OBA2K
So one day at work I was bored and was searching for items on craigslist. I searched for robot and found the little omnibot in my avatar for 35 bucks. I got it for 25 and bought a new battery. It came with the remote so I was going to see if it worked. I always wanted one of these when I was a kid but they were boo coo bucks back then. Fortunately he didn't work. I searched youtube for omnibot looking for the instruction manual and found DJ's videos and was instantly hooked and knew I had to give this bot a new life. My son and I have built our own bot but he is just remotely controlled. My son keeps asking me how do we make him autonomous. The next day I found the Omnibot 2000 on craigslist Chicago. I paid 50 bucks for him and he didn't come with a remote but that didn't matter because my plan is to get the EZ-B v4/2 Developer Kit and start on the Omnibot 2000 first. I would like to make him have an autonomous mode and a voice controlled mode. I plan on putting a servo in his head and not sure if I'm going to put them in the arms or not. I would like to do exactly what DJ did to the little omnibot but with the 2K. Anyway the moral of my story is Props to Mr. Sures for doing what you do! You have inspired me to dive deeper in to robotics and this is the coolest thing to do with my 7 year old son. We are so excited to start this build. I asked my son what we should name him and he said Omnitbot Amazing 2000. I said that's a great idea and said how about OBA2K for short and he said YAY!
Now for the questions. The instructions I have been looking for have dead links including the little controller board I need for the motor. So basically I'm going to start with the EZ-B v4/2 Developer Kit. Do I still need a controller board for the motor? Do I use a similar battery? I have to assume the motor is still good. In the videos it looked like he put the whole motor in the dishwasher is that true?
Thanks,
Chris/OBA2K
Hi OBA2K and congratulations on finding an Omnibot and Omnibot 2000, $50 is a hell of a bargain well done.
Such an awesome platform to work with and bring into the 21st century. I some time's wonder if the people who helped develop the robots for Tomy back in the 1980's have seen how they have now been restored and upgraded over the years.
All the best for you and your son with your new robots!
Check out Project Showcase, etc and you will see some of the upgrades done to some Tomy robots. : )
@OBA2K You need an H-bridge or a motor controller like the sabertooth... Here's a link to the ez robot h-bridge.. EZ Robot H-Bridge
Thanks for the kind words! As for building the bot, the developer kit is a good start because it comes with the servos, camera and controller. If you get the developer kit directly from ez-robot.com, it'll come with the HDD servos (newest ones).
Also, you will need (as richard mentioned) an HBridge. I use the 2.5 Amp Motor Controller because it suits the requirements for the price.
I wouldn't recommend a lipo battery for that robot. Because there's so much space, i use a sealed lead acid 6 volt 6 amp battery. That means it'll last for upward of 12 hours! You can get a sealed lead acid battery usually at any battery store (a store that specifically sells batteries I.E. Battery World). Or, anywhere that sells batteries for home alarm systems or children ride-along toys.
With a 6v sealed lead acid battery, the ez-b v4 battery alarm will trigger. So, you'll need to manually disable the alarm. This can be done in the ARC project. The default mode on power-on can also be disabled in the ez-b v4 web server, to avoid the message on power-on.
Thanks Guys! I found the EZ-B v4/2 Developer Kit for 88 bucks on HobbyKing. I just ordered the 2.5 Amp Motor Controller off EZ-Robot. So I was still wondering if DJ put the whole motor in the dishwasher? It looks like it in the video.
Putting a motor itself in a dishwasher is definitely not a good idea. Taking the gearbox apart and washing the plastic parts and pieces (non-metallic) is a better idea!
I agree 100% with you on that one Jeremie :D
The motor gear box is sealed very well and the motor is also raised so the water doesn't reach it and not much gets in the gear box.