Thank you @bhouston for being my 100th Subscriber!

I now have my own custom channel url: https://www.youtube.com/c/Botmatrix

My channel is also searchable on YouTube now! That will make things much easier.

Make that 101

:D102

Nice crib.

Hi Jeremie, looking forward to seeing the projects you put on your channel.

YEA @Jeremie! How can we help and support you, other than subscribe, comment and spread the word?

Thanks a bunch guys! You're subscriptions and support mean a lot to me!

@JustinRatliff great question!

I personally thrive on challenges and "what if's". Bringing ideas to real life execution. Theory to practicality. I also like to collaborate with others, bounce ideas, and join others in their journey to solving their own daily struggles or their path to realizing their own dreams and passions (from a technological perspective).

I love the kind of thing @Jstarne1 is doing, I'm not too experienced in the mechanical stuff or I'd definitely be in there with some comments. I'd like to share my projects the same way.

My projects do lose steam a lot of time near the end. It's a disease that's called 80 percentitis. LOL. Sometimes I need some external accountability to help me make it to the finish line.

I guess the bottom line for me is that I enjoy robot building, and it's not easy to find people locally to do it with (especially when @DJ is at his cabin for the summers ). Somehow I keep forgetting that I have you guys! I'm sure many of you are in the same situation as it's not that popular of a hobby....yet. I guess I'm just re-coming to the realization again that sharing pictures and videos here on the forum is definitely a great way to collaborate and connect with you all!

@Jeremie,

i just subbed to your channel.

Ah the LED tutorial...that ive been looking forward to!

Love the name Botmatrix and looking forward to your build vids!

Thanks @NEWAGETOMY

Yep, I didn't forget just been a busy summer

Yes sounds like we are all in similar situation with the bots, not that popular with my other friends that think of me as sort of a crazy cat person except I have robot parts all over the basement instead of cats! Then when I show off the EZB inside and demonstrate all the abilities of what it can do, the friends are just shocked and then consider me more like a mad scientist,LoL! I then explain it is the magic of that little EZ cube, not me! Still I'm glad you guys are here in the forum as we understand each other much better,Cheers all.

Right on @Roborad, you nailed my experience as well, LOL. I'm thankful for the EZ-Robot products and community forum and all the members here.

And like Jeremie I can loose my focus to at 80%, but seeing other members continuing to improve their projects and keep advancing them encourages me to keep going rather than start all over.

I am going to you seek your advice @Jeremie in the coming days on a power mod for my "Data" robot.

I'm also been thinking about a community based "EZ-J5" robot. The goal would be to create a J5 "like" or themed robot with a majority of existing EZ-robot parts and "communitize" the design and production of any custom parts. Thoughts?

Hi Justin!

Ask away! By the way I think a EZ-J5 would be awesome as a community project, just like the R2D2 or B9 builder's clubs. Are you thinking full size or little guy?

Did you see this?

@Jeremie, I did see Wright Robotics full size build, I love it. My idea was for a little guy so more EZ-Bits could be used. And make an "a la carte" sort of project/design of pieces, to make mix and match options, so if you just wanted a "EZ-J5" head on one of your existing ez-robots you could just clip it on.

I had started a full size J5 build and got the head 70% finished, but I have not touched it in over a year.

Right on @JustinRatliff

An EZ-J5 out of EZ-Robot parts is an amazing idea! I'm thinking that with a few mods the Roli Motors and treads could even be used You thinking the same thing?

I think Roli would. I think Adventure bot could make a good base too to carry the upper EZ-J5. I'd love to fit a camera and eyebrow servos in a head, but I'm waiting on the NeoPixel Bits to arrive to try those out to light up the eyes.

I have my power questions ready @Jeremie, if you don't mind? My robot Data uses a JD torso with HDD servos and custom arms with HDD servos and I have lengthen the body with an extension and removed the legs and feet and added a servo wheel driven base.

