# Please excuse my excitement.  A very simple project.



## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

Today I did a very simple project, but it took me several hours just the same.  I'm building a robot base and I needed to make up some special axles.  I also didn't want to spend any money on this project.  Well, actually I already bought the wheels and tires, but I didn't want to put anymore money in it than I need to.   So I went out in the field today and cut a couple pieces of steel rod off an old hay rake to make the axles from.   The rods were bent so it took a while to try to get them straightened out as best as possible.  I did that in a large vice with a hand-held sledge.   Then I cut the axles to length, faced off the ends in the lathe and drilled center holes in the ends of them. 

Then I had to turn down the ends ever so slightly to make them fit through the bearing races of my wheels.  Finally I had to drill 8 cotter pin holes   Two for each wheel so I could mount the wheels between the cotter pins with washer.   This was the fun part.  I needed to figure out a convenient way to drill these holes centered on the shaft.  I came up with the following plan.   I have a lathe/mill combo machine.   So I figured that if I put the axles in the lathe chuck with the mill drill lined up on center this should do it.  I could use the lathe chuck as the vice to hold the rods.  So that's what I did.  On the very first hole I also discovered that the chuck needs to be locked into place. There's no way to lock the lathe spindle so I had to hold the lathe chuck in the milling vice. 

Notice in the following picture the mill vice is not holding the workpiece.  It's just holding the lathe chuck.  




I was then able to drill the axle with a center drill as shown above. 

And finally with the cotter-pin drill shown below:




I had to drill two cotter pin holes for each wheel.  One on either side of the wheel. 

This is a photo of the finished axles with wheels attached. 




This is going to be the base for a robot.   And they are laid out here pretty much the way they are going to be on the robot. 

Next I'll be making a wooden base as the main frame that will hold the batteries and motors.    Once I get those mounted I'll need to make some bicycle chain sprockets.  I've decided to use chain drive on all four wheels.  One motor driving two wheels on each side of the chassis.   There is no steering mechanism.  Turning will be accomplished by running the right and left motors at different speeds.  Or running one forward and one in reverse, which should allow this thing to turn around on a dime. 

I'm excited about building this robot, but it's a project that can only be worked on during "_free time_".  Which doesn't come up too often.  Today I wasn't feeling very well so I decided not to do any "_work_".     Then I said to myself, "_Well go do something on the robot then_".      Who am I to argue with myself.  

So I'm one tiny step further toward having a robot now. 

But yeah, I really enjoyed doing the machine work on the lathe/mill.    And yeah, I know I could have gotten by doing it on a drill press, but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 23, 2019)

Why's your key in the chuck ? You plan on making projectiles also ?


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Why's your key in the chuck ? You plan on making projectiles also ?



Actually I'm so safety-minded that I have been removing the key from the chuck before turning on the machine.   However, in this particular situation removing the key from the chuck is overkill since the chuck is locked down from turning with the mill vice.   The machine is configured for running the mill/drill head.   So the lathe chuck is disengaged.   It better not turn. 

But if it did turn it would be an extreme disaster since the milling vice is in the way of the chuck jaws preventing the chuck from turning.   Something else would need to give.  Probably the belt drive would slip.   I don't keep my drive belts real tight anyway specifically to allow them to slip in the case of an accidental crash of some sort. 

But yeah, I've actually been removing the chuck key before turning on the machines anyway.  Just force of habit.   What happened in this case is that I was putting in the very LAST axle and thought to myself, "_Hey I should take some photos and share this silliness with the guys on Hobby Machinist"._  So I stopped in the middle of that operation and grabbed the camera.  Even I noticed the chuck key in the photo afterward and thought to myself, "_Ought-oh!  Owl be getting comments on that_", and sure enough it was the first comment I got.


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## eugene13 (Mar 23, 2019)

Keep the pictures coming, I want to see your robot.


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## ezduzit (Mar 23, 2019)

Robo_Pi said:


> ... I have been removing the key from the chuck before turning on the machine...



