3-31-22

Finding this trashed wheel after your class on Tuesday bummed me out.  It showed a level of disrespect by someone for:
-materials
-our money
-my time
-the project

I get that it may seem small to you.  But it all adds up in terms of school money and my time to clean up.

I appreciate the excitement that you have shown for this project.  But if I can’t rely on you to treat materials and tools with respect and clean then the projects will stop and we will live in Tinkercad.


Battlebot due date changed: due to the special testing schedule after break, and to give you more time, we will now have the competition on Tuesday April 19th. There won’t be any building on competition day.  You have to run with the robot that you have built.

Today’s work:

  1. begin building your program and turn in your work in progress by the end of class today.  Your program should show that you have progressed beyond the sample program that I gave you. You will demonstrate this by adding comments in your program that explain what that new line of code does.
  2. continue your building and submit a photo of your progress on your build.

Click here for the full Battlebot resource page.  This includes sample programs.

 

3-29-22

Your first BattleBot assignment of the week is to create and submit your 3d printed objects.  This is due by the end of class today so I have time print your design.  If you do not submit your design today your grade will be reduced and I may not be able to print your design.
-designs will be printed first come/first serve
-finish it on Monday and it will be printed sooner
-no guarantee of time to print a second version so work to get this right
-ask me for to review and help with any of your designs
click here to submit your design – please do not turn it in on Canvas

AFTER you get the 3d print turned in, I would focus on your program and robot design work.  

BattleBot assignment page here 
includes starter code and useful Tinkercad designs!

3-28-22

Your first BattleBot assignment of the week is to create and submit your 3d printed objects.  This is due by the end of class on Tuesday so I have time print your design.
-designs will be printed first come/first serve
-finish it on Monday and it will be printed sooner
-no guarantee of time to print a second version so work to get this right
-ask me for to review and help with any of your designs
click here to submit your design – please do not turn it in on Canvas

BattleBot assignment page here 
includes starter code and useful Tinkercad designs!

3-24-22

Today’s agenda:

  1. Battlebot Combat will be on Tuesday, April 11th.
  2. class activity: review competition rules and make final changes.
  3. class activity: what do we need from Amazon?  I want to make an order for the robots.
  4. graded assignment: find a partner and submit their name here.  I only need one submission from each team.  It’s ok to work solo as well.
  5. review this really helpful document about Battlebot styles and designs.
  6. graded assignment: work on a draft design for your Battlebot.
    Make room for:
    -Arduino
    -at least two motors
    -breadboard
    -battery
    -IR sensor
    -LED light
    Consider:
    1. how will you steer the robot?
    2. how will you easily access the electronics for battery changes and maintenance.
  7. You may turn your design in on Canvas either digitally (create using an app) or take a photo of your drawn design.

3-22-22

Battlebots update & warmup:

Yellow motors are on the way – some will arrive today.  The rest will be here by Thursday.

Expect to design at least two original, complex 3-d printed designs.

Battlebot weight – here’s what I have got so far.  What else do we need to weigh?

Everyone – click here for this tinkercad program and circuit.

Individual work:
1. Use this Tinkercad circuit and program as a starter.
2. Add a servo to your program.  Click here for servo wiring and program.
3. Program your new servo. Click here for servo wiring and program.
4. Setup your program so that the servo moves when a button is pressed on the remote control.  To do this you need ANOTHER Tinkercad program that tells you which code goes with which button.
5. Turn in your custom remote servo program on Canvas.

Group work:
1. find a partner OR you may work solo.  Partners will have additional features and requirements for their robots.
2. click here to tell me who you will be working with OR if you will be working solo.
3. start to brainstorm on your Battlebot design.

 

3-21-2022

BattleBots update:

-we are changing motors from the kit motors to the yellow geared motors.
-review this draft of the rules that we worked on last week
-what should we add or remove from the rules?

Work with a partner to build one of these two test robots:
Robot 1– test the black servos and the blue servos to see how easily each one can flip an object.  Test out some mechanisms to see what flips best.
Robot 2– IR sensor placement – where is the best place and orientation on the robot?  Will the IR sensor work from all sides and angles or just from one side?

 

3-17-2022

Before we continue with Arduino projects, we will focus on creating guideliness for our Battlebot Competition.  I want you to have the opportunity to build the rules and structure of the competition.

Class discussion- what’s the point of Battlebots in class?

What you will do:
1. work with a partner – or solo – and review the rule & guideline ideas that you shared in class.  Click here to see an anonymous version of your ideas.
2. consider which ideas are meaningful and a good fit for our competition.
3. Login to this Padlet (click here)  with your school username and password.
4. Add your favorite ideas to the Padlet under the most relevant (fitting) category.  Each person (not group) should add at least three ideas to the Padlet.

For resources, follow this link.

Worktime
I need three simple test robots to be built:
Robot 1- how much weight can a two-motor robot pull?
Robot 2- test the black servos and the blue servos to see how easily each one can flip an object.
Robot 3- IR sensor placement – where is the best place and orientation on the robot?

Otherwise, you may continue your assigned work.

3-15-22

Before you continue your Arduino work, read and complete the BattleBot Tournament Planning activity. 

Here’s what we are working on:
Joystick LED control
Joystick Servo Intro
Two Servos and a Joystick
Arduino Drawbot Version 1
Arduino Drawbot Version 2

And now…a totally new sensor to work with: a Photoresistor.  Follow this link to learn about programming and wiring a photoresistor and using the sensor to turn LEDs on and off.

Next up: displaying photoresistor data on an LCD.

Keep that LCD wired up and add a temperature sensor to your actual circuit:
-temperature sensor wiring diagram
-sample temperature sensor program

I got rid of the LCD game – and replaced it with the Arduino Remote Control Intro!

3-14-22

Here’s what we are working on:
Joystick LED control
Joystick Servo Intro
Two Servos and a Joystick
Arduino Drawbot Version 1
Arduino Drawbot Version 2

And now…a totally new sensor to work with: a Photoresistor.  Follow this link to learn about programming and wiring a photoresistor and using the sensor to turn LEDs on and off.

Next up: displaying photoresistor data on an LCD.

Keep that LCD wired up and add a temperature sensor to your actual circuit:
-temperature sensor wiring diagram
-sample temperature sensor program

I got rid of the LCD game – and replaced it with the Arduino Remote Control Intro!

3-3-2022

Here’s what we are working on:
Joystick LED control
Joystick Servo Intro
Two Servos and a Joystick
Arduino Drawbot Version 1
Arduino Drawbot Version 2

And now…a totally new sensor to work with: a Photoresistor.  Follow this link to learn about programming and wiring a photoresistor and using the sensor to turn LEDs on and off.

Next up: displaying photoresistor data on an LCD.

Keep that LCD wired up and add a temperature sensor to your actual circuit:
-temperature sensor wiring diagram
-sample temperature sensor program

Now try an Arduino LCD game!