Robotic car

[Ace9988]

Hi everyone, I want to build a robotic car. I'm new here, and I do know some things about electronics.

Okay this is what I have left of my old remote controlled car : the picture is below.
First, what's that little black thing with 8 legs protruding it?

I want to design my car entirely so it works on its own, without micro controllers and pic axe, servo's ect. I'm willing to spend $50 or less for it.
It should be able to do the following.
1. Detect obstacles - drive forward fast if there isn't, turn left or right if there is
2. Detect light around, if there is a shadow under the car ( it means the car is on a ground ) the car moves
3. Headlights turn on, taillight off when driving and tail lights turn on , headlights off when stopping or stop.
4. Able to go on water ( car is made of polystyrene, so it floats, plus there is a fan at the back to propel it)
5. Front axle able to turn left and right
6. Uses solar energy and a 9V battery

I'm not exactly an expert, so please don't kill me with all those numbers things. Those are my plans, I would like to know if you can provide me any more plans and guide me to do these plans.

For some of them I have ideas, let me know what you think:

1. Uses an IR emitter and a phototransistor to detect obstacles, and switches on the motor that turns the wheels
2. Uses an LDR under the car, connects the battery to the circuit
3. Headlights turn on when motors spin, LDR near the headlights detect the lights. ( if the headlights go off, tail lights turn on)
4. *dontknow yet*
5. * don't know yet*
6. Solar cell charges up a rechargeable battery which powers it up. If there is less power, circuit automatically uses the 9V charge.

That's it, I really need suggestions on this, as well as advice. I'm okay with using LEDs, LDR, IR LED, wires batteries, I guess transistors are okay too. I hate schematics (so confusing) and I REALLY don't want any programming if possible. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

 

[jpanhalt]

View attachment 81154 View attachment 81155 Hi everyone, I want to build a robotic car. I'm new here, and I do know some things about electronics.
Okay this is what I have left of my old remote controlled car : the picture is below.
First, what's that little black thing with 8 legs protruding it?

Welcome to ETO.

The thing with 16 legs is an integrated circuit. I suspect it is a highly integrated RC receiver and decoder. If you can show the lettering on it more clearly, we can probably narrow that description down considerably. I cannot find the object to which you refer with 8 legs.

I want to design my car entirely so it works on its own, without micro controllers and pic axe, servo's ect. I'm willing to spend $50 or less for it.
It should be able to do the following.
1. Detect obstacles - drive forward fast if there isn't, turn left or right if there is
2. Detect light around, if there is a shadow under the car ( it means the car is on a ground ) the car moves
3. Headlights turn on, taillight off when driving and tail lights turn on , headlights off when stopping or stop.
4. Able to go on water ( car is made of polystyrene, so it floats, plus there is a fan at the back to propel it)
5. Front axle able to turn left and right
6. Uses solar energy and a 9V battery

How are you going to control turning without a servo? What other electronic elements do you include in "ect"[sic]? While doing what you propose without a microcontroller may be conceptually possible, for example, you could use discrete transistor logic, I do not think it will be possible in practice.

I'm not exactly an expert, so please don't kill me with all those numbers things. Those are my plans, I would like to know if you can provide me any more plans and guide me to do these plans.

For some of them I have ideas, let me know what you think:

1. Uses an IR emitter and a phototransistor to detect obstacles, and switches on the motor that turns the wheels
2. Uses an LDR under the car, connects the battery to the circuit
3. Headlights turn on when motors spin, LDR near the headlights detect the lights. ( if the headlights go off, tail lights turn on)
4. *dontknow yet*
5. * don't know yet*
6. Solar cell charges up a rechargeable battery which powers it up. If there is less power, circuit automatically uses the 9V charge.

That's it, I really need suggestions on this, as well as advice. I'm okay with using LEDs, LDR, IR LED, wires batteries, I guess transistors are okay too. I hate schematics (so confusing) and I REALLY don't want any programming if possible. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Suggestions:
1) Resign yourself to using a simple microcontroller
2) Start with the mechanics of a working RC car (such as you have) and modify it be robotic -- keep the steering mechanism
3) Put #4 (goes on water) until the very last (or omit)
4) Review infrared detectors and transmitters. Vishay is a major manufacturer of them. Here is just one of many examples of receivers: http://www.vishay.com/docs/81926/tsop4038.pdf
5) Go to some robotic sites and review some of the standard procedures for obstacle avoidance and navigation. Here is one such old link: http://users.frii.com/dlc/robotics/projects/botproj.htm

John

 

[Joe G]

for what you want to do, I would surely consider using a micro-controler, you will end up needing a trailer to carry all the wiring....

