Just the Basics...From the Robot Shop Community

Notice!!!  This is not my work.  I found this great set of tutorials for beginning robotics enthusiasts and wanted to make the links available.  I will do the same for the other basics as necessary.

The Basics

• Basics: Where Can I Find Help and Resources?
• Basics: How Do I Choose a Microcontroller?
• Basics: What Types of Mobile Robots are There?
• Basics: What Tools do I Need?
• Basics: What Tasks Can My Robot Perform?
• Basics: How Do I Choose an Actuator?
• Basics: How Do I Control My Robot?
• Basics: What is a Motor Controller?
• Basics: How Do I Choose a Battery?
• Basics: How Do I Differentiate Between Robotic Kits?

Compatibility Standards in Hobby Robotics

Compatibility Standards in Hobby Robotics

During our last competition this year, I saw non-TETRIX MAX parts on some of the other schools' robots in every category.  That sparked the compatibility question and The coach, Mr. Courdway mentioned that someone had tried something the year before that came from outside the kits and the holes didn't line up.  So this begged the question...what are the standards for the different levels of robotics and what works together.  I am going to run through the major brands and finish up with scratch building.  

I might as well start with PITSCO TETRIX MAX.  This is the brand name on our educational kits and they use a metric flower pattern for their mounting arrangements.  

This pattern allows for the connections between structural components, servos and motors in arrangements that generally allow a great deal of flexibility in design as long as it stays withing the 45 degree constraints.

Next is a close match, the Actobotics system.  It features a pattern based around SAE measurements and has patterns at .770" and 1.50".  

As you can see from the diagrams above, they are not directly compatible with TETRIX MAX without modification.  That does not mean they should be discounted.  Actobotics has some great components that can enhance any build.  

Another fairly popular brand is Lynxmotion Servo Erector Set.  It has some very popular components and provides some solid servo capabilities.  The Servo pattern is first followed by the two structural patterns.  TETRIX uses a variation on this pattern.

Servo Pattern

Lego Mindstorms are built around the regular Lego brick pattern, but Legos makes an adapter that will allow you to add Mindstorms components to other systems.

FIRST/Colson was developed by FIRST and is not often seen.  VEX Pro, AndyMark, and Nexus use the pattern on some components and perhaps a few others that seek acceptance by FIRST.  

VEX uses a square mounting pattern for all components and offers no compatibility across platforms.

It is possible to hack the VEX components if necessary, but it is often a better proposition to get the components from another more compatible source.

Here is a comparison to all described patterns:

The final pattern of note will be motor mounting bolt patterns.  Various manufacturers use the following front mount pattern for their Spur Gear Motors:

Scratch Build or Part Modification

Assuming we will be building our robots using the TETRIX MAX base components and seeking ways to modify other parts to function with the TETRIX base.  LynxMotion is the closest pattern and Actobotics pattern allows a lot of cross use for the components of each.  

Another alternative is to get relatively inexpensive aluminum stock and drill the holes for the bolts int0 it.  This requires a drill press, a good set of metal drill bits and saws, and possibly a small metal brake.  additionally clamps and taps and dies would assist in the manufacture of specific components to complete your robot.  Here is an Instructible that illustrates the process.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Double-Drill-Channel/

Additionally, the information for this post was gathered from the following sites:

PITSCO.com

ServoCity.com

Lynxmotion.com

FIRST

https://www.robotshop.com/community/blog/show/hobby-robot-industry-standards-hubs-amp-mounting-patterns

An Instructable using non-traditional materials to make a robot

An Instructable using non-traditional materials to make a robot

https://www.instructables.com/id/Making-FTC-Robots-Using-Nontraditional-Methods/

FIRST TECH Challenge Rover Ruckus

The Rover Ruckus Challenge Guidelines

Here is a sample of the level of expectation for Middle and High School level Robotics Challenges under the FIRST program.

The Engineering Notebook

The Engineering Notebook

Alexander Graham Bell's notebook entry from a successful experiment with his first telephone





An Engineering Notebook Documents your Work

Not only do you use an engineering notebook to organize and document your work, it is also a place to reflect on activities and projects. When working in a team, each team member will maintain their own journal to help with collaboration.


Your engineering notebook should have the following:

• An entry for each day or session that you worked on the solution
• Entries that are chronological, with each entry dated
• Clear, neat, and concise writing and organization
• Labels so that a reader understands all of your notes and how they fit into your iterative design process

An entry might include:

• Brainstorming ideas
• Sketches or pictures of prototypes
• Pseudocode and flowcharts for planning
• Any worked calculations or algorithms used
• Answers to guiding questions
• Notes about observations and/or conducted tests
• Notes about and reflections on your different iterations

Above borrowed from Pitsco.com.  

Pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's sketchbook of notes.  Engineers have been able to recreate some of his work in period materials based on the quality of his notes.

FIRST Engineering Notebook Guidelines

Under FIRST rules and guidelines, each team is charged with producing an Engineering Notebook that is judged as part of the competition.  It will catalog the thought processes, calculations, experiments, successes, failures and future design considerations.  For our program, each task based team should produce an Engineer's Notebook.  If you want, you can compare it to the Interactive NoteBook you use in your Math class.  While ours won't be judged, it is a good process to get used to doing and can eliminate duplication of effort.

Title I school program challenges

The Challenges of Running a Robotics Program in a Title I School...

I had a discussion yesterday about the history of this program in this school.  I need to have a longer and more direct one, but here is what I learned:

• There are between 20 and 40 students that participate in the program.
• The school has a single TETRIX MAX Dual-Control Class Pack

  

• The program is divided into Varsity and Junior Varsity.
• I don't know how the programs divide the sets out, but that can mean as many as 4-7 students working on a single kit, making one robot.  
• In our program, JV learns, Varsity competes. 
• In our competitions, these middle school students compete against high school and early college teams.  
• The other teams used aftermarket components, while ours used only kit supplied components.  I am exploring aftermarket compatibility and will let the students do that as we guide them.
• This year, every team had shirts but ours.  This is a shortcoming we will address next year for the Varsity.  
• In a district where funding doesn't necessarily provide everything needed for educational necessities, how do you justify additional funding for an after school and extra-curricular program?

Here are my questions to you.  

• What are some sources of support for robotics within the schools?
• How can we get enough sets to reduce the student to kit ratio in the program?
• We want a strong program and to be competitive, but don't want to deny any student access to the program if they qualify.  
• While this blog is specifically targeted to the students, I want to reach out to the parents of the students to inform them not only about the program and what their students are doing, but to get their cooperation and support.  We were essentially during this year's competition.

As with other posts, as I learn more about our program, this information may change.

Links to Robotics Projects from Around the Web

Here are some projects I found while searching for examples of builds.

4WD All Terrain Arduino Robot for Everyone

4WD Security Robot

6WD Robot With Aluminum Chassis

Remote Controlled 6WD All Terrain Robot

Six Wheeled All Terrain Vehicle (6WD)

SERVOCITY NOMAD Robotic Arm Attachment

Prototype Inspection Rover

Trackbot Mk V

Arduino Sumo Robot

National Robotics Week

Consider supporting your local STEM program for schools or a Robotics Team.  The resources required to run a program like this in a public school is high by budgetary standards.  They can use your help.

As a frame of reference:

$25 buys a motor
$50 buys a new battery
$150 adds controllers and sensors
$500 buys expansion sets
$750 upgrades drive train or buys a kit for 1-2 students