Extremely bad habit and unsafe to leave the key in the chuck.


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

eugene13 said:


> Keep the pictures coming, I want to see your robot.



It's going to be a much larger version of this one. 



This was the original prototype.  Much of the electronics is going to be identical. 

There are four computers running this robot.  Three onboard computers, and it's also connected to my laptop via WiFi. 

*The Onboard Computers*:

1. On the "top shelf" there is an Arduino Mega.  This controls the motors and monitors sensors. 

2. On top of the Mega is a prototyping shield that contains a ESP 8266 WiFi module.
The ESP 8266 is actually a powerful computer in its own right.   It's fully programmable and can be programmed using the Arduino IDE.

3. On the front lower shelf is a Raspberry Pi.  This will become the automaton brain of the robot.
I program the Raspberry Pi using Python.

*The Forth Computer:*
The forth computer is my laptop which is in direct communication with both the Arudino Mega and the Raspberry Pi.  The Raspberry Pi also has its own WiFi connection. 

4. On the laptop I'm running Visual C# as the main "Robot Overseer".  This is so I can program the robot from my laptop live and get feedback from the robot as well. 

The ultimate design is to use the laptop as a prototyping tool to write more sophisticated programs.   I can then transfer these over to the Raspberry Pi to allow the robot to become fully autonomous.   The Raspberry Pi is almost as powerful as a laptop in computing power.

So while this prototyping robot is physically small it has an almost infinite capability for intelligence.   

The new base I'm currently building will basically be just a larger physical robot for this same original computing architecture.   In other words, once the physical base is built it's just a matter of moving all the computers over to the larger robot.  All the programming and intelligence will remain. 

The only major difference will be the motor control board.  On the small robot in the photo above you can see a small red PC board just to the right of the battery pack.  That is an H-Bridge motor driver.   On the larger robot I will need a much larger motor driver.  But other than that, all the rest of the electronics should move over to the larger robot without any need for modification. 

So in a sense the robot is already built.   It just needs a larger base so I can add a larger body and arms.


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

ezduzit said:


> Extremely bad habit and unsafe to leave the key in the chuck.



Exactly.  Don't worry about it, this machine wasn't even plugged in at the time that photo was taken.   Not only this, but if you read the OP you would already know that this chuck isn't about to turn anyway.   It was locked down with a mill vice.   There's no way this chuck could be turned.  Something else would need to break first.   The only thing the chuck was being used for in this operation was as a stationary vice. 

But yeah, the moment I saw the chuck key in the chuck I knew that was going to spark replies.   But rest assured that were no unsafe practices being done here.   As I say, the lathe wasn't even plugged in when this photo was taken. 

Well, technically is was.  But the receptical it was plugged into had no power.  

In fact, I suppose I should explain precisely how OVER SAFE my shop actually is.   I went through a lot of trouble wiring this up because this is how extremely SAFE I am.

Notice in the following photo.  There are two switches that must be turned on in order to run the lathe.  One is a main power switch which also lights up a bulb on the wall so you can see that there is power for the lathe.   The other switch is on the lathe itself.




In the next photo you can see that the power is on for the lathe because the light is lit. 




Close-up of the main power switch:




I don't only do this on my lathe.  I have this same set up for all the power tools in my shop.  Even my drill press is set up with this.   

I won't even put the chuck key in the chuck when this light is ON.

So that's how safe my shop is.  

And I NEVER leave the chuck key in the chuck when the machine is set up as a lathe.   In the case of the set-up I had for drilling these axles it actually wouldn't have mattered if I left the chuck key in the chuck while drilling the holes anyway.   Because that chuck wasn't about to turn no matter what. 

None the less, I actually removed the chuck key even before turning on the mill.    A totally unnecessary safety precaution in this particular case. 

If anything, I'm extremely OVER-SAFE.   Which I don't mind being actually.   

You can never be too safe.

