Questions tagged [electronics]

Any device with electrical circuits.

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15 votes
9 answers
696 views

What was the earliest concept of a robot?

I'm a highschool student studying electronics and for an assessment task on the history of electronics I have decided to focus on the history of robotics. I want to begin with the earliest possible ...
Jordan's user avatar
  • 911
15 votes
1 answer
646 views

How do space rovers survive at very low temperatures?

For example, if a rover has working temperature range of -70 to +120 Celsius, how does it survive and then restore itself if the temperature drops to -150 degrees for several months?
Johnner's user avatar
  • 253
14 votes
3 answers
3k views

Inter-processor communication for robotic arm

I'm building a hobby 6-DOF robotic arm and am wondering what the best way is to communicate between the processors (3-4 AVRs, 18 inches max separation). I'd like to have the control loop run on the ...
mrjogo's user avatar
  • 268
11 votes
4 answers
1k views

How can I best protect sensitive components against damage through vibration?

It's common for components on some types of robots to experience large environmental stresses, one key one being vibration. Is this something I need to worry about with typical electronics and other ...
berry120's user avatar
  • 1,265
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

My Raspberry Pi is losing power in a surge

I have an RC car. The battery provides power to the ESC and then the ESC provides 6 V back out to the receiver. Instead of the receiver I have a Raspberry Pi, which uses the 6 V, steps it down to 5 V ...
HAL9000's user avatar
  • 213
10 votes
5 answers
2k views

Strategies for managing power on electrical systems for mobile robots

What are some good strategies to follow while designing power supply for electrical systems on mobile robots? Such robots typically comprise of systems with microprocessor, microcontroller, DSP, etc ...
schinoy's user avatar
  • 101
9 votes
2 answers
217 views

Robotics Location Following and Tracking?

I am building a robot that will follow a target as the target moves around. I would like some help with the setup for tracking the target. The most obvious solutions are Ultrasound or Infrared sensors,...
RJackson's user avatar
  • 129
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

H-bridges and stall current

For a DC motor with a stall current of 950 mA, what should the H-bridge's current rating be? What will happen if we use our H-bridge L293D whose max. output current is 600 mA?
Umer Zonair's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why does our LM2576 circuit suddenly cut down the power?

I have an LM2576 circuit plus an adjuster to adjust the output voltage, for controlling motor speed in a line follower robot. The circuit works great when adjusted to give out low voltages, but when I ...
Miro Markaravanes's user avatar
7 votes
6 answers
3k views

Electronic circuit for heating nylon fishing line muscle

I'm trying to make artificial muscles using nylon fishing lines (see http://io9.com/scientists-just-created-some-of-the-most-powerful-muscl-1526957560 and http://writerofminds.blogspot.com.ar/2014/03/...
jotadepicas's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

MEMS accelerometer calibration

I am trying to calibrate a MEMS accelerometer. I was able to calibrate it for the current axis which is parallel to gravity and shows correctly, 1g. But the other two axes which should be 0.00g are ...
c0dehunter's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
358 views

When taking VCC power from an arduino to a 12v regulator, then to a 5v, do I need two sets of capacitors?

I'm building an open-source bio-research hardware (ask me how you can help!) and I've got this guy here: My big questions are: Can I get away with all the ground being common? (I've got a 12v and 5v ...
carl crott's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
7k views

Why can't i use different ESCs together on a multirotor?

I'm working on a diy quadcopter build from scratch and have bought a 4pack ESC from Castel Creations.While i currently have my quad up and running(sort of), from what i've read on the various sources ...
Kenneth .J's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
827 views

Electronic noses for detecting dog urine

I have very limited experience with sensors or robotic components at all, and I hope you will excuse the lack of detail in this Question. I want to set up posts around my yard with electronic noses ...
user2979713's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
366 views

Can you have a career in robotics if you hate mechanics? [closed]

I'm a first year electronics engineering student. I love almost all the aspects of robotics - the electronics, algorithms, control theory etc. I can't stand the mechanical aspect of robotics though. ...
askjasbdalskjdb's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

Off-the-shelf micro fluid dispenser

Need a way to dispense micro liter amounts of water (lets say 1-10ul). Only thing I've found is piezoelectric dispensers and they are >$100. Any suggestions? I can build, but preferably would be an ...
Chris's user avatar
  • 59
5 votes
3 answers
111 views

Single power source for electronics and actuators

It seems popular to build robotic systems with separate supplies for the electronics and motors/servos, but what would be involved in a circuit that powers both from one source? If it helps, here is ...
Crunchy's user avatar
  • 161
5 votes
4 answers
633 views

Do simple, non-sonic, omni-directional rangefinding beacons exist?

