Gumstix Pinto-TH

Gumstix has a new breakout board for hardware prototyping and development with the ARM Cortex-A8 based Overo computer-on-module. Built in level shifters and through hole DIP layout make for easy breadboarding.

Steam Powered Armatron

A great Armatron video from Crabfu, this one powered by an infernal machine constructed using the damnable laws of thermodynamics.

Mobile Armatron Repairs

I uploaded another dissection to iFixit. This one shows some of the disassembly required to make repairs to the Mobile Armatron.


This video shows the robot in action. The arm works ok after using contact cleaner to clean the remote control. The gripper works intermittently but the gears seem undamaged. Unfortunately the wheels are missing, so it looks like I will have to mold my own, again.


The gripper internals are pretty interesting since one motor is used to rotate the wrist when it rotates in one direction and opens and closes the gripper when it moves in the other direction.

I have to admit it is kind of tempting to put a microcontroller inside this Armatron.

Texas 4 Balancing Robot

The Texas 4 self balancing robot Willow Garage looks pretty cool and demonstrates many of the new features available in ROS.

Timing Belt Tensioner

Here is an interesting timing belt tensioner made with a torsional spring. This setup seems well suited for smaller belts. The downside is that the tensioner moves with the belt and can't travel over the timing pulley.

Dissection: Logitech 2-MP Webcam C600

They discontinued the other fixed focus webcams I liked so it is time for more destruction. I just uploaded a Logitech 2-MP Webcam C600 dissection to iFixit.

PID Videos

This video shows a PID Controller built using an Arduino microcontroller. The fan blows the paper and the displacement is measured using an infrared sensor.



Here a Parallax BOE bot is used to demonstrate to difference between P and PID control for robot steering.

Cool Tool: Tubing Bender

If you have a series of tubes and you want to bend them without kinking then you need a tubing bender.


This tubing bender from K&S Engineering is great for bending tubes from 1/16" - 3/16" without kinks.


Good for aluminum, brass and copper. Heating the tubing with a torch until there is a change in color and letting it cool slowly will soften the tube. To re-harden simply heat the tube and quench in water.

l'actualité des robots et de la robotique en français

Je ne comprends pas le français très bien mais c'est a des robots.
Disparaissent la visite RobotBuzz.
Ceci me rappelle que Paris a un grand Musée des arts et métiers.

More PR2

Mobile Armatron

Video after repairs are completed.

Argh!

The Gumstix Overo is pretty awesome, with the Palo35 expansion board I am seriously reconsidering the purchase of a Nokia N900. The graphics look great and I can assure you that you will be seeing more of this board here.

If you are having trouble getting video working with a Gumstix Overo with a Palo35 with the 3.5" LCD touchscreen and you are searching for xorg.conf or something because the screen is mostly white and it looks like the modeline is wrong, hopefully I guessed your search terms.

While it is booting stop uboot and enter

setenv defaultdisplay lcd35

This will make the video work...

Design-A-Head: Final Entries

Not too many entries, so everyone is a winner.





While this entry was probably not created with MS Paint or GIMP, our Plastic Pals have a great website you should visit.

Actual robot head to be constructed...

Print, sand, paint, repeat.

Some 3D printed test parts after surface finishing.







Ping sonar sensor servo mount for testing.

Tool Holder v0.2

The magnetic mount holds the Wiha hex drivers fairly well, but it is still a little wobbly. The next version should fit it so that it can be magnetic or screwed into the wall.