4 ms·

I'm actually on the brink of getting into amateur robotics... I just bought "Robotic Explorations: Hands on Introduction to Engineering" (http://www.amazon.com/

by jaryd 14y ago

I'm actually on the brink of getting into amateur robotics... I just bought "Robotic Explorations: Hands on Introduction to Engineering" (http://www.amazon.com/Robotic-Explorations-Hands-On-Introduction-Engineering/dp/0130895687 http://www.amazon.com/Robotic-Explorations-Hands-On-Introduc...), and am planning on getting a HandyBoard kit. I was wondering if there are any K'Nex or LEGO Technic kits that are particularly well-suited for this type of endeavor? I have found plenty of kits to build a wide variety of vehicles, but it's hard to anticipate what will comprise a good assortment of build pieces for a more free-flow introductory robotics project. Any thoughts or advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. EDIT: Awesome project, by the way :)

doctoboggan 14y ago
The hardest problem on the mechanical side was connecting the motor to wheels. You will often need to gear down a motor before you connect it to the wheels. Without the ability to custom manufacture parts it is very difficult to cobble something together. The simplest solution is to buy a motor with a prebuilt gearbox, axel, and wheel. I don't remember where I got mine but something like this should work: http://www.amazon.com/KNex-Dragster-Racecar-Rally-Series/dp/B0024H3Z2M/ref=pd_sim_t_5 http://www.amazon.com/KNex-Dragster-Racecar-Rally-Series/dp/...
- jaryd 14y ago
  Thank you for the tip! I was actually just reading about gearing in an article called "The Art of LEGO Design" (http://cheme.eng.wayne.edu/neuron/LEGO_ROBOTICS/artoflego_article.pdf http://cheme.eng.wayne.edu/neuron/LEGO_ROBOTICS/artoflego_ar...)! Was also looking at Technic kits (such as http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Tractor-9393 http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Tractor-9393) with a preference towards those with more pieces, and thus more flexibility.
  - doctoboggan 14y ago
    That paper is great, thanks for sharing! It looks like I need to buy some lego technique parts.
- throwaway1979 14y ago
  Checkout the gearboxes from Tamiya.

by jaryd 14y ago

doctoboggan 14y ago

The hardest problem on the mechanical side was connecting the motor to wheels. You will often need to gear down a motor before you connect it to the wheels. Without the ability to custom manufacture parts it is very difficult to cobble something together. The simplest solution is to buy a motor with a prebuilt gearbox, axel, and wheel. I don't remember where I got mine but something like this should work: http://www.amazon.com/KNex-Dragster-Racecar-Rally-Series/dp/B0024H3Z2M/ref=pd_sim_t_5 http://www.amazon.com/KNex-Dragster-Racecar-Rally-Series/dp/...

jaryd 14y ago
Thank you for the tip! I was actually just reading about gearing in an article called "The Art of LEGO Design" (http://cheme.eng.wayne.edu/neuron/LEGO_ROBOTICS/artoflego_article.pdf http://cheme.eng.wayne.edu/neuron/LEGO_ROBOTICS/artoflego_ar...)! Was also looking at Technic kits (such as http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Tractor-9393 http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Tractor-9393) with a preference towards those with more pieces, and thus more flexibility.
- doctoboggan 14y ago
  That paper is great, thanks for sharing! It looks like I need to buy some lego technique parts.
throwaway1979 14y ago
Checkout the gearboxes from Tamiya.