What parts should we purchase?

Robotics and electronics discussion Miscellaneous
1

Hello everyone!
My son and I would like to build a robot that can take out our trash. So far, we’ve read enough articles and tutorials to learn the basic parts that are needed, but we haven’t figured out which model #s to purchase yet.

First - Should we start with a small version first (can lift up and take out the bathroom trash), or should we go for broke and build a big enough robot that can handle our real city trash bins (standard blue bins @ 75 pounds full)?

What servo model # should we purchase that are strong enough for a 75 pound full trashcan?

    • We need 5 servos (L wheel, R wheel, 1 to lift trash 6 inches (like forklift), 2 servos to grip trash can from side.
      What receiver model # should we use and how many do we need?
    • We heard we should consider the roboclaw receiver?
      What remote control should we purchase to communicate with the receiver(s)?
      If we build the full size version, what power supply should we use? A rechargeable car battery?!!? :slight_smile:

We are pretty new, are there tutorials that we should review first?
Micky

2

Hello, Micky.

Since you are pretty new to this, starting with a smaller, more manageable version is probably a good idea. It is also helpful to break down your project into smaller parts that you can test and get working before combining them. You might start by determining the amount of force you will need for your actuators. This Torque and Force blog might be helpful when determining that. You mentioned using servos in your project, but depending on your design you might want some other kind of actuator. To learn more about servos, you can read this series of blog posts that explain how hobby servos work. You might also find this blog post on batteries helpful for choosing one for your application.

- Grant

3

Hello, Micky.

Michael Shimniok, who posts on this forum as “shimniok”, has started making a trash robot. You can follow his progress on his blog. This is the first post he wrote about it:

bot-thoughts.com/2013/11/rob … trash.html

–David

4

Thanks for the tip! I saw his post in January. It’s good to see that he is still working on it!

BTW - We are thinking that we’ll build a miniature version first, since it’s cheaper.