But no, I NEVER leave the chuck key in the chuck.    This photo was taken DURING the chuck tightening operation.  I was in the middle of setting up that axle to be drilled.   So it wasn't like the chuck key was left in the chuck unattended. 

I knew this photo was going to spark these comments.   But the photo had already been taken, and by the time I realized the chuck key was in the photo I had already closed down the shop.  I wasn't about to go back out and try to set everything back up again just to take another photo without the chuck key in the chuck.    The chuck was locked down.  In theory there would be no danger in leaving the chuck key in the chuck throughout this entire drilling operation.  That chuck was NOT going anywhere. 

At the time of this photo this machine wasn't even a lathe.  It was a mill/drill.


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## ezduzit (Mar 23, 2019)

Robo_Pi said:


> ...Don't worry about it...rest assured that were no unsafe practices being done here...



You just don't get it. 

I'm not worried about your truly unsafe practices a bit. Just trying to help you keep from hurting yourself or others.

Unsubscribed.


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

ezduzit said:


> You just don't get it.
> 
> I'm not worried about your truly unsafe practices a bit.



There were no unsafe practices to worry about.

Safety includes having an understanding of what's going on around you.   In this situation the chuck was being used as a stationary vice on a mill table.   It couldn't turn no matter what.

Just because you see a photo of a chuck with a key in it doesn't mean that anything unsafe is going on.


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## ThinWoodsman (Mar 23, 2019)

I tend to consider what would come up during an accident investigation, regardless of how safe things are and how improbable an accident might be. Questions like "Was alcohol present when you were discharging these firearms?" Doesn't matter if you've got the rifle in a lead sled and no bystanders to wander into the field of fire - "yes" is just a bad thing to answer.

To put it in more topical, plausible terms: "Is this a picture of a chuck key in your lathe chuck? Claim denied!"


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

I knew that photo would end up derailing the whole thread.  But to be honest, I didn't think it would be quite this bad.  

I know now that the actual no-no is to simply to never post a picture of a chuck with a key in it.   Never mind the actual context. 

I've learned my lesson.   Don't ever post a picture of a chuck with a key it in.   Period.  That appears to be the rule that actually needs to be adhered to. 

How safe you actually are in real life doesn't even matter.   You were caught posting a picture of a chuck with a key in it.  Go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.


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## benmychree (Mar 23, 2019)

Enough already!  Personally, I NEVER leave a chuck wrench in any chuck that is powered, and even feel a bit funny leaving one in a dividing head chuck.  Seeing a picture of a wrench left in a lathe chuck makes me cringe, once saw a picture of a school shop with a long line of lathes with all the chuck wrenches posed in the chucks; makes one wonder???


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

benmychree said:


> Seeing a picture of a wrench left in a lathe chuck makes me cringe



That's the incorrect assumption that everyone is making concerning this photo.  This wrench wasn't "_left_" in the chuck as in being forgotten.   That's just an optical illusion of the photograph. 

What actually happened here was that the job had been COMPLETED.   I was done for the night.  The lathe had already been shut down.  And all power was off.

I then though that I should take some photos of the set-up before disassembling so that I could post them on Hobby Machinist forum.  So I stuck an axle back into the chuck.  I actually had to use the chuck key to loosen the chuck up a bit to get the axle in.  I lined it up with the drill bit and snapped the photo.    Then I immediately took the axle back out of the chuck and removed the chuck key.

The chuck key just happened to inadvertently be left in the photo.   I didn't bother removing it because I knew I wasn't going to be powering the machine back up again.

Moreover, the extreme irony here is that I actually DID remove the chuck key during every drilling operation.  In fact, I even thought about this and realized that removing the chuck key in this situation is overkill since the chuck cannot move. 

None the less I removed the chuck key every time before powering up the mill.  Just to be sure that I wouldn't get in the habit of leaving the chuck key in the chuck.  In other words, I was practicing perfect safety procedures to the hilt.   Overkill to be sure.

But just because I happened to take this photo with the chuck key still in a locked-down immovable chuck.   Everyone who sees this is going to think this chuck key has been totally abandoned and is just waiting for some unsuspecting person to come by and turn on the lathe. 

