Hey Community , i really don't do enough fun projects. As you may notice many of my projects have a utility function. Squeegee mops, jarvis vacuums, smart marine fish tank is... well smart lol. So this is just for fun and I hope others enjoy it. I have already contemplated using it as a demonstration tool to get kids interested in technology. . Dang it! This is just for fun , ok I'll try not to get to serious with this. My friend Marty was talking about being able to drive the power wheels around while his kid was in it around the neighborhood. Or if his kid was driving and got to far he's just a button click away from stopping it. We found a free power wheels that had seen some rough years and we gave it a complete makeover. It looks better than new, new Gel cells from power sonic , smart charging and more. I gave it a cool high grass stripe camo.pattern and gave it to his son for his birthday. I'll post a couple pics. He's on the fence about doing the further mods so i searched craigslist.org for another power wheels that had been loved a little too hard. Searching for something with space and power I wanted I set my heart on a f150 , Toyota 4x or jeep 4x4. I didn't find a 4x4 model but f150 was the next best as it had dual gearboxes with rs585 motors. Also a good gel battery and charger was included. Here come some pics...
Other robots from Synthiam community
Djandco's Djandco's Wall.E
Rb550f's Ez Robot Rover
Ok so slight status update , I will probably cut the threaded rod tommorow for the rear axle and cut it down about 2 inches as it is too long.
I will add the real grease to the bearings and check that the wheels spin freely. Maybe I will do a video.
Cut down the front axle that was a little bit too long on one side and remove the spacers so all the wheels are in alignment.
I need to give this dude a better bath.
Parts list update:
Bluetooth 2.4ghz wireless game pad
Bluetooth headset/ earpiece mic
Windows laptop or tablet for on board
PC ATX power supply to convert the power from the generator to the batteries and the other 12v DC or 5 volt DC items.
SABERTOOTH H Bridge 2 x 12
Pan and tilt cam , either Foscam or other. ( maybe create a custom one)
Buy or build a Larson scanner like KIT
GPS module to interface as serial or UART
LED headlights or trail lights? CREE MAYBE?
Slow moving vehicle triangle
Serial or UART Compass module
Ok, so I have the projects H Bridge. Here is the 2 x 12 Sabertooth which was 79.99. It is pricey but also one of the best controllers available.
I am surprised these things do not come with documentation and a manual.
My 2x25 had a 1 sheet manual in the plastic box under the H-bridge. Fairly basic, but it showed the connections and where to get more infi from their web site.
Alan
Just one more note about the GPS chip. the chip you found certainly looks like it will do the job and you can communicate to it from an EZ-B UART, but you will need to script everything and parse the results. The EZ-B GPS control expects to see a GPS on one of the computer's COM ports, and interprets the NMEA data to give you position information.
NMEA is not complex, and by doing everything through scripting you can also send commands to the GPS (like the quick-start command). But it does add to the complexity of the solution.
Since you plan on having an on-board computer anyway, looking at USB, Serial or Bluetooth GPS devices could save you some money and time.
If you do continue down the path you already plotted (pun intended) Sparkfun actually has a pretty good manual on NMEA 0183 sentences: https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/GPS/NMEA%20Reference%20Manual1.pdf
Alan
@Josh, Alan's right... the manual is underneath the foam that the sabertooth was sitting on....
Ok , you are right! I found the manual tucked underneath the foam. Cool beans. I did some black Friday shopping and picked up 3 android tablets cheap and a welder. I have a feeling many of my future projects will benefit from metal. The axles and drive train for a robot for example. I really want a TIG welder for aluminum. Aluminium is cheap , strong, light weight, and doesn't rust like mild steel. The axles for this project are mild steel so I can weld up something stronger for the "version 2" later.
It's a RCA Voyager tablet , I am going to load the SIX program on it and see how that holds up.
I also picked up a couple bluetooth earpieces that I though I could use to voice control a project.
Those goodies are great finds, now you have the rest of the weekend to continue the hunt.