Remote-Controlled/Autonomous Power Wheels
GODSFUSION, Thu May 25 2006, 05:56AMAfter reading both of the Joshs post's on the '$50 segway' and the 'evil UAV project'. I decided to take my Basic PIC programer modules and wire up a Power wheels, it is really neat to watch it roam around the yard, but it gets stuck after a while and moms gardens are rather dense in parts.
I used the original moters and a set of plans I found online and modified them to run both the motors from the PIC.
Basic and simple. Now I wanna up the mark, In the Radio Amatures Handbook it has a small chapter on R/C design and using a TV camera to send back images. Seeing as since the battery can offer up enough juice, that will be a nice addition, to switch back and forth between autonoumous and R/C.
On top of that Im interested in Fox(Transmitter) hunting and have come across a neat algorithim a few times to use PIC to narrow down a Foxes location with two antenna a few feet apart. the power wheels is only twenty inches apart but im gonna try and use that to make a low power 'Base station' unto which my Rover will dock with when the battery goes low. Since everything is already sealed in a watertight platsic ammo box, its capable of running in the rain to some degree. i just wish it was snowing out :(
All im all, im head strong and as soon as I figure out what im dooing its off the buy parts.
Wish me luck!
- Wayne -
Re: Remote-Controlled/Autonomous Power Wheels
FastMHz, Sun May 28 2006, 01:55AM
That sounds like a neat project, and a PW is probably a great base for a robot platform. Post some pics if you can...
What kind of speed controller are you using? Power wheels use what are called RS-550 motors...if your ESC can handle it, you could probably replace them with some high speed R/C car motors to make that sucker scream!
FastMHz, Sun May 28 2006, 01:55AM
That sounds like a neat project, and a PW is probably a great base for a robot platform. Post some pics if you can...
What kind of speed controller are you using? Power wheels use what are called RS-550 motors...if your ESC can handle it, you could probably replace them with some high speed R/C car motors to make that sucker scream!
Re: Remote-Controlled/Autonomous Power Wheels
GODSFUSION, Sun May 28 2006, 06:17AM
As I may of mentioned its pretty crude, there is no real way currently to change the speed, the H-bridge pair, is fed from there respective controllers and they are fed from the old servo outputs of the Basic Stamp contoller.
I had a little trouble with the front wheels since i only had to use one motor and its associated gears to turn the steering wheel shaft. And since i used most of the old programming from the Boe Bot, it was quick and dirty and sorta spur of the momnet.
Im borrowing a friends Transmitter pair from his R/C plane and am gonna have a little fun with my hefty truck.
I also had some problem with it being a little to light and just spinning out when it came to a downed branch or large rock. all the plastic i removed made it a little light and since it dident have a 65lb kid in it it got a little stuck. But since the electroinics i added is barly a pound and a half i have the 65 + anouther esitimated ten lbs of missing plastic to fill before the motors cant take it.
It goes predy fast over the grass and the dirt drive.
and yes ill go pick up a disposable camera and have it developed unto a CD.
- Wayne -
GODSFUSION, Sun May 28 2006, 06:17AM
As I may of mentioned its pretty crude, there is no real way currently to change the speed, the H-bridge pair, is fed from there respective controllers and they are fed from the old servo outputs of the Basic Stamp contoller.
I had a little trouble with the front wheels since i only had to use one motor and its associated gears to turn the steering wheel shaft. And since i used most of the old programming from the Boe Bot, it was quick and dirty and sorta spur of the momnet.
Im borrowing a friends Transmitter pair from his R/C plane and am gonna have a little fun with my hefty truck.
I also had some problem with it being a little to light and just spinning out when it came to a downed branch or large rock. all the plastic i removed made it a little light and since it dident have a 65lb kid in it it got a little stuck. But since the electroinics i added is barly a pound and a half i have the 65 + anouther esitimated ten lbs of missing plastic to fill before the motors cant take it.
It goes predy fast over the grass and the dirt drive.
and yes ill go pick up a disposable camera and have it developed unto a CD.
- Wayne -
Re: Remote-Controlled/Autonomous Power Wheels
joshua_, Sun May 28 2006, 07:54AM
Looks good! If you're looking to add weight, you can always drop in a few more lead-acid batteries... The shop I got my motors from say that those motors would really be happy to run 18V or 24V, although I think that 24V would be pushing your luck, and that you'd have a hell of a time controlling that much stall current at that point. You'd need to be very careful if you did that (thermal shutdown/lockout?), but it would be very rewarding.
Definately go for some sort of remote sensing, and keep us updated.
joshua_, Sun May 28 2006, 07:54AM
Looks good! If you're looking to add weight, you can always drop in a few more lead-acid batteries... The shop I got my motors from say that those motors would really be happy to run 18V or 24V, although I think that 24V would be pushing your luck, and that you'd have a hell of a time controlling that much stall current at that point. You'd need to be very careful if you did that (thermal shutdown/lockout?), but it would be very rewarding.
Definately go for some sort of remote sensing, and keep us updated.
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