 

[Ace9988]

Thanks, is it possible to use a micro controller without a pic axe thing? Because I don't want to spend on something expensive..... And, john, thanks for your ideas, but thing is : I don't have the original steering mechanism I lost it somewhere, but I only have the four wheels. Maybe I can make a rod connecting to the side of the wheels, connect it with a motor to get it moving? And if I have to use a micro-controller, how do I set it up? I've never used one before, how much does it cost and all? Do I need to program it?

Sorry, the 8 legs thing was actually the 16 legs, I got a little confused

I'm good with wiring, but I've never had experience with micro-controllers, and yes, I would need a truck to hold all that wiring

So how do I use a micro controller in this?

 

[jpanhalt]

So how do I use a micro controller in this?

Check the site I gave. Also, Google on robotics. You will find lots of examples of microcontroller use. I am not sure what you mean by, "without a pic axe thing." I have used microcontrollers and have never even seen a pic axe in person. That is one type. There are lots of others. Again, that early site used a PIC 12Fxxx microcontroller.

You enthusiasm is great and your plan is doable, but you need to do some reading first.

John

 

[Ace9988]

Thank you. I did some googling and I saw quite some number of projects. Actually I was a little confused. A microcontroller controls and it is different from an arduino board or picaxe board right? How do you hook micro controllers up? Will I need servos?

 

[jpanhalt]

Thank you. I did some googling and I saw quite some number of projects. Actually I was a little confused. A microcontroller controls and it is different from an arduino board or picaxe board right? How do you hook micro controllers up? Will I need servos?

A microcontroller is a single chip. The Arduino and Picaxe contain microcontrollers (See: below). How they differ is that they also contain some support hardware.



You can use a breadboard or any other prototyping system to do the same thing. I just briefly looked at Arduino prices (ready to use) and believe you will have a hard time staying within your $50 budget with one. From the description you have given so far, I don't believe you need a very advanced microcontroller. What you do need to decide is whether you want to use Assembly or C language.

As for needing a servo, there are ways to avoid using a servo in theory. For example, you could use memory wire, solenoids, differential power to the steering wheels, or escapements. In reality, you will need a servo for steering. I suggest starting with a new (used) RC car and not destroying the steering mechanism.

John

 

[Ace9988]

Alright then, thanks, I have just a few more questions left. I tried google but I couldn't find any reply that made me understand.

1. I know a micro controller helps, but what does it actually do?
2. Do I need to program it?
3. Last and MOST IMPORTANT: how do I connect the micro controller? How many legs does it have, and where does it all go? I can't find that answer at all. How do you connect it? Where do I join it to? Does it need power?

That's all, thanks, I appreciate you john. Oh and, my budget is 50 in my currency, that would be roughly 16 USD after converted......

 

[jpanhalt]

Alright then, thanks, I have just a few more questions left. I tried google but I couldn't find any reply that made me understand.

1. I know a micro controller helps, but what does it actually do?

The microcontroller ("MCU") handles all of the logic of your system. For example, a sensor, such as an LDR, will give a signal to the MCU, the MCU will decide based on its program whether to turn L, R, or go straight. Similarly, whether to turn the lights on or whether an obstacle is in the way will be determined by the MCU program. It will also provide the signal to control the motor(s) used to propel the car.

2. Do I need to program it?

Yes. That is why I asked which language you will be using. There are other languages in addition to the two I mentioned. A version of Basic is another option. If you have no experience with any language, I suggest that you start with a smaller project and tutorial. The typical starting point is to program an MCU to flash an LED.

3. Last and MOST IMPORTANT: how do I connect the micro controller? How many legs does it have, and where does it all go? I can't find that answer at all. How do you connect it? Where do I join it to? Does it need power?

MCU's are connected by electrical wire or PCB traces. That is, it is an electrical connection. The number of legs can vary depending on which chip you get. Since you want the car to be robotic, the MCU will go on the PCB inside the car. It will look just like the 16-leg chip on the car you disassembled, but it may have a different number of legs.

That's all, thanks, I appreciate you john. Oh and, my budget is 50 in my currency, that would be roughly 16 USD after converted......

There is no way you will get this project done for $16 USD complete starting with what you seem to have available. Do you have access to a school with programmers, chips, and used parts?

John