Everything runs from the 1300mAh battery in the JD torso, but I want a longer runtime. I don't want a 12 volt system and I don't want just a bigger battery in the JD torso, I want something I can swap batteries in and out.

My solution was to take the battery out of the torso and extend the cable to a lower part of my robot and add a 7.4 8000mAh lipo and to keep everything "plug'n play" I purchased a series of cables and connectors from Amazon instead of cutting and splicing cables. That way I can restore the JD torso to factory like with battery inside. And I can also swap batteries easily with this setup.

Female Deans to 4mm banana jacks (I cut the pig tail charger cable off this because I did not need it.) Female/Female 4mm banana sockets (I had to cover these in electrical tape to insulate them.) Male/Female 4mm banana 2ft cables Male Deans to 4mm banana jacks

Would you do anything differently? Do you see any potential problems with this setup?

Hi @JustinRatliff

Nope, I don't see any issues, everything looks isolated and still fuse protected (inside JD). I may have used heat shrink instead of electrical tape but both work for isolation, heat shrink is just a little better from a purely cosmetic stand point. I may have purchased a Deans extension cable or soldered one up with plugs and wire from a hobby shop but it all depends on the length you needed and if you had access to a soldering iron (and the know how to use it).

Ahh, yes, that would be a lot cheaper and it is actually want I wanted to start with, but I could not find a cable with the male and female deans. I should have asked first!

Good tip on the heat shrink, I'm going to check to see if have some that size. Thank you!

@Jermie, the heat shrink is much better. I'm loving my new cable setup now with the ability to swap out batteries. Now that I have my cable, I'm wondering about a switcher where I could have multiple 7.4 lipos plugged in and switch them on and off or leave them all switched on.

For example say I had (4) 8000mAh 7.4 lipos and all were wired into distribution panel. At each battery I could switch them on or off. If they were "on" they would be connected in parallel so if all (4) were "on" that would create 32000mAh 7.4 lipo.

My first question is does that sound dumb or dangerous?

I'd like to have a bank of 4 of these batteries in a distribution panel and have the 1st "on" powering the robot and the other 3 "off", then when the robot detects a "low battery", I could manually switch "on" the second battery, wait a few second, then switch off the 1st battery (then remove it and charge it if I want) but the robot would never lose power or connectivity as long as I kept switching the battery packs "on".

If the manual method worked the next step would be to automated it.

Hey @JustinRatliff that doesn't sound dumb or dangerous as many systems out there in the wild depend on parallel batteries. You would need a manifold of sorts with 4 x high current (8A) independent switches. I feel like it would be best to use a custom PCB or PCB prototyping board to make this kind of thing. Although you could make it with wires as well, it would just require a bunch of soldering. And yeah, you are absolutely correct that you would need to make sure you are not charging the batteries while they are actively connected in parallel. Turning the switch off, then charging, would be fine.

Good idea about the PCB and an high current switches! If I do push 32000mAh 7.4v combined battery power to the EzB, you don't think that will be an issue do you?

@JustinRatliff You can't "push" amps or mA to a device... The device draws what it needs... What you are creating in essence is a bigger "gas tank" for the ezb... There is a distinction between amps/mA when it comes to current and capacity... These are two different things...

@Richard R is absolutely correct, while I spec'd for the rated draw for each battery, you really only need to spec for the maximum draw you will have off of each battery. If you are just planning to run the EZ-Bv4 on it's own you can simply use a 500mA swtich but if you plan to run a ton* of servos you'll have to get a higher rated switch. The switch on the JD body itself is rated for 6A. Technically it's 6A @125VAC but that can also be considered as 6A up to 30VDC.

*edit

Jermie and Richard if I follow, then technically with my 8000mAh 7.4v lipo I have exceed the switch current rating in the JD body? But if I follow what you and Richard are explain (I hope I am) because the 8A in the lipo is just the "gas tank" then amps through the switch only become an issue if servos powered from the EZBv4 draw from that "gas tank" exceed 6A and because this new battery can provide it, it could exceed the switch rating.

