First, lets see the little steppers in action! Our main character, StepperBot, is “instructed” to move in a square path on my coffee table, making 90 degree turns at the corners. Turning exactly at the right time and by the right angle is critical avoid falling off and crashing on the floor in an embarrassing pile of messy wires.
Using Bluetooth and an Android phone for debugging Arduino sketches
I bought a Bluetooth module a few months ago and never really tried to use it because in my mind it would be another module that would require hours digging the internet to find libraries, and some code sample to get me started.
Only after reading Stan’s post about Bluetooth modules I realized how easy is to get them working and how useful they can be to troubleshoot projects that require movement (like robots).
Bluetooth basically makes your serial port wireless and open a whole new set of possibilities with two way communication between your Arduino and a Bluetooth enabled device.
See more on the video below…
Arduino – Robot troubleshooting with Bluetooth module
Arduino robot controlled from an Android phone via Bluetooth
Project overview
This is a differential steering robot that can be controlled from an Android phone via Bluetooth. The robot’s “brain” is Arduino Uno compatible board (an “Arduino on a breadboard”). The robot uses a JY-MCU Bluetooth module for communication with the Android phone. A custom Android app, created with the MIT App Inventor 2 essentially acts as a remote control, sending commands to the Arduino that tell the robot to move forward, reverse, stop or rotate.
Simple Android apps with App Inventor
App Inventor provides a fast and easy way to build simple apps for Android phones and tablets. It is targeted primarily at those of us with limited, or no experience in Android development. App Inventor has a fairly intuitive graphical interface, where you first visually design the application screen and then add the logic by dragging and dropping a series of colour-coded code “blocks” that snap together with a satisfying click, when connected correctly.
Continue reading
“Betamax” Quadcopter test flight video
Today I tested my first ever quadcopter, built as part of a recent workshop at the Vancouver Hackspace (VHS) . My initial test flight lasted a whopping 10 seconds and ended with a spectacular crash on the concrete parking lot in front of VHS, Continue reading
Differential drive with continuous rotation servos and Arduino
Purpose:
Create a simple and easy to control drive system for a small robot with minimal number of parts and connections. Continue reading