Make a Robot using PICAXE (SES) · The easiest way to use infrared control with a PICAXE microcontroller is with a Sony TV remote control and a ZP1955 38kHz infrared receiver module

Design And Technologies

Make a Robotusing PICAXE (SES)

Steven Penna

Student Name:Robot_P

Third Edition

Engineering Principles and Systems

and

Materials and Technologies Specialisations

Engineering Principles and Systems

and

Materials and Technologies Specialisations

Engineering principles and systems

Students analyse how motion, force and energy are used to control

electromechanical systems when creating simple, engineered solutions.

Materials and technologies specialisations

Students analyse ways to create designed solutions through selecting

and combining characteristics and properties of materials, systems,

components, tools and equipment.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES

MAKE A ROBOT USING PICAXE

Steven Penna

ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES AND SYSTEMS

and

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES

SPECIALISATIONS

Make a Robot Using Picaxe Page 1.

©Copyright LAPtek Pty. Ltd. Design and Technologies

Student Learning Guide & Record

TASK PAGE NAME DATE

COMPLETED TEACHER’S SIGNATURE

Task 1 11 Exercise – Law of the lever

Task 2 14 Exercises – Pulleys

Task 3 15 Exercises – Wheel and axle

Task 4 19 Exercises – Inclined plane, wedge and screws

Task 5 23 Exercises – Gears and gearboxes

Task 6 26 Belt drive and velocity ratio calculations

Task 7 28 Speed calculation

Task 8 29 Type of motion

Task 9 30 Changing the direction of motion

Task 10 34 Review questions – Electric motors

Task 11 35 Assemble your robot arm

Task 12 35 Assemble the gearbox

Task 13 36 Putting it all together

Task 14 38 Identify component circuit symbols

Task 15 40 Write a design brief

Task 16 41 Evaluation criteria

Task 17 42 Check all components

Task 18 43 Mount and solder components

Task 19 47 Check the solder joints

Task 20 47 Check the components

Task 21 47 Connect the battery

Task 22 47 Connect the KS1086 student experimenter module

Task 23 56 Turn led on when the switch is pushed

Task 24 56 Alternative programming method

Task 25 57 Using the binary system

Task 26 58 Testing leds on pins 3, 4 and 5

Task 27 59 Traffic lights

Task 28 59 For…next loop

Task 29 59 Led chaser - Wiper

Task 30 60 Led flasher – Wiper using binary numbers

Task 31 60 Extension unit - What you can do next

Task 32 60 Testing the piezo sounder

Task 33 61 Produce 120 different sounds counting up

Task 34 61 Produce 120 different sounds counting down

Task 35 61 Produce more sounds

Task 36 62 Advanced for ….next loop

Task 37 62 Count down in steps of 1

Task 38 62 Count down in steps of 10

Task 39 62 Some good sounds

Page 2. Make a Robot Using Picaxe

©Copyright LAPtek Pty. Ltd. Design and Technologies

TASK PAGE NAME DATE

COMPLETED TEACHER’S SIGNATURE

Task 40 65 Calibrating the LDR

Task 41 65 Testing the LDR as a digital switch

Task 42 65 Testing the LDR as an analogue sensor

Task 43 66 LDR demo

Task 44 67 Extension unit - What you can do next

Task 45 67 Testing the switch

Task 46 68 Putting it all together

Task 47 69 Extension unit

Task 48 69 Write your own program

Task 49 70 Extension units

Task 50 70 Quick reaction game

Task 51 77 Testing the infra-red remote control and receiver

Task 52 77 Add another led

Task 53 78 Extension unit game - What you can do next

Task 54 82 Mount and solder components for L293D motor driver

Task 55 84 Graphically explain how an H-bridge works

Task 56 90 Summarise aesthetics

Task 57 91 Reflection

Task 58 93 Ergonomics in action (Group work)

Task 59 96 Carry out research

Task 60 99 List of materials and components

Task 61 100 Evaluation criteria

Task 62 101 Concept drawings

Task 63 103 Design options

Task 64 106 Orthographic drawing of preferred design option

Task 65 107 Make a scale model of your preferred design option

Task 66 108 Justification of preferred option

Task 67 108 Production plan

Task 68 111 Wire up your circuit

Task 69 111 Program your robot crane

Task 70 111 Reflections

Task 71 121 Risk task

Task 72 122 Evaluation report

Task 73 124 Maintain a record of the production work (50+ words)


Design and Technologies ©Copyright L.A.P.tek Pty. Ltd.

WHAT IS A ROBOT, ANYWAY? A robot is any machine that performs tasks automatically. They can be simple robot machines that

can only do one or two things or they can be ‘smart’ robots that are capable of moving around, sense

their environment and understand computer code.

Robots consist of motors, solenoids, cables, electronic parts and can carry out work like vacuuming,

guarding, preparing drinks, working in dangerous situation e.g. diffusing bombs, and many others.

So if you can put several small motors together with electrical/electronic parts and can make a tool

that moves or walks, then that tool can be called a robot.

We will also discuss mechanical principles and the electronic parts that are commonly used to

manufacture robots, e.g. DC motors, electronic components, batteries, solenoid, levers, pulleys and

gears.

We will then use a microcontroller to control the robot.

It takes some time to learn how to program and interact with a ‘smart’ robot. But, the extra effort is

worth it and rewarding when you see something that you created actually moving.

Is it possible that this workbook is able to show you how to build complex robots like ASIMO made

by Honda, KITTY made by Tekno or other clever robots like those we see in the Ford vehicle

assembly plant or in Hollywood movies?

