Here are some pics of my project so far. I got some servo mounts from ServoCity and they are mounted in order to turn the other motors. They turn on carpet in tandem which is pretty cool. I am waiting on a 1/4 20 tap to connect the plexiglass to the 80 20 pieces.
In my previous post https://blog.andytriboletti.com/which-servo-motor-im-using-for-my-arduino-project/ I mentioned I had a problem with the servo controller board I was using.
I followed the instructions here:
http://wiki.sunfounder.cc/index.php?title=PCA9685_16_Channel_12_Bit_PWM_Servo_Driver
It says to use a max of 6 volts.
It also says to use -2 x 18650 Li-on Batteries which equal over 7 volts.
Since the board started smoking when the servo was hitting against the wheel, I decided to try a couple different things.
-Write an email to the people who wrote the wiki
-Buy a voltage regulator. I searched Amazon for “Voltage regulator” and found this:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GJ0SC2C.
-Stop causing the servo to hit against the wheel by buying a new regulator that didn’t have the problem of moving without instructions.
-Bought a replacement servo controller board. https://smile.amazon.com/SunFounder-PCA9685-Channel-Arduino-Raspberry/dp/B014KTSMLA/
Amazon recommended me “Keiki Power Pro Orchid Plant Cloning Paste” today. I like orchids.
I ran the site through fakespot.com and it got an A.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00948K1J4
I bought it directly from the company instead of Amazon. I will let you know if it works.
Update 12/2/2018: It didn’t work for me.
“…though it has a bit less memory than it used to, since some corrupted sectors had to be quarantined.”
Mars Rover Curiosity is switching brains so it can fix itself
What does that mean?
I purchased 2 different kinds of servo motors for my robot Arduino project.
One on Amazon:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076CNKQX4
Four on Ebay.
They both arrived quickly.
I tried using the four on Ebay first.
“4PCS Digital MG996R MG995 High Torque Metal Gear Servo For Racing Futaba JR RC”
Eventually the pwm servo driver board I was using started smoking. I sent the people who make the board, SunFounder an email:
“I bought a SunFounder PCA9685 16 Channel 12 Bit PWM Servo Driver for Arduino and Raspberry Pi on Amazon for 11.99.
I followed the instructions here:
After awhile, the 9685 board started smoking. I was wondering what it could be? I was trying to adjust the min/max of the servo and noticed every time I restarted the power it would rotate a bit in one direction consistently. I think that’s a bug in the software. I Googled and found someone who had the same problem.
I also have this problem:
I was also wondering if the voltage from that wiki page could be too high?
I think without some help if I bought another 9685 board it would just start smoking too and be ruined.
It did work for awhile, but I tried running the example code where you could set the min and max and it knocked up against the metal not being able to move.
I attached a picture. The smoking came from the component to the left of the word power.”
My project now has 4 motors and 2 distance sensors. It detects if it will hit something according to its sensors and will head back in reverse.
Powered by 16 AA batteries and 1 9V
I am now waiting on a part from tindie.com in order to connect more ultrasound distance sensors.
I have put some parts together I ordered. It’s using the 2 nasa wheels but different motors and everything else. It is all powered by a 9 volt battery now. I am getting a case for 8 AA batteries to generate 12 volts and I think more available current. Hopefully, that will increase the torque of the 2 motors.
Here’s some open source plan on how to build the Mars curiosity rover at a cost of $2,500:
https://opensourcerover.jpl.nasa.gov/
BBC News – Baidu’s self-drive buses enter ‘mass production’ https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44713298