Whereas the standard JD battery is 1300mAh or 1.3A, the standard JD configuration could never exceed 6amps because the "gas tank" was not that big. Am I getting it or am I lost in the weeds?

@Justin remember there is a difference between capacity and current... The ezb with a camera draws about 200mA so it would last approx (theoretically) 40hrs running on a 8000mAh battery... If your robot draws in total more than 6amps then maybe you may need to update the switch... Also remember that this depends on Volts as well... this formula may help you (amps=watts/voltage).... Jeremie may correct me but the switch on JD and other ez robots is rated at 6amps... I could be wrong but it has no issues with the high current that multiple ez robot hdd servos need...

The JD battery is 1300 which refers to it's capacity... however it can provide 40amps or more (for a short periods) to a device that requires a lot of current...

@Justin, naw you haven't exceeded the switch current rating in the body until you have servos or other peripherals that are combined in drawing more than 6A. The servos on JD and other robots don't normally draw remotely close to 6A (sustained draw). If you wanted to be safe you could use a 6A switch on each battery, that would likely be more than sufficient for any scenario.

Thank you Jermie and Richard for setting me straight!

@Jeremie how is Voltron coming along?

Voltron is in the process of being upgraded to all HDD servos. He had a hard time walking with HD servos + the weight of all the 3D printed plastics. I'm pretty confident that the HDD servos will remedy this problem. Thanks for asking @Justin

I just upgraded Data's arms to all HDD servos to, but I still have not connected them all. The HD servos struggled abit with his longer arms, but the HDD servos are very nice!

How many active projects do you Jermie?

I have Data, Spock JD, the dream of an EZ-J5 and the parts to make a life size ez-robot controlled Halloween talking pirate skeleton.

Oh man, my active project list is much too long for my liking.

I have the following on the go:

• Voltron: Defender of the Universe!
• RoboBrrd Remixed - IoTiny inside
• Optimus Prime - who recently got all new 7.4V micro servos and an IoTiny
• Freedom555bot turned into Fridgebot (magnetic wheels) with an IoTiny
• Wheel chair base to turn into an EZ-Robot
• Seaspray - RC Hovercraft turned EZ-Robot with EZ-Bv4
• R2D2 - voice activated toy hack with EZ-Bv4
• "Nameless" Hanztoys Hack into EZ-Robot
• 3D printed Robot arm
• Roomba with EZ-Bv4
• Rhinobot - 3D printed tank with IoTiny

@Justin definitely share some pictures of your bots in progress. I'll try and do the same!

@Jeremie,

wow 11 projects!

Which one will be finished first do you think?

Just checked out Freedom555bot, so cute with that little battery in there and sounds cool as. Robot fridge magnet who would have thought!

@Newagetomy Yeah it's a bit embarrassing how many I have on the go that aren't completed. lol

Optimus Prime, Rhinobot & Robobrrd will likely be done first. They are all fully built but just need animations and videos done.

I really like the Robot fridge/whiteboard magnet idea, it's not an original idea but I did do something a little different than most. Robots of this sort usually use a large rare earth magnet under the body to make the robot stay on ferrous surfaces, they keep the rubber wheels. I instead opted for round rare earth magnets attached to servo horns with thin rubber bands or hot glue treads. This way my robot could navigate around a bent metal surface like a deep freeze, pole, modern art, or lamp post.

One day I would like to place a camera on it and drive it up a lamp post and film a street hockey match or a skateboarding session from above. As a safety mechanism I'd like to have a accelerometer/gyro (free fall detection) and small parachute to deploy if it ever fell from the top of the lamp post. I feel that a Camerabot on a lamp post would last much longer than an aerial drone or someone holding a pole to get those top-down shots.

That's an awesome idea, and btw i wouldnt be embarrassed by the number of projects, rather the opposite.