No! This workbook will not explain how to build those clever robot. But don’t lose heart. This

workbook will still explain the basics on how to build robots. With this basic knowledge who knows,

one day you might be able to build robots more sophisticated than those mentioned above.

Robosapien


©Copyright L.A.P.tek Pty. Ltd. Design and Technologies

COMPOUND GEAR TRAIN

In a compound gear train at least one of

the shafts in the train must hold two

gears. Gears B and C are on the same

shaft.

Compound gear trains are used when

changes in output speed or torque are

required and there is only a small space

between the input and output shafts.

The number of shafts and the direction

of rotation of the input gear determine

the direction of rotation of the output

gear.

Compound gear train

The compound gear train above right has two gears in between the input and output gears. These two

gears are on one shaft. They rotate in the same direction and act like one gear. There is an odd

number of gear shafts in this example. As a result, the input gear and output gear rotate in the same

direction.

Since two pairs of gears are involved, their ratios are “compounded”, or multiplied together.

CALCULATE VELOCITY RATIO FOR A COMPOUND GEAR TRAIN

Several gears meshed together are called a gear

train. And the total gear ratio depends on the

number of teeth on individual gears.

In the figure on the right, the first pair of gears,

the Velocity Ratio is 48 (Driven)

12 (Driver) = 4

For the second pair of gears the

Velocity Ratio is 75 (Driven)

15 (Driver) = 5

The velocity ratio (or gear ratio) for the whole

train is 4 x 5 = 20.

The driver wheel rotates 20 times to turn the

driven wheel once. This is a reduction of 20 to 1.

There would be a corresponding 20 times

increase in torque (turning power).

Gear train

CALCULATE RPM FOR SIMPLE AND COMPOUND GEAR TRAINS

Changing the gear ratio is one of the easiest ways to change the Velocity Ratio and Mechanical

Advantage in a mechanism or system to achieve desired speed and/or torque. The gear ratio

expresses the relationship between a Driver Gear (the gear connected to the input power source, such

as a motor) and a Driven Gear (the gear connected to the output, such as a wheel or mechanism) in a

system.



c) Linear motion:

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

d) Oscillating motion:

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

2. Identify a toy or a tool that converts rotary motion to linear motion or linear motion to rotary

motion, and explain how the conversion takes place.

Identify toy or tool:

........................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................................

Explain how the conversion takes place:

........................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................................

ROBOT MOVEMENT

INTRODUCTION

There are several different systems that can be used to move robots. Amongst them are the “walking

robots” which use legs, like the robot hexapod (pictured below on left) or robots that use wheels for

movement, like the Mars Rover.

Hexapod

Mars Rover

Later, when you commence designing your own robot, you will have to consider some kind of

mobility. You will note from the pictures above that to create movement using legs, like the

‘Hexapod’, would be difficult, but not impossible. It will be better for you to consider wheels for the

mobility because the design is less complex.

The robot you will be initially making will be a fixed robot. You will be able to provide movement

later.


Design and Technologies ©Copyright L.A.P.tek Pty. Ltd.

INFRA-RED REMOTE CONTROL The easiest way to use infrared control with a PICAXE microcontroller is with a Sony TV remote

control and a ZP1955 38kHz infrared receiver module. You can also use a universal remote control

but it must be programmed with the special ‘Sony’ transmit code. This is because the PICAXE chip

only recognises the Sony protocol. The infrared receiver uses a photodiode and inbuilt circuitry to

convert the infrared signal into Transistor-Transistor Logic (TTL) that the PICAXE chip can

understand.

The PICAXE 14M2 chip uses the Infrain2 command to enable it to receive IR signals on input pin 3.

This command enables the 14M2 to wait for a signal from the infra-red transmitter before it processes

any procedures. The command is received as a value which is a number between 0 and 127 and is

placed in the predefined variable ‘infra’, which is another name for the variable ‘b13’. A variable is a

‘number storage position inside the microcontroller that it can use to store numbers as the program is

carried out.

See the infrain2 and infraout command descriptions in the PICAXE manual for more details about the

values received from the Sony remote control. Each key on the remote control will transmit a certain

number which you can use to program the 14M2 to perform different functions. We will discuss

setting up and using an AR1012 universal remote control shortly but first you need to build a circuit

so you can use the infra-red receiver module with the PICAXE chip.

INFRARED CONTROL

As you can see from the schematic diagram right

that the circuit is not complicated and only uses a

few components. The parts list should be self-

explanatory and the circuit is easily built using a

breadboard and teaming it up with your KS1084

14M2 module.

Note that the input pin used on the 14m2 is pin 3

Infrared control circuit

Infra-red control circuit mounted on a breadboard



CONCEPT DRAWINGS EXAMPLE

Concept drawings are rough drawings, representing the chief features of an object. They are

generated to rapidly explore a wide range of ideas and quickly identify and explore opportunities for

innovation. Below are concept drawings for a toy crocodile. Note the annotations and the range of

innovative ideas produced by the designer.

Concept drawing of robot claw – Example

TASK 62: CONCEPT DRAWINGS

How: Complete a range of concept drawings that best represents the chief features of your robot

claw.

Annotate your concept drawings to indicate how they meet the design brief.

CONCEPT DRAWINGS

Documents

Make a Robot using PICAXE (SES) · The easiest way to use infrared control with a PICAXE microcontroller is with a Sony TV remote control and a ZP1955 38kHz infrared receiver module