Adding components to TinkerCad

@patrickwd, As far as I know, there isn't a "Add in component" function in the circuits menu option in TinkerCad. However, I did manage to build my own motor speed and direction control of a dc motor, (see attached files below) using the components that it does have. I wish they did.. would make it much easier to construct some of my projects, but hey... what do you want for free!...lol

regards,

LouisR

@inst-tech

Think I have progressed to Ki CAD. Tinker Cad does pretty stuff but it looks a bit limited to me.

This is from memory about 2013 so it could be a bit hazy. I doubt that anybody these days would do it the same or if in fact the Renbotics servo driver is still available (shows up as "out of stock"...).  It is defiantly concept only. Don't anybody try to say it would not work because it probably wouldn't. Not even sure what model Arduino it was.  I am a bit wary that if I start taking it apart I might make a mistake putting it back together.  First problem is confirming the polarity of the battery connector.  I expect it will still work.

I haven't tried to work it out but I expect that more modern processors could do the 24 RC channels without needing the servo drivers.

Also I would expect than anybody trying to do it now would use WIFI or Bluetooth to a mobile for remote control. 

Still the radio control transmitter makes a nice handset for control with Joysticks and knobs for the 6 control channels required. You would have to do a nice screen to control it from a phone.

Nice work @patrickwd!  Although I have a question about the battery supply to the regulators..I noticed that the negative from the battery goes to a pin marked (ON) on the regulators, and is not connected to common ground. Is this because it is connected internally to gnd in the regulator chip? Since there is no p/n for the chips being used, I couldn't research them to find out for my self...

As for Tinkercad, mostly I just use it to simulate circuits before I actually try to physically bread board them..Your right, it lacks things like H-bridges and other types of motor controllers, and is limited to other types of semi-conductors like SCR's, Triacs ,Diacs and thyristors..  but over all, for those just getting started with basic electronics, it's great,, I even built my own version of motor controller with an pair of  741 op amps, and 2 N-Mosfets, 2-p-Mosfets, I don't remember if I sent you a schematic of it or not, so I'll just include it in attached files. 

@inst-tech

Well spotted.  Not real though.  I just picked a random power supply module in KiCad.  Presumably you would have to do something with the "ON" pin. Would have to do some research to find the ones I actually used.  They are a little switch mode power supply module rated as I remember a couple of amps.  They weren't quite big enough to power the banks of 12 servos and would overheat and shut down after a few minutes walking.

Think I will migrate to a new post to introduce the full project. See you there.

Cheers

Patrick