A common question we get ask is “What motor controller should I use?”. There are two main criteria you need to look at: communication protocols and current capacity. The first isn’t a big issue with modern motor controllers since most have such a wide range of inputs spanning analog control, R/C, to serial. However, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t matter how much cu...
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This is a custom mining robot we have just completed. It features the following: Enclosed waterproof 4WD chassis HD Dual bearing axle support, chain driven, powered by 4 high torque motors 10 inch diameter tiller style tires for great traction Steel Roll Cage for protection from falling debris or turnover Full HD Video system with video and image capturing capabilities High intensity LED lighting ...
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We had fun building this robot. He may look familiar… We started with MLT-JR custom length tracks and added a simple shell and head. The motors are driven with a Sabertooth 2×5 Motor Controller. All the parts (other than the drive train) were made with our 3D printers. Then we gave it a quick paint job. We embedded two IR sensors on the front and put a Arduino in the middle cavity to dr...
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We’re celebrating Arduino Day by cutting the price of all Arduinos, shields, and select breakout boards! This sale is valid until midnight March 28th (11:59:59 EST) and while supplies last (no backorders). Arduino Day is a worldwide event bringing people and projects together. On our blog we’ve shared some of our personal projects like an automated chicken coop and a beer dispensing sy...
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Today’s Tech Thursday topic is an explanation of how we make our shafts, sprockets and gears couple to motor output shafts. There are several different methods we use depending on the application. Here’s how we have the most success. Light Duty Torque Applications - Set screw to the flat side of the shaft. All of our standard motors have a D shaft. Either 6mm, 8mm, or 12mm. We drill out...
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Today’s Tech Thursday topic is using RC switches to hack your lawn mower for a remote start and stop. We’ve done this with our 4WD remote control lawn mower and our Remote Control snow blower. Here’s how we did it. We used the following components: Spektrum DX6 Controller with AR6210 Receiver Pololu RC Switch Relay Board (you can use a 5V relay) Servo pigtails The RC switch is needed to comm...
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SuperDroid Robots’ Keg-a-Droid aired on the Discovery Channel for St Patricks Day! The Daily Planet featured the Keg-A-Droid which we are running on a campaign for on KickStarter serving beer from our friends at the Aviator Brewing company. #Kegadroid #Kickstarter #DiscoveryChannel #AviatorBrew
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One of the most basic positioning elements of autonomous robotics is the encoder. These are attached to rotating points such as arm joints and wheel axles in order to determine distance of movement. We sell an array of our IG32, IG42, and IG52 gear motors with a hall-effect encoder option. How do they work? The picture above is a simple diagram of the hall-effect encoder found on the back of our m...
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This past Friday SuperDroid Robots attended the First Annual 2015 IEEE RoboResearch Seminar hosted by UNC-Charlotte. We exhibited and demoed a variety of our inspection, tactical, and HAZMAT robots. The seminar concluded with a presentation by SuperDroid Robots electrical engineer Jason Traud on the topic of commercial applications of ground robotics. His talk showcased some practical uses of such...
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Today for Tech Thursday we are discussing chain coupling for wheeled robots. Chain coupling allows for a better 4WD system even if you are already using a motor per wheel. This is because each wheel is powered by two motors. It won’t make a difference if you are driving on level terrain but if you start driving in rougher terrain where a wheel might come off of the ground it will help immensely. W...
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