I am on a robotics team that plans to compete in a competition where one of the rules is that no sort of sonic sensor is allowed to be used. I guess that limits it to some sort of EM frequency right? ...
user46877's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
143 views

Air hockey with a robot as an opponent

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but here goes. So, as the title states, I'm planning on building a desk that doubles as an air hockey table which has a robot on the other side. ...
kdyz's user avatar
  • 153
4 votes
1 answer
147 views

Why does a motor does not run when a resistor is connected in series between the supply?

I decided to remove the battery (1.6 V 1600 mAh) from my trimmer and to power it via an old mobile charging cable (6 V 800 mAh). So I built a voltage divider circuit, which gave me nearly 1.6 V but ...
mythili charan's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
718 views

What are good, low cost, actuators for a braille tablet to be controlled by arduino?

I want to basically make a pin matrix controlled either by spring, electromagnets or small motors(spring being the most viable option), something like what’s shown in the image. I'm pretty new to ...
Aditya Krishn's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
464 views

Robots without microcontrolers (beam robots). Are they technologically limited?

BEAM robotics seem to be a good approach to teach learners about electronics in robotics. But can these robots be like regular programmed "cognitive" robots? Can these robots, with just analog ...
xsnk's user avatar
  • 155
3 votes
3 answers
205 views

What actuator types exist that remain locked in their last position like hydraulic piston?

I would like to find an electronic actuator that mimics the characteristics of a hydraulic actuator, in that the position remains fixed without power drain when the actuator is not moving. Which ...
Mr. Developerdude's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
336 views

Can high voltage power lines provide a super highway for drones?

Is there a way to convert the EM field that surrounds high voltage power lines for direct usable electricity for air or ground drones for continuous flight or travel? Added: Yes could the EM field be ...
Muze's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
2 answers
221 views

Create 2: Wheel interface board replacement

http://www.irobotweb.com/~/media/MainSite/PDFs/About/STEM/Create/Create_2_Wheel_Hack.pdf?la=en Scroll to page 3. I'm trying to interface the Roomba's preloaded navigation system with a pair of ...
Bakesril's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
14k views

How to calculate the current consumed by a brushless motor on a quadcopter

I want to create a virtual quadcopter model, but I am struggling to come up with a satisfying model for the brushless motors & props. Let's take an example, based on the great eCalc tool: Let's ...
Eric Leibenguth's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Which is easier/cheaper: Hbridge vs ESC for controlling a motor?

I was able to find a small ESC for about $12 off of ebay. If you were designing a robot, would you see that and think? \$12 bucks for an ESC that connects to simple pulse-wave interface - sign ...
ChronoFish's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
6k views

One BEC for multiple ESC (Quadcopter)

I'm building a quadcopter and have discovered that most ESC have a built-in BEC, but I was wondering if it wouldn't be better to use only one. What if I delivered power to my four ESC with a unique ...
mimipc's user avatar
  • 405
3 votes
1 answer
40 views

Driving a small motor

I am trying to drive a small motor using (software emulated PWM) from a Pi like device. I'm following a circuit that looks like this:L https://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-GPIO-Circuits-...
jgauthier's user avatar
  • 141
3 votes
2 answers
326 views

Magnetometer to measure high angular velocity in small object

I have to measure the frequency of a little circle in rotation. You can image this circle flying in air, because this circle can't touch anything that is not in rotation. So I can't use some simple ...
Dante Alighieri's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
163 views

Filling 30mL bottles with food-grade liquid

A project has been given to me at work, with no schematics or idea of where it was going. I need to fill 5 30ml bottles at a time with a food-grade liquid. Based on the parts I have, I think the ...
user4340's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
1k views

CNC stepper motors are loud and slow after decreasing the steps/mm from 250 to 5

I'm making a drawing robot and have hooked up my steppers to each axis. I'm using the grbl shield with arduino and nema 17 steppers. Initially the firmware was set at 250 steps/mm but with my setup ...
Stephen's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
4 answers
2k views

How to deal with current spikes due to fast direction-switching motor commands?

I'm trying to build a self-balancing two-wheeled segway-like robot. I'm currently using two 12v DC motors that draw approximately 600milliamps of current each. I've noticed that when my robot tries ...
Paul's user avatar
  • 1,268
2 votes
1 answer
160 views

iRobot Create 2 - bypassing fuse for serial port power, other current limitations?

