Build your own robot:Multimetre

Continuity between two points:

Set the Multimeter knob to continuity; place the probes of the Multimeter in between points to be checked for continuity. If there is a beep then the connection between the measured portions is there.

Resistance between two points:

Turn the Multimeter know to resistance measurement the select the upper value of resistance randomly. Place the probes of the Multimeter in between points to be checked for resistance. The unit of resistance is ‘ohms’. If

you see 1 ohm then you it is inappropriate so you have to select the higher value for it.

Voltage difference between two points:

Alternatively it is called as checking the DC voltage difference. Set the know to point to the direction of voltage measurement and hold the probes across the point you wish to measure voltage. The upper limit is detected just like similar to the case of resistor. If the voltage value is negative this means the polarity is turned inside out.. So, interchange the red and the black cable and correct the polarity. Then cost of multi meter is more according to its capacity and the number of quantities it can measure. In ours case a basic Multimeter would suffice.

Multimeter is an important element in building robot or humanoid. We will be using it at various stages and in various situations while building ours simple robot and learning in making the simple robot.

Build your own robot: Capacitor, Multimeter

Non Polar Capacitors:

No polarity, no fixed positive and negative terminals, in a circuit can be connected either ways. A relation between two opposite attributes or tendencies is known as polarity. Example of non polar capacitors can be mica and ceramic capacitor. In these capacitor, especially in the mica capacitors a three digit number is written and it is written in an encoded form the code to be converted.. Let the number is 434, then the first two numbers 43 and the last digit is considered to be power of 10. it is devised in the form of pico farads so 434 is equal to 43 into 104 pf. Polar capacitor:

It has fixed positive and negative terminals, so in the circuit the capacitor to be connected in a correct way, so proceed with caution. Electrolytic capacitor is most widely used capacitor in this category. The longer terminal is positive and the polarity of terminal can be identified as the negative sign as it is written in the body of the capacitor.

Multimeter:

A device that measures amperage, resistance, voltage, etc. In robotics and the electronics you will involve in measuring three things always within short intervals. Those three are the continuity between three points, the resistance between three points and the voltage difference between two points. We will be discussing about these a bit by bit .

Build your own robot: Potentiometer, Capacitor

Now we can take a brief look at  the components part. The resistor is an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current. It can break the flow of electric current so as to steady the flow of control of electric current. It is measured in ‘ohms’. Then higher the value of  ‘ohms’, the more  is the resistance and the vice versa. For the basic electronic purposes resistors having the power rating of 1/4W would be more than sufficient. To know the value of resistor there are some methods. One is  to read the color code at the value of resistance and the other is to use a multimetre. These resistors are constant resistors and do not vary automatically unless heated too much. There are some variable resistor available in the market, we will discuss about it in this article.


Potentiometer:
A measuring instrument for measuring direct current electromotive forces. A resistor with three terminals, the third being an adjustable center terminal; used to adjust voltages in radios and TV sets . Potentiometer is a resistor , which has variable resistor and can changed at will by the user. It can be very potent for the user who is unsure of the what resistant to fixed and so  the user can level the resistance with it. The rotating shaft or knob located in the body can be used to maximize and minimize the resistance by rotating it to one direction or the other.   The resistance between two extreme terminals is constant on the other hand the resistance between middle and the two extreme terminals  is variable.

Capacitor:
An electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric charge. A Capacitor can store electrical charges. It is measured in ‘Farads’. The capacitance of a capacitor that has an equal and opposite charge of 1 coulomb on each plate and a voltage difference of 1 volt between the plates. So, the storing capacity of capacitor is measured with the ‘Farads’ rating. To know the capacitance of capacitor we use ‘microfarads’ is the smaller unit used to measure the capacitor. Generally the capacitors are of two types: Polar capacitor and the Non Polar capacitor.

Build your own robot: PCBs and Breadboards:2

Breadboards:

With breadboards you do not have to touch the soldering of iron. There are lots of holes in the breadboards and those holes are internally connected into various groups. You can insert yours component terminal into these holes to make or break a connections. There can be some problems with breadboards. There are some breadboards with very tiny holes; even you cannot insert leads of voltage regulators such as 7805 into it.  It is advisable, before buying check and inserts a 7805 into breadboard into it as its legs are slightly thicker. Before buying the breadboard ensures that every section has correct
connections that are you have to ensure that at no point there should be a faulty connection. Buy a good quality breadboard as with the passage of time and with heavy usage the internal circuit diagram of breadboard may get loose and becomes faulty. A good quality breadboard can survive from this easily.

The advantages of using the breadboards:

You do not have to solder at all. You can design circuit and build circuits simultaneously a advantageous posture for newbie. As you are not soldering, then you can recycle or reprocess once you are finished with the project thus you save money, time and also there are lots of scope for experimentation.

Precautions:

Use single strand wires that is the wires having single conductor within the insulator coating , Use wires that can fit in between two holes connected so that it will stay tight and straight. When you are in doubt of connection between two holes, then safety pin usage can be utilized, insert safety pin in both the holes you are in doubt and then check the continuity the uninterrupted connection or union.

Build your own robot: PCBs and Breadboards

So far in the first tow article of “Build your own robot” we garnered some basic knowledge about robotics and the sequential parts of robot making and the brainstorming and the troubleshooting part and the basic plan of action. In the following write ups we will learn more on basic and the cognitive understanding of electronic parts and how circuits work. The electronic parts concerned with or using devices that operates on principles governing the behavior of electrons. The circuit is an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow in simpler term the boundary line encompassing an area or object.

PCBs:

Printed circuit boards. With the help of connecting wire and component terminals the closed circuit is formed. With the process of etching by using caustic solution of Ferric Chloride (FeCl3) the conductors are implemented by removing the copper from board. The main obstacle with this is the soldering of iron.

The advantages of using PCBs:

PCB has longer self lives as you solder the components within it. Obviously it will survive the jerks and shocks. The circuit first built upon the breadboards, then tested, diagnosed and then the final permanent design done with soldered on a PCB for  actual use or practice.

Build Your Own Robot: Brainstorming and Troubleshooting

Brainstorming:

Now the most authoritative part, which can be called the brainstorming part of action. Make a through plan of action, study as many books and literatures available on simple robot making, make some notes of those and try to memorize and summarize those parts. Then you can learn the various methods that is the systematic way of building the robots body parts. Then you can learn about the various logics and analyze the inference and try to make an idea in a methodical sense. Then you can learn about designing part of the circuits. All these parts written above can be called brainstorming; it is an significant part and needs to be done thoroughly and sincerely.

Troubleshooting:

Ponder upon available resources and derive and design the best way to exercise and utilize those resources in full capacity. These include the design of body parts of robot, the coding part and the circuit design. In a sense the mechanical, electrical and the coding part of robot. Then comes the structural part, the building and assembly stage of the project. The assembly part consists of a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit that is the robot. After going through all these steps analytically and theoretically , you need to check again each and every steps so that you cannot miss anything in between and you have done each and every steps according to yours logic and to the brainstorming part.

A word of caution, if you do not follow the sequential approach as suggested above, the approach in regular succession without gaps then you will face in the later stages some tedious obstacles. So it is better to work in a sequential periodical systematic manner.
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