I know I haven't been around for a very long time. School did its best to keep me busy and away from the microcontroller world this semester. However, the semester is almost over and I have already started thinking about what kind of projects I will want to work on over the break and presumably next semester before classes start getting difficult again.
Also, I have added a new project on the blog. Well, I say new, but it is actually something I did all the way back in April 2012. I just had a chance to share it. It is called the Multifunctional Bluetooth Temperature Probe. Yeah, yeah, I know it has a cheesy name, but that was the best I could come up with. Still though, you should check it out! You should also watch the video of me explaining how the system works. That is also pretty cheesy, so you might get a laugh or two out of it. Don't blame me, I am not good in front of the camera, I get excited.
Now to the topic, NEW PROJECTS! I have two projects that have been keeping my brain busy past few days!
- MSP430 Powered Remote Controlled Car!
I have already started gathering the parts I will need for this project! First of all, I need an RC car. You might ask, why are you buying an RC car to build an RC car? Well, the answer is my brains only works for electrical stuff, not much for mechanical. An RC car has all the gears and other small parts needed to turn and spin the wheels. That is the kind of stuff I wouldn't be able to take care of on my own. The reason why I want to this project is that I have never worked on a "robotics" project before. And this project involves a sort of motor controlling application, so I figured I would challenge myself!
Better yet, I might even upgrade the motor that will come with the RC car. I had one big criteria for the RC car when I was online looking for it, I wanted the biggest RC car that I could find (and I could afford). I figured it would be pointless to buy a fully functioning RC car and then "turning it into" another RC car. So I went on eBay and found this gem at this link. It is 1/10 Scale Ferrari Modena RC Car. Better yet, the mechanics are intact and it even comes with a battery!
Picture of the donor RC Car
In short, here is the plan with this project. Once I get all the parts I need, I will take all of the electronics out of the Ferrari and replace them with my own. The brain will be an MSP430G2553 (most likely) and it will control two motors. One is the main motor that drives the rear wheels, the other is a servo which will control the front wheels. I will also have to build a remote control for this guy, for which I will use an old X-Box controller. The driver will have full control over throttle and steering, which means that the speed of the car will be fully controllable (between 0%-100%). Same goes for steering, wheels will not only fully lock into one direction but will be able to turn to any degree in between (this is where the servo comes in).
Before I end this post, I just want to say that I have many crazy ideas running through my head. I am thinking about making this system as complicated as possible. For example, I am thinking about adding an LCD screen to the controller which will show me the state of charge on the car, how much current the motors are pulling and how many volts the battery measures...
The Graphical LCD screen mentioned above.
One last note, which may come to you as a surprise, the wireless communication will be via Bluetooth. Yes I know you didn't expect me to choose Bluetooth, it is not like I ever prefer Bluetooth in my projects (sarcasm). But do visit the blog regularly, I am in the process of collecting the materials and once I have them all, I will build this!
Thanks guys,
-Anil
Update: I just won the auction on eBay for that Ferrari RC car!
