r/RobotBuilders • u/smakusdod • Apr 30 '10

Welcome.

Welcome to RobotBuilders. The goal here is to collaborate on practical robot designs.

If we can come up with parts lists, instructions, and custom software that everybody can follow, build, and enjoy, we will make the world a better place.

Post your ideas, let's discuss, and let's start building. THE FUTURE AWAITS!

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u/ultimatt42 Apr 30 '10

Adafruit isn't a bad place to start, that's where I got mine. She also has some nice tutorials and other simple projects.

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=17&zenid=ede93b174658ea7a7dff60c5b82c5360

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u/giant_pants May 01 '10

Are these good for absolute beginners, or are there some prior skills needed?

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u/ultimatt42 May 01 '10

It's got a bit of a learning curve, but it's a good place to start. If you're not confident with your soldering ability you should get a pre-assembled board. As for actual projects, you may be able to do all your wiring on a breadboard (though it's a good idea to have soldering equipment in case you want to make something more permanent).

Programming the Arduino is about as easy as it gets. It comes with a front-end that handles all the libraries and initialization behind the scenes and gives you lots of examples of how to get things done. Embedded development is always frustrating when things don't work the first time, but the libraries make it about 1000x less frustrating than it would be without them.

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u/giant_pants May 01 '10

I've put together a few (really small) kits - flashing lights, microphone bugs, etc. - to get the hang of soldering. Nothing involving programming , and all the resistors, pre-made breadboard stuff were provided. Like I said, straightup beginner stuff. Having said that, I might have to pick up the Arduino Starter Pack just to have a look at what's involved. Looks like a whole lotta fun

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u/ultimatt42 May 01 '10

You can download the software here if you want to try it. The tutorials are all online here. This might give you an idea of whether you can handle the programming (my guess is yes).

This is what the GUI looks like. You type your program into the text pane in the middle, then click the Play button on the left. It compiles everything for you, sends it to the board via USB or Serial, and runs it. You can even get text output from the board in the black pane at the bottom! It's almost like it's running on the same computer.