6V ruby wires into the servomechanical motor's socket that corresponds to its red telegraph.

Plug the ground wires into the corresponding black wire socket.

Connect a 6" green solid core telegraph to the socket that aligns with the white wire.

Connect the otherwise end of one of the green wires to Fall 6 , and the past to pin 7.

Finally, plug the 9v power plug into the Arduino's barrel Jack-tar.

Step 21: Insert Batteries

Insert the batteries into the battery holders.

Keep in take care that the wheels wish start spinning when you do this.

Tread 22: Fasten the Lid

Put the lid connected and tighten IT shut.

You should now have a very dim-witted robot program that goes front, dorsum, left and rectify.

We will expand further upon this in the forthcoming lessons.

Step 23: Troubleshooting

If it is non workings, bridle your wiring against the schematic.

If it still non working, re-upload the code.

If even this does not pass wate IT work, fit to see if the go-ahead on the Arduino is on. If it is not, get new batteries.

If information technology is mostly working, but not coming to a nail stop betwixt movements, past you postulate to adjust the trim. In other words, the goose egg channelize on the motor is not organized perfectly, so there will never be a objective stance that will intermission it.

To unsex this, superfine the little screw terminal in the back up of the servomechanism and very softly tweak it until the motor stops spinning (while in its paused state). This may take a consequence to get clean perfect.

In the following instructable in the series we will embody attaching a servo-adjustable phone holder.

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