I've recently acquired a Create 2 and want to power a Raspberry Pi (and potentially other sensors/motors) off of the serial port. I've seen the official recommendations (e.g. power from the motor ...
Brian's user avatar
  • 33
2 votes
1 answer
102 views

Control signal of an LQR Controller

I'm working on building an LQR for a system which consists of a ball in a vertical tube, a fan is situated at the bottom of the tube and a distance sensor is at the top, a raspberry Pi is used to send ...
Jack's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
1 answer
602 views

Calculating the resistor for a buzzer

Please note: Although this question tangentially involves a Raspberry Pi, this is really more just a pure robotics question at heart. I'm trying to connect my Raspberry Pi 1 Model A to this buzzer. I'...
smeeb's user avatar
  • 219
2 votes
1 answer
155 views

Raspberry Pi and Buzzers: Simple solution [duplicate]

I have a Raspberry Pi 1 Model A and am interested in attaching a buzzer to its GPIO pins so that the software (running on the pi) can turn the buzzer on/off by sending signals to the GPIO pins. I'm ...
smeeb's user avatar
  • 219
2 votes
2 answers
114 views

How to make door opening to the top

I need to make this construction (door is closed by default, door is opened to the top). This is the scheme: Red rectangle on the picture is the aperture, blue rectangle is the door (weight is about ...
Alex Antonov's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
105 views

Measuring the performance and response rate of ESCs

How would i go about measuring and quantifying the performance of an ESC? I am looking to measure the response rate(in Hz) of an ESC, as well as it's performance(i.e how fast it starts and stops, as ...
Kenneth .J's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

How can I get the values of a IMU from the serial message received in Simulink via UART?

I try to read IMU sensor data from an Arduino mega 2560 UART with serial receive block of Arduino support package for simulink. The IMU can send binary packets and also nmea packets and I can ...
lsn's user avatar
  • 107
1 vote
2 answers
164 views

Are robot's codes usually compiled or interpreted?

I would bet that usually these are compiled for better performance, and of lawful reasons (make it harder for any user to save code without decompiling), though I'm not sure. In any case, I believe ...
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
630 views

How to manipulate the magnetic field around a robot?

Nanorobotics can be realized with a combination of a magnetic field and a passive robot. The robot is equal to a tweezer which is controlled by an external field. This field is generated by ...
Manuel Rodriguez's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
878 views

Voltage rpm relation

I measure the voltage ESC drawing while increasing the dc motor speed. Multimeter shows that as long as the speed increases the voltage value decreases. Can anybody explain why this is happening?
lsn's user avatar
  • 107
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Dispensing precise quantities of liquid and powder [duplicate]

I've been toying around with the idea of automating the process of testing aquarium water for certain chemicals. Very briefly, salt water aquariums (reefs, specifically) require almost-daily testing ...
kolosy's user avatar
  • 282
1 vote
2 answers
40 views

DIY Smart Devices [closed]

I am a software developer. I make apps. I have several ideas for Bluetooth-enabled smart devices using basic accessories and peripherals like cameras, speakers/headphones, lights and some external ...
turkinator's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
396 views

Piezo sensors and multiplexers

I got asked to make some sort of trigger pads for the foot section of an organ working over midi to a electric piano and my friend wants it to be pressure sensitive so we can program in the note ...
Minhtanh's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
400 views

Electric vs. internal combustion engine for propulsion

What are the main differences between electric motor and internal combustion engine for an ATV-sized mobile robot platform in terms of functionality, implementation difficulty ("RC" conversion, "...
Kozuch's user avatar
  • 633
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

What is the scope of Electronics Engineering in Robotics/Automation?

I am beginner in Robotics .I have taken admission for Electronics engineering one year back as we don't have specifically Robotics Engineering Branch in my Country.Now I am suffering from questions ...
ramdas1989's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
769 views

Formatting an SD card for Panda Board ES

I have a Panda Board ES. I am not able to get it to boot. I sent it back to SVTronics to get it checked and they said that the board is OK; I am the one who is not able to configure it properly. ...
tinyhook's user avatar
  • 113
1 vote
1 answer
87 views

How to extract the servo motors of a Digital Micromirror Device?

The good news is, that modern DLP projectors are sold for a low price. Each of the projectors is equipped with a so called digital micromirror device, which is an MEMS array. It contains millions of ...
Manuel Rodriguez's user avatar