I spent around 3 months on my first project, but after rebuilding it twice its not the same as it once was and sadly i have lost all motivation to complete it.

Had a funny hiccup with a second project, i was using the wrong motors for the H-bridges i had and was wondering why i never got them going haha...robotics has been a huge and humbling learning curve thats for sure.

Love the magnet idea, i watched how the bot went around the side of the fridge, that was great to see.

Looking forward to seeing Optimus Prime, but must admit hanging to see Voltron up and running, he's the one who inspired me to build my own.

@jeremie,

112

please share some details on your wheelchair base robot ideas

Thanks, Frank

@Jeremie, It's a little late but here is my workbench.

There is Spock (JD) with his Phaser, some tiny boxing gloves (hum?), a an ioTiny, a big battery, a Power Base with a built in switch (a little easier than what Patrick did), a customized Adventure Bot, Data's upper torso and lower torso and a Halloween Pirate Skelton named Captain Sisko of the Pirate ship Defiant!

Hopefully Captain Sisko will be ready for Trick-or-Treat this year!

Right on Justin! Looks like a dreadful Captain and his loyal crew

I didn't realize you made a Spock JD, that's awesome! I mean I like your other bots but my favorite is Spock JD + Phaser (set to stun).

You should totally do a video of Spock jd!

Just subbed your channel too...

Thanks for the subs guys, I really do appreciate it!

I've been dragging my heels these days in the video content creation category due to a few challenges that I need to find a good solution to. Maybe you guys can help me out!

Here they are:

1. I need a fast way to create visually appealing Video title screens (which will be the thumbnails for the videos). I am familiar with vector programs (inkscape and corel draw).

2. I need an easy way to listed to royalty free music on my way to and from the office to evaluate for videos. I use an iPhone for my music. I do have the Jamendo app but it's hard to find the royalty free stuff. Maybe the Youtube royalty free music list......

3. I need a new logo to suite my channel rebrand to Botmatrix. My ideas so far include a robot face that is combined with a dot matrix printer, some sort of variation on the Autobot Matrix of leadership, or an update to my old Elite Gamers logo that I currently have.

Hey Jeremie....creating video title screens can be a tedious task, so I guess either you will have to put the work in and create them yourself, or you could use some templates to start from! This would save you some time to stay focused on editing and putting out content, rather than getting stuck fiddling around endlessly without getting anything done! Renderforest has some nice Video Templates that will not cost you a fortune and could be a fun point to get started!

https://www.renderforest.com/templates

For the Audio, there are quiet a few sites offering royalty free music, most of them have a fee for signing up for their sites though...the best way to get started should be You Tubes own library, which you might have already found!

https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music

Logo design is a tough one if you are not really into drawing yourself...I would personally think that you should collect a bunch of appealing images and get some friend that either has interest in drawing or studies at art college to do the final rendering of your idea...maybe you can trade it in to help that person with some electronic stuff or something that matches your skillset!

Keep it up...it's fun and will be rewarding in the end!

Thanks for advice @Mickey666Maus I'll definitely check those out! I was familiar with Youtube's library but I haven't given it a chance yet. I just assumed that those tracks would be over played and haven't really looked into it yet. I think I'll give it go this week.

As much as I'd like to do a logo on my own, my wife is a web/graphic designer, so I'll likely have her help me with out with it. I just need to give her a good visual concept.

Hehe...my wife is an artist too, I know this problem!

I chose one of those YouTube tracks for that timelapse of building the printer, I actually never gave it a second thought on how often those tracks might be used in other clips...but it is a good point! I am also interested in finding good sources of royalty free music, and will share the sites if I find any!

If you get bored of YouTube, you can also check on Soundcloud...

https://soundcloud.com/royalty-free-audio-loops

Also there are a couple of apps which produce music...this one is for iphone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrK1iFyzwo&feature=youtu.be

Lets keep this topic up, I do not have much time for robot building or video editing at the moment but I hope this will change at some point...and I truly believe that putting stuff out to YouTube is a great addon for this community, lets try to get more robot builders into it!

