| We’ve been working feverishly away to add even more robot parts and upgrades for your greater building pleasure. Here are some highlights of the cool new products that have just been added to the Trossen Robotics catalog! |
PICBEE- Finally an easy method to use the Maxstream XBEE module coupled with the power of the Microchip PIC 18F series micro-controller. As a stand alone board, it can be a development platform or target device for nearly any application. This is perfect for creating a wireless sensory aquisistion network! |
Maxbotix WR-1 – Sonar Low-Voltage Weather-Resistant Ultrasonic Range Finder (IP67 Rated) With 3V – 5.5V power the LV-MaxSonar®-WR1™ provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in a compact, robust PVC housing, designed to meet IP67 water intrusion, and matches standard electrical ¾” PCV pipe fittings. |
The Roboduino is a Freeduino (Arduino software compatible) microcontroller board designed for robotics. All of its connections have neighboring power buses into which servos and sensors can easily be plugged. Additional headers for power and serial communication are also provided. The kits