That's just not even remotely the situation behind the photo.

But as already pointed out, I'll be spending life in prison for having taken this photo anyway, so I may as well resign myself to that.

It's photographic "murder" that cannot be denied. 

A chuck key in a lathe chuck that's locked down and being used as a stationary vice for a milling operation.

*SEND THAT MAN TO JAIL!  HE'S GUILTY!*

That will be my legacy from here on out I guess.

Robo Pi the convicted chuck key molester.


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## benmychree (Mar 23, 2019)

I note in the above that you use the word (dissembling), it should have an A between the two S'es that spelling you mistakenly used has quite a different meaning!


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

benmychree said:


> I note in the above that you use the word (dissembling), it should have an A between the two S'es that spelling you mistakenly used has quite a different meaning!



Thanks for the catch.   I corrected the typo.

This is one bad thing about spell checkers.   If you make a typo that accidentally spells a valid word, the spell checker isn't going to catch it.   And you're right.  The incorrect word has a totally different meaning. 

I'm going to end up with life imprisonment before this day is over, just due to photographic errors and spelling typos.  

Maybe I should go back to bed before I get in any more trouble.  

I'm going out to get something to eat.  But when I get back I'll probably be in even more trouble anyway.   Have you ever started a thread you wish you had never started?


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## john.oliver35 (Mar 23, 2019)

Nice job on the shafts - I bet the hay rake won't miss the parts a bit!

I don't care about the chuck key.  More interested in how close to center you cross-drilled those cotter key holes


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## mmcmdl (Mar 23, 2019)

I'm just bustin your chops Robo , no harmful intentions . But , nothing good could come of a key left in a chuck . This is machining 101 . You're out free on bail !


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

john.oliver35 said:


> More interested in how close to center you cross-drilled those cotter key holes



There's a couple things to mention on this.

First, the shafts I was using were not only bent, but also badly pitted with rust dimples.  The rust dimples were acting like center punch dimples.   So it was basically impossible to start a hole with just a drill bit, unless, by pure luck, a rust dimple just happend to be in the right spot.  I learned this immediately on the very first hole I tried to drill.  So I quickly moved to starting all the holes with a center drill.  That eliminated the problem entirely.  The center drill wasn't affected by the rust dimples at all. 

Having done that almost every hole was very well centered.   Certainly as well-centered as could be seen by eye. 

However, there were a couple holes that were slightly off center.   Fortunately these were toward the inside of the shaft so they won't be noticeable on the ends of the axles.    The reason for those being off-center had to do entirely with the fact that the shafts simply weren't straight to begin with.   I had straightened these in a vice using a hand-held sledge.    And while I can boast of having done a pretty darn good job of getting them straight I can't brag of perfection by any means.   Still, totally acceptable tolerances for my purposes.   These axles are "dead" axles.  The wheels just freely turn on their own bearing.  So the axles don't need to be perfectly straight for this application. 

If you were to repeat this operation with new straight round stock, I'm sure that every hole would be perfectly centered on the shaft. 

This assumes, of course, that you had previously set the mill head up perfectly centered with a center in the lathe tailstock.  

Also don't forget to lock down the lathe chuck!   I failed to do that too on the very first hole and the chuck began to turn as I started drilling.  Not under power, but just because it was free to move.    That's when I got the mill vice out and mounted it under the chuck jaws so the chuck could not turn.    After securing the chuck from turning everything went perfectly well. 

There is no way on my lathe/mill to lock the lathe spindle.    So placing my milling vice against the chuck and aligning it so that each vice jaw just touched a lathe chuck jaw that insured the chuck could not turn.  No need to clamp it tight.  The vice jaws are actually in the way of the chuck jaws preventing either one from rotating downward.   So the chuck simply could not turn in either direction.

