Greetings,
I am brand new here, lurking for a while but first post. I am considering the EZ-robot for future projects.
My background: I am an adult lego enthusiast. I have dabbled with the first generation of lego robots and that is about the extent. I have programmed small utility programs in MANY languages over the years. Jack of all trades master of none :-)
So.. for my initial "large" (for me) project I basically want to make an animated (automated?) cold war style anti-aircraft missile base. Ultimately it would have multiple missiles rise from the ground, elevate, and rotate. There would be sliding doors. There are several other features.
The main feature of EZ Robot that caught my attention was the easy android customizable controls. I had this project and another in mind (thing automated semi robotic boat). Additional features is out of the box large number of servos, and mp3 playing.
I was hoping someone could confirm a couple of points.
I believe I can run 20 servos at the same time. Does all the power feed through the EZB4?
Can I run a stepper motor, do I want to? Or just a continuous rotation servo? (this for rotation of the launcher or a turret, that would need 360 degree rotation.)
I have been thinking of the missile base for literally like 10 years. Recently I made a hard run at it and have for most of the mechanical functions.. scissor lift to raise launcher, motors to rotate and linear actuator to raise missile. This is all lego including motors but no robot interface yet. Sine I am two generations back on lego robot it would be expensive to go that route, and ultimately does not provide ALL the functions of other options.
I looked pretty hard at arduino line, but it seems that to get shields to match the EZB4 it is much more expensive and probably harder to ... integrate(?)
My goal is to have this done by mid February.
Sorry for the rambling organization of this.
-Ken
Welcome! You will find most of your answers on the product page for the ezb v4. Here are direct answers
ps, sounds like a fun project!
you can control 24 servos max (not 20). The power is provided through the ezb. Data sheet defined the amperage limits.
you can indeed use a stepper. But that's a bunch of additional wires and requires gearing etc that you don't need to worry about. Just use a continuous rotation servo.
February will be easy for the programming side. Largest challenge for you is the physical building. Programming is a breeze.
Arduino is good for little standalone looping circuits. Like tiny processes that just do one thing and/or return data to ezb. With ezb the framework provides everything you need - including machine vision, speech recognition, joysticks, mobile phones, etc, etc.
Think of arduino is being a transmission and the ezb is the engine. You're the driver - if that analogy makes sense?
Thanks for the fast response. I thought of one more item...
After poking around with the ARC a little bit there is one control I did NOT see that would be nice, though not a deal breaker.
I would like a control on my android device that is a dial or compass where I could select a direction graphically and then press to go there. It appeared that most of the controls were sliders or right/left/up/down arrows.
I have spend time working on the interface look and function prior to learning of EZrobot.
A couple more ideas to expand it.. eventually I could use the camera or perhaps some other motion sensor to have the display go active when someone approaches..as well as just on a timed basis.
If you want directional control, using the mobile interface, you could make buttons that turn the servo a certain amount of time based on its current location to the location you pressed(button). You would need a button for each amount of degrees you want control over, and the coding might be a little steep, but unless you install a pot for the continuous rotation servo, you will never know exactly where it is.
Ah, okay, I missed that about the continuous rotation servos.
So, I have seen servos with 180 degrees rotation. If I used one of these and geared it to double the speed does that sound like it would work? But less resolution...