The Machine

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had acquired a FEZ Domino. I then started the project of building a robotic platform from it and improving it over time. So here is the beginning of The Machine.

Components

I bought a few components from RobotShop to start the construction of The Machine:

• 4WD Arduino Development Platform from DFRobot. It includes 4 motors (4WD).
• The 2A Motor Controller Shield for Arduino from DFRobot. With 2 outputs for the motors.
• Some hardware pieces.
• Some wires.

I also used a Logitech Dual Action USB game controller to control the robot. The Fez Domino supports joysticks, keyboards, and mice, so no driver needed.

Construction

I will not detail the construction, as I followed the Rug Community tutorial for assembly, but here are a few points to note:

• NO ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS! Even though the Rug Community video tutorial is very useful, it would have been nice to have instructions.
• They mounted the top plate upside down, so they couldn’t screw their Arduino Romeo onto the plate. The FEZ Panda and Domino as well as the Arduinos are easy to mount.
• There are now 4 spacers included in the platform kit, which allows you to elevate your microcontroller.

Here are some photos of the finished work:

The Code

To make the robot work properly, I had to create a driver for the motor controller shield. You can find the code on Fezzer.com. I also wrote a small application to interact with The Machine using my controller. Here is the code for this first application. And here is a short video to admire The Machine in action:

My robot at work

Conclusion

Pros

• The robot platform kit: - is quite easy to assemble - seems quite robust (I haven’t done any off-road testing) - Powerful motors
• FEZ: - Programming in C# is very simple - A large community around FEZ, so lots of support

Cons

• The robot platform kit: - I found the motors to be of somewhat low quality, as they are all plastic. - Little space to install the DFRobot encoders on the motors, too close to the front or rear wall. - No instructions!

Next Steps

• Solder some connections
• Replace non-rechargeable batteries with a charger kit, allowing me to disconnect my Fez Domino from my laptop for more freedom.
• Think about other steps (communication, sensors, vision, etc.)

See also

• Review of .NET Micro Framework and Gadgeteer at Alt.NET Montreal
• Microsoft Gadgeteer, the beginning
• I received my Fez Panda II and an LCD
• Do you know Fritzing?
• I received my Fez Domino