Ideas for 'return to base' feature

Could you describe your robot? I am making similar one. mini-atx board: total weight: number of motors and type: power of battery:

Thanks

I'd look into Zagros Robotics for a base.

Of you could do what I did for my Mini-ITX board:

A 1/6th scale M5 Stuart tank from Walmart. The suspension and motors are fine - just toss the electronics.

I keep the Zagros Robotics

for my iBase Pentium M board. :)

-- D. Jay Newman

Jay,

How did the M5 Stuart tank conversion turn out? How would you improve it?

Thanks

TMT

Stuart is fine. I control this bot with Phidgets, and I have everything except for wheel encoders for it.

I'm currently working on a bot built on a Zagros Robotics

14" circular base called Groucho. This one uses a Pentium M Mini-ITX board as its brain.

-- D. Jay Newman

Hi,

Would you use the Stuart tank again for a robot?

Any problems with it? I am thinking about trying to buy one.

Thanks

TMT

Dr. Brian Huff bought like 5 of them, and I've been working with him and his grad students making the tank autonomous.

We took two rotary 128 count (iirc) hand encoders and drilled and tapped them axially on center line, and also drilled and tapped the output shaft. Brian had a sheet metal bracket made that holds the encoders stationary in line with the motor shaft. Then we used a common set screw between the two shafts and loctite-ed them together. Wallah!

We're getting about a count every millimeter, so even though I'd rather encode closer to the motor, we're doing okay on the output shaft.

We're controlling it with a prototype module New Micros is making. It does the PID, Profiling, Odometry, Navigation, Steering and Drive-to-a-point software and is ~1.5 on a side.

I'm impressed. I hope you'll be announcing it here.

-- D. Jay Newman