My first programmable robot "WSTR1.3" [and videos]

[Windt H.J.]

Hello, sorry for the English!
This is my first programmable robot called W.S.T.R.1.3.
I built this robot purely for experimentation and also because it was something I had always wanted to do!
The tracked vehicle is the well known Catweasel.
I modified the insides of the Catweasel to take other drive motors because I was not happy with the plastic gearwheels and the amount of noise the drive produced.
It also houses the drive motor batteries.
The drive motors are controlled by an MD22.
The upper part of the robot is all aluminum and houses the controller, some of the electronics and a battery for them.
The upper part is also easily removable for maintenance and upgrading.
On the very top I mounted a steppermotor with an SRF08 and CMPS03 which gives the robot an ability to scan 360°.
MD22, SRF08 and CMPS03 are connected to a C-Control I v2.02 via an emulated I2C bus, I have provided examples in the download area.

The robot is not really finished yet and future upgrades I would like to do is add wheel encoders for measuring distance and maybe an SP03.

One problem the robot still has is that it will not detect objects close to the ground, I am still working on this.

A few videos --> https://www.roboternetz.de/phpBB2/dl...gory&cat_id=10

Greetings,
H.J. Windt

W.S.T.R.1.3
Environment: Indoors.
Programming language: CCBasic.
Controller: C-Control I v2.02 with Application Board 2.0
Steppermotor Controller: My own design.
I2C Sensors/ devices: MD22 / SRF08 / CMPS03 / PCF8570.
Mechanical: Catweasel / steppermotor / drive motors / timing belts / pulleys / ball bearings and housing all ordered from Conrad.
Aluminum: local hardware store and Conrad.
Dimensions LxBxH: 40,5cm x 30cm x 36cm
Weight: Not yet known.
Speed max.: Fast enough.
Speed min.: Slow enough.

[PicNick]

Good Job ! looks pretty.
One fundamental question:
W.S.T.R.1.3
What does it mean ?

[tobimc]

HI

I have just one comment:
- WOW -

Did you use a CNC-milling-machine?

best regards,
Tobi

[Manf]

The whole construction looks very well.
The construction with own gears and belts shows experience in this field.
The three hole adjustment at the side of the tower promises a lot of futher extensions. More mounting holes in the main plate will be useful.

As the shelters do not really protect the construction for outdoor use I wonder why chains instead of wheels were choosen for the cassis, it always needs a lot more power to drive.

Can you tell a little more about the objects near the ground that are not detected? If that is essential the sensor could be bent down a little and the motor for the sensor head could be placed lower, inside the tower.

Please do also tell whether answers in German are ok for you.
Manfred

[michaelb]

Hi
it looks great!
I've one question: What is a MD22?
That robot looks a little bit like this robot
nice greetings michael

[Windt H.J.]

Hello,
Thanks for the great comments!

@PicNick
I’m not very good at coming up with names so I thought:
I use “Windt Systems” in my programs
The Catweasel is a tracked vehicle for traveling (or roaming) rough terrains
So I just put them together: Windt Systems Terrain Roamer v 1.3.

@Tobimc
This was all done by hand.
A lot of measuring, checking, measuring…… and then sawing and drilling.
A friend at work did the 45° on the tower.

@Manf
I have always liked vehicles with chains and when I came across the Catweasel I thought “This is the vehicle I want to use!”.
In the future I want to do an outside version with independent suspension on all 8 wheels (this will also create more ground clearance and a more stable platform).

Thanks for your suggestions, I am certainly going to try placing the motor lower!
I’m using a SRF08 with the gain register set so that I get a narrower beam, but because the SRF08 is so high and the beam is narrow, objects close to the ground and close to the robot are missed.

Answers in German are okay, I may not be able to understand everything but I have found a translation website.

@michaelb
The MD22 is a 50V 5A H-Bridge Motor Driver for 2 motors with I2C, servo and analog interface.
Have a look at http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/s...ollers2008.htm

Greetings,
H.J. Windt

[raoul4]

by the way where are you from?
best regards, raoul

[PicNick]

..when I came across the Catweasel I thought “This is the vehicle I want to use!”.

big decisions always come from the belly.
obstacle sensing: wonder, if it makes sense to have one sensor for both long and short distances. for short dist. I'd try out GP2D12 (iR) or stuff like that.

[tobimc]

Hi!

Oh. This was shure a lot of work...
But is the MD55 not a bit too big for this motors?
I think a L298 would also be possible....

Why is your bot not outdoor-usable?
It looks so ... "outdoor"...

Again: Gratulations

Best regards,
Tobi

[Florian]

Hallo Windt H.J.!
I think that my english wont be the best but I'll try it ... ;o)
Your robot looks quite good and it seemed to be hard-worked.
Now my questions:
How large is the angle of rotation of the sensor tower?
How quickly can it turn around?
Do you only use this sensor tower with the SRF08 to look around?
Is it possible to nod the tower for looking around in an other vertical angle?

I hope you all understood me ... ;o)