You need to find a way to lock the lathe chuck.   Otherwise the shaft you are trying to drill could turn on you while you're trying to drill it.   So securing the chuck from turning is paramount to this operation.   It just turned out the the vice I had purchased as my mill vice for this machine turned out to be perfect for this job.

Here's the vice I bought for my lathe/mill.  It's not the best vice in the world, but it's been working well for me thus far. 


Wen vice on Amazon


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> I'm just bustin your chops Robo , no harmful intentions . But , nothing good could come of a key left in a chuck . This is machining 101 . Your out free on bail !



No problem Dave.  

People are right that it's probably not a good idea to post pictures that might give newbies bad ideas.    I would have removed the key when taking the photo had I realized it was in there.  

I was actually upset to discover it was in the photo after I came in to post the photo.   But what could I do?  I wasn't about to go back out and set everything back up again just to get a keyless shot.  Although if I was writing an article for a machinist magazine that's precisely what I would have needed to do.   Either that or get fired.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 23, 2019)

My buddy was written up at a certain spice plant years ago on a LOTO audit . We had pulled the motor and gearbox out of the machine and my locks were fully utilized . He was busted for not having his lock on there . I argued on his behalf saying he was only handing me tools as I was the one pulling stuff . They didn't buy it . 1 years probation . 

I went and brought the plant manager and safety SHE manager out to the line . We put our locks on the boxes as well as the electricians . I asked them if the machine was now safe to work on . Their answer was yes , it is properly locked out and safe to work on .

I reached over and spun the spindle / carousel of the filler which turned very freely and asked them " where are your company's line locks ? Goes to show you , book smart isn't street smart . Protect yourself at all times …………...the safety enforcement teams are out in full force .


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## GrayTech (Mar 23, 2019)

Hey Robo_pi, nice project! Looks very interesting, you mentioned arm's, are you aiming for semi-humanoid? What is its intended function? 

I have something similar on the back burner, and was lucky enough to find an electric wheel chair in almost new condition which I'll use for the platform. I posted it for sale for $200 to any disabled person because I thought it serves best for what it was intended, but in 6 months no one wanted it. I then tried donating it to disabled homes etc. "no thanks., it's a liability issue". So it will be evolving soon. 

I also lucked out with a $600 autonomous vacume cleaner someone threw out because the battery was done. Same 2 drivewheel system, and its A. I. and learns its environment. Not sure if I can hack it for my purposes but I'm sure gonna try. 
I may struggle to tie all the functions together as I plan to add a lot of other functionality to it. I want it to be able to assist with heavy lifting and carrying, but my ultimate goal is to add facial and voice recognition and the ability to interact with humans in a meaningful way.

I also just wanted to mention why I think the chuck key thing is important. Beginners see the photos we post and follow our example. Secondly, if we don't develop a firm habit of never having key in the chuck without a hand attached we could easily make a mistake if distracted or concentrating on something else.

Keep us updated on your progress with the robot please.


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## eugene13 (Mar 23, 2019)

This is one of the most entertaining threads I've read in a long time. Keep us posted on the robot and don't sweat the small stuff.


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## BGHansen (Mar 23, 2019)

Robo_Pi said:


> No problem Dave.
> 
> People are right that it's probably not a good idea to post pictures that might give newbies bad ideas.    I would have removed the key when taking the photo had I realized it was in there.
> 
> I was actually upset to discover it was in the photo after I came in to post the photo.   But what could I do?  I wasn't about to go back out and set everything back up again just to get a keyless shot.  Although if I was writing an article for a machinist magazine that's precisely what I would have needed to do.   Either that or get fired.


Congrats on surviving the onslaught . . .  I left the chuck key in my Clausing once and started the lathe, threw the key about 10 feet. Happy to report no injuries.  I'm a bit anal about where the key is now and am a proponent of "if you think it could be a problem, take action then".

Great job on your project. Wish I knew how to hook up a raspberry pi and some of the other modern technology.

Bruce


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

GrayTech said:


> Hey Robo_pi, nice project! Looks very interesting, you mentioned arm's, are you aiming for semi-humanoid? What is its intended function?



