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EE 350/201 Robot Details

Robot general description:

The Robots used in the EE350/201 lab were custom designed in the summer of 2000 and consist of a lower drive circuit board, a microcontroller circuit board, an IR emitter circuit board and a wheeled platform. The robot changes course by varying the speed and or direction of rotation of each drive wheel. There are two skid pads at each end for stability. The robot has two optical sensors facing down, which are used to detect a black line on a white surface. The robot also has two forward facing sensors that can be used to detect another robot.

Complex strategies are possible by using the on-board PIC16F877 microcontroller and associated resources to create an analog/digital hybrid system.

Key elements:

PIC16F877 Chip - The controller can be programmed in C or assembly language. Programs are downloaded from the PC using the programming interface box and cable at each workstation in labs C045 and C048. Sample programs are on each workstation.

These programs can be modified and used to create custom functions on the robots.

Motor Controllers - A motor controller is used for each drive wheel. Each wheel's speed can be varied as well as the direction of rotation.

Battery - A +9.6V 1.4AH NiMH battery is used to power the robot. This will give several hours of operation before needing to be recharged.

LEDs - 8 LEDs are provided for user functions.

LCD display - A 2 line by 16 character display is available to display status information.

Controls - A reset button is provided to reset the PIC16F877. A spare button is provided for user functions.

Power - An ON/OFF switch is located on the lower Printed Circuit Board.

Sensors- Track sensors are located on the bottom of the robot to sense light and dark transitions.

The care and feeding of your robot:

When testing a robot program, use a block to lift the wheels off of the bench until ability to control motor speed is proven.

Recharge the robot when the battery voltage falls to 8V or less.

Guide to Robot Hardware

Guide to Robot Programming

Using Mplab to Program the Robot