Thanks @Mickey666Maus

Yesterday, I actually found a copyright free playlist from Soundcloud/Audio Library on YouTube that had some great tracks on it, good thinking!

I like the idea of creating my own music but I'm not talented in that area at all. For those who are musical I think making your own music with your phone is an awesome idea. I also know that electronic music making software: ReBirth is now open source and free to download so that's an option too.

I definitely agree that us robot builders should be utilizing youtube as much as we can, every video is an inspiration to the community!

My idea at this point, to make everything faster, is to film and edit with my phone. I will use the iMovie app to do the editing and add in music.

You are so right...I tend to overburden myself on editing stuff because I want everything to be perfect, but sometimes it is better to cut some corners and just put something out there to move on, rather than spending more and more time on a thing and not getting it done!

We are always learning, which anything we produce we get a better routine. And there is so much that can be done on the go with your phone these days, while still maintaining a good quality...I like this idea!

I did some proof of concept exploration with @Justin's idea of creating an EZ-Robot style Johnny 5. I think it turned out pretty decent. What do you guys think?

I like it...its a good way to visualize a concept! If you had written a long post on what you were trying to do, probably it could have been harder to understand... This is a quick and easy way to get things out there, we should all use YouTube more!

@Jeremie, WOW! I've got goose bumps, that looks awesome! Is it using all 3 motors? Is that a standard Rolli belt?

Thanks @Justin

Yep, that's a standard Roli belt and I'm just using 1 motor in the standard Roli configuration but with 2 idlers. I was thinking that the track setup looks perfect for an Revolution style Wall-E as well! I'll keep exploring

I actually think it looks better as a Wall-e base. Johnny-5, the top idler is more set back from center (although this is a great way of working with the space available).

Alan

@thetechguru I debated about that myself. Looking closely at the original Johnny five I think the that top idler may actually be centered but the tread cover makes it look further back than it's actually sitting. I've seen one of these systems taken from a ride-on floor mopping machine and it was definitely symmetrical. I'm going to do some adjustments tonight. The top idler could be dropped lower and the other 2 gearboxs could be spread out further to give it a flatter look.

I agree with @Jeremie that it is a tri centered configuration but the covers make it visually appear as if it is off center. But if it could be pushed out a little flatter then it would be more J5 than Wall.E. But either way, I love it!

Quote:

I agree with @Jeremie that it is a tri centered configuration but the covers make it visually appear as if it is off center. But if it could be pushed out a little flatter then it would be more J5 than Wall.E

Alan

move the top idler farther back from the center and you will mimick the shape of wall-e

@Jeremie I found this tutorial for thumbnails very enlightening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4yRrVgvFrg I have to admit, I never knew how thumbnails got added to or created for videos on YouTube (I thought it was something only super cool YouTubers had access too, LOL).

This guys has all sorts of neat videos that shows how to use free things Paint, Paint.net, and Windows Movie Editor to edit and produce many video effects. And for what Windows Movie Editor can't do Microsoft Expressions Encoder 4 can, with overlays and it too is free.

For those that might want a logo but don't have access to someone who does graphic arts, I just used Fiveer.com to have a new J2R logo created for $5. I have not rolled it out yet, but I am super happy with it. Fiveer is a neat service to connect with artists. They even offer video intro and outro creations and all sorts of other services.

Awesome! Thanks for the info Justin! I checked out those resources and they are very helpful. They will definitely help me get closer to my goal. I appreciate your suggestions, thanks again!

Well, I just realized that this thread was ported over to the Synthiam site as a question and it's still unresolved. Even though it's not really a question, I'll give the credit to Bob since he was my 100th Subscriber

Thanks Bob, and the rest of you guys for helping out my humble youtube channel!