Yes the intended purpose is "_semi-humaniod_" in a way.   I was even thinking of building a bi-pedal walking robot.  I have really good ideas on how to design one.   But I'm limited in both time and budget so I figure I better go for a simple base.   I was even thinking of going for tracks first, but then decided on these wheels.   The way this is set up it should be able to turn around on a dime.    In fact, that's one of the first thing I'll program it to do.   This will allow the robot to turn around in restricted spaces. 

I want the base to be fairly heavy to stabilize a potentially tall robot.  I'm planning on using two car-sized batteries in the base, plus the motors.  So the base should be quite heavy.   These tires are made for dollies and two of them should easily be able to carry a big refrigerator.   In fact I know they can because I have a two-wheel dolly with these same tires.    Plus my robot will have four of these tires, so in theory it should be able to carry the weight of two large refrigerators.   I don't expect to carry that much weight, but I always design things for overkill. 

An electric wheel chair should also make a perfect base for a large robot.  You've already got the motors and drive done for you.  You can't beat that. 

I have yet to build the drive train and I'm not even sure yet where I'm going to get the motors for it.  I'm looking for something I can salvage from other equipment.  The Budget for my robot is near non-existent.  These four wheels and tires only cost $16.    $3.99 each at Harbor Freight.  This is one reason they were chosen.  

I am hoping to build arm that have enough range of motion and strength to do most household tasks.   So yes, I am hoping to build this thing to help out around the house eventually.  If I live long enough to see it completed. 

I also plan to give it a human face.   I already bought the mask to use.   I looked around for a human face to use for a robot and they wanted outrageous prices for them  Ranging from like $500 to $5000.   I found one for $30.




It's not perfect by far, but for $30 it will do.    It's totally flexible like human skin and is complete.    It even has the back of the head and the ears.     The eyes are cut open as are the nose nostrils.    For $30 I figured it's worth messing around with.   This will be a purely cosmetic feature of course.    And I'll need to build the entire skull to go with it.    This is a project in its own right.   A person could dedicate their life to trying to get this face to look real.    Like I say, it's very flexible like real skin.  So the idea is to build a skull filled with micro servos to manipulate the face and make it appear to be talking, etc.   

I even found a place where I can buy extremely realistic eyeballs quite cheap.  As well as a set of teeth.   And a halloween "prank tongue" would actually work well as a tongue.   Like I say, a person could dedicate full-time to just building this face.   I wish has had some young students around who would be willing to build it for me.  

I've actually had the idea of putting it out on a robotics forum as an offer to see if I can get other people to work on it collectively.  I could provide the basic plans and maybe even manufacture some parts in bulk for everyone to get started building.   They would of course need to buy their own mask and servos, etc. 

Because, let's face it, in reality I just don't have enough time to do everything I'd like to do.  Sadly. 

I have tons of ideas and no way to make them become reality.


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

BGHansen said:


> Great job on your project. Wish I knew how to hook up a raspberry pi and some of the other modern technology.



It's all pretty easy anymore.  Everything is basically done for you.    All you need to do is follow step-by-step instructions on how to get it up and running.   And there are specific articles for just about anything you could ever want to do with one. 

If you know next to nothing about programming computers and robotics the best place to start, IMHO, is with an Arduino micro-controller.   You can get started with an Arduino pretty quickly.  

In fact, I highly recommend the DroneBot Workshop , Bill has excellent videos that walk you through every step of every project. 

Then after gaining some experience with the Arduino you could move up to a Raspberry Pi a lot easier.    Although there is quite a bit you can do with just an Arduino.


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## GrayTech (Mar 23, 2019)

Robo_pi, large windscreen wiper motors may work for drive motors with one on each wheel, but you won't be winning any races.


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

GrayTech said:


> Robo_pi, large windscreen wiper motors may work for drive motors with one on each wheel, but you won't be winning any races.



