Radio Shack Mobile Robot manual Whiskers, Summary, How it Works

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Whiskers

Two whisker wires are mounted on the front of the robot to detect obstacles. Locate the 4 whisker mounting holes near the front center of the robot body. Scratch off paint around the two smaller holes. Next, bend each whisker wire using the drawing as a full scale pattern. Locate the body cable and find the ground lug. Mount the 2 whisker spacers like the drawing and place the ground wire from the body cable under one of the whisker spacers and a #4 star washer under the other. Next, mount the whisker brackets which are wired to the body cable. The bracket connected to the white wire is the robot’s right side, the black wire is the left side. Pay special attention to the plastic insulating washers. The brackets MUST NOT make electrical connection to the body. Slide the whisker wires through the bracket hole. Mount the whisker to the spacer with a 4-40 x 3/16 screw through the whisker©s loop. When done, bend each whisker so it rests in the center of the bracket hole without touching. Place a piece of tape on the end of each whisker.

Summary:

￿￿ Locate the 4 mounting holes (2 per whisker) 2 small, 2 large.

￿￿ Scratch off any paint around the two small spacer holes.

￿￿ Bend whisker wires using the drawing as a full scale pattern.

￿￿ Mount the spacers and brackets according to the drawing.

￿￿ The whisker wires should rest inside the bracket hole without touching.

￿￿ Place a small piece of tape over the ends of prevent poking people.

How it Works:

The robot’s body is connected to the battery minus wire (ground) which connects to the spacers and the whisker wires. When the whisker wire is bumped, it touches the metal bracket. These metal brackets are wired to the controller through the body cable. In a program, the robot can read the whisker status.

Whisker Placement

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Contents Assembly and User Guide ARobot Mobile Robot Connectors Basic Stamp II Control Computer IntroductionAbout ARobot What You’ll Need Feature ListTechnical Specifications Precautions Controller Component LocatorGlossary of Terms Glossary of Terms Glossary of Terms Assembly Overview About Screw, nut, and washer sizes PartsQuantity Description Used For Parts Motor Brackets Sanding PaintingPaint Primer Finish CoatHow it Works WhiskersSummary Whisker Detail Full Scale Whisker Wire Pattern Drive Motor and Brackets Encoder Sensor Front Wheel Assembly Steering Motor and Rear Wheels Steering Motor Mounting Wheel and Axle Steering System Controller Board Summary Don’t install batteries yet Battery PackDon’t install batteries yet Body Cable Finishing Up Programming Basic Stamp II InstallationAbout the Controller Board PC Editor/Downloader Software Cable to your PCUSB Port Programming NotePrograms Steering Adjustment Program STRAIGHT.BS2Test Program TEST.BS2 Wander Program WANDER.BS2About the Controller Board Batteries Power On/Off SwitchReset Button Speaker LED indicatorsDrive Motor and Encoder Push Buttons and Jumpers switchesSteering Motor Example !1M11200E7 Coprocessor Command SummaryCoprocessor Communication Rules RC Servo Motor and Steering Motor ControlHexadecimal, Binary, Bytes, Words, etc Body Connector J8 Battery Connector J9Serial Port J12 PinoutDrive Motor Connector J10 RC Servo Motor Connectors J2-J5Powerful Connector J11 Voltage 12 volts Maximum Current 500ma PinoutExpansion Port RC Servo Motor Signals Expansion Connector J1Expansion Port Circuit Examples Digital/Power Output Switch Input ExampleDigital Inputs Sensor Input ExampleBasic Stamp II light sensor example code Analog InputsCommunications Coprocessor Network ExpansionCabling between ARobot’s controller and another controller Using Other ControllersUsing ARobot’s controller as a coprocessor Suggested Reading Component Suppliers Small Parts Sava IndustriesStock Drive Products SuperCircuitsWeb Sites Internet Robot ResourcesNewsgroup NameDescription Internet News GroupsTroubleshooting Arrick Robotics Warranty InformationRobotics.com