Notifications
Clear all

Hi everyone, My name is Bill

7 Posts
4 Users
0 Reactions
922 Views
ChaosBuster
(@chaosbuster)
Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

The Drone bot workshop has a valuable tool for several years. I am a retired Technology teacher and Robotics coach. Currently I'm coaching a middle school robotics team. 

My beginning were the Basic Stamp and Microchip... Yes, I'm OLD

I'm introducing Arduino as the primary controller for all the Bots. Most of these students have been in robotics for a few years and have used the VEX IQ robotics system exclusively. We are using a simple plastic $20 robot chassis, mounted with an Arduino Mega, Adafruit I2C motor controller shield and a small circuit board I designed that allows for a bluetooth HC-05 and a small OLED screen to be plugged in.

Once they master this small robot (simple programming and control) they use hardware from VEX EDR systems to build a robot. Then they simply transfer their "brain" onto the bigger robot to do competition. 

Since Covid we are working to resurrect a regional competition that will have line following, maze solving, mini Sumo and a Driver controlled Robot Hockey. These are roughly modeled after the NRC robotics competitions.

We used to do the sanctioned VEX competitions for several years, but the equipment and entry fees were just too much. I personally believe the open source concept offers much more for learning. However, when students (and many educators) get used to a canned system such as VEX, things become a little daunting. They have to Solder for example.🙄 

For me personally, I've been using the ESP8266 and ESP32 to do some basic wifi control using Alexa. I did 1 project using Blynk IoT. It's really been fun.

I look forward to learning from this space.

 

Thanks

Bill Heacock

aka ChaosBuster

If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.” Guy Finley


   
Quote
Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 7700
 

Welcome to the forum Bill.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
ReplyQuote
robotBuilder
(@robotbuilder)
Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 2230
 

@chaosbuster

My beginning were the Basic Stamp and Microchip... Yes, I'm OLD

That is not old. Old is beginning with relays or maybe discrete IC's 🙂

Welcome to the forum.

I look forward to learning from this space.

 

Seems you would be able to do more teaching than learning here?

 


   
ReplyQuote
Inst-Tech
(@inst-tech)
Member
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 554
 

Posted by: @chaosbuster

The Drone bot workshop has a valuable tool for several years. I am a retired Technology teacher and Robotics coach. Currently I'm coaching a middle school robotics team. 

My beginning were the Basic Stamp and Microchip... Yes, I'm OLD

I'm introducing Arduino as the primary controller for all the Bots. Most of these students have been in robotics for a few years and have used the VEX IQ robotics system exclusively. We are using a simple plastic $20 robot chassis, mounted with an Arduino Mega, Adafruit I2C motor controller shield and a small circuit board I designed that allows for a bluetooth HC-05 and a small OLED screen to be plugged in.

Once they master this small robot (simple programming and control) they use hardware from VEX EDR systems to build a robot. Then they simply transfer their "brain" onto the bigger robot to do competition. 

Since Covid we are working to resurrect a regional competition that will have line following, maze solving, mini Sumo and a Driver controlled Robot Hockey. These are roughly modeled after the NRC robotics competitions.

We used to do the sanctioned VEX competitions for several years, but the equipment and entry fees were just too much. I personally believe the open source concept offers much more for learning. However, when students (and many educators) get used to a canned system such as VEX, things become a little daunting. They have to Solder for example.🙄 

For me personally, I've been using the ESP8266 and ESP32 to do some basic wifi control using Alexa. I did 1 project using Blynk IoT. It's really been fun.

I look forward to learning from this space.

 

Thanks

Bill Heacock

aka ChaosBuster

Welcome to forum Bill (@chaosbuster)!  Looking forward to seeing some of your projects, and learning more about iot..

Regards,

LouisR

 

LouisR


   
ReplyQuote
ChaosBuster
(@chaosbuster)
Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

@robotbuilder 

 

Posted by: @robotbuilder

That is not old. Old is beginning with relays or maybe discrete IC's 🙂

Thanks for the welcome!

You're right! I was thinking in digital. My first electronics class used terms like grid, plate, heater and cathode...

My first transition was from voltage to current discrete devices, my second was analog to digital 😉  

Posted by: @robotbuilder

Seems you would be able to do more teaching than learning here?

I always try to be in the learning mode as a mindset. It never fails to deliver. I will certainly help where I can. I've read many posts in this forum, and there are a lot of very smart people.

 

If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.” Guy Finley


   
ReplyQuote
Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 7700
 

@chaosbuster Keep reading.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
ReplyQuote
ChaosBuster
(@chaosbuster)
Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

Posted by: @zander

@chaosbuster Keep reading.

GRIN

 

If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.” Guy Finley


   
ReplyQuote