This particular base is only going to be used indoors.  So it won't need to be very fast.   I've already started construction on a second base for this same robot.   I probably should draw these things up in Sketchup, but that takes time so I tend to just build everything right from imagination.  

But the idea I have is that this smaller base will be the indoor base.  When the robot wants to go outside it keeps this base but drives up onto the larger base and locks onto it.  The larger base has similar tires but they are also larger in diameter.   I'm also thinking of making the outdoor base powered by propane and an internal combustion engine.  So power for the outdoor unit won't be a problem.   I think this arrangement will also be nice because when the robot comes to the door, the outdoor base will have dirty tires,   But the smaller house-base will still have clean tires.  So the robot then just drives off the outdoor base into the house.

The outdoor base can then actually go somewhere and park itself.   Because it's easy enough to have it also controlled by the "Overseer" program and WiFi.

Like I say, I have big dreams.

That's not even the end of it.   I'm also thinking of making a tree-climbing robot.  Physically it will be a whole new robot, but electronically it will just be another copy of this robot.  So it won't be any additional electron design, or programming. 

The tree-climbing robot will be made from a small extension latter.   I already have the latter.  But that's all I have so far.  

The idea is to have large grippers at each end of the ladder.  And have it climb trees like an inch-worm.   Grabbing on at the top, then pulling up the bottom.   Then grabbing on at the bottom and extending the top, etc.   The idea is to have a small chainsaw on it so that I can use it to selectively cut dead branches off tall trees.   

So many ideas, so little time to create them all.


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## dave_r_1 (Mar 23, 2019)

When I first started using a lathe, I repeatedly would forget to remove the key from the chuck.  Fortunately, the chuck and keys are pretty big, so when I would turn on the lathe, it would spin around to the far side of the lathe, and break off the key before it got up to speed.  I'm on the last key I have, and I've been a lot better at removing it right after tightening/loosening the chuck...


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## Robo_Pi (Mar 23, 2019)

dave_r_1 said:


> When I first started using a lathe, I repeatedly would forget to remove the key from the chuck.  Fortunately, the chuck and keys are pretty big, so when I would turn on the lathe, it would spin around to the far side of the lathe, and break off the key before it got up to speed.  I'm on the last key I have, and I've been a lot better at removing it right after tightening/loosening the chuck...



They sell chuck keys that have a spring on them to make them pop out of the chuck if you aren't pushing in on the chuck key.    That way you can't leave them in accidentally.   I imagine it would also be a pretty simple modification to add a spring to an existing chuck key.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 24, 2019)

Robo_Pi said:


> They sell chuck keys that have a spring on them to make them pop out of the chuck if you aren't pushing in on the chuck key. That way you can't leave them in accidentally. I imagine it would also be a pretty simple modification to add a spring to an existing chuck key.



Yes , they do . I find them to be a nuisance , but they do accomplish the job .


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## darkzero (Mar 24, 2019)

I hate those damn springs. First thing I do is take em off & toss em in the trash. Well not maybe not in the trash but I have no idea where they are now.


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## dave_r_1 (Mar 24, 2019)

Robo_Pi said:


> They sell chuck keys that have a spring on them to make them pop out of the chuck if you aren't pushing in on the chuck key.    That way you can't leave them in accidentally.   I imagine it would also be a pretty simple modification to add a spring to an existing chuck key.



What's funny/odd is that the lathe came with a drill chuck for the tailstock, and the key for that does have a spring...


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## stupoty (Mar 24, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> I'm just bustin your chops Robo , no harmful intentions . But , nothing good could come of a key left in a chuck . This is machining 101 . You're out free on bail !



Had a shop teacher in school, ex polish air force guy, first class was "everyone crouch behind work benches" puts drill chuck key in drill press, turns on drill press, key embeds in wall "dont leave key in chuck"  .

To be fair to the guy it did work well as a teaching method, 

Stu


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## vtcnc (Mar 24, 2019)

Cripes! Ok, he gets it!! Don’t leave mankillers in chuck. Can we release the hostages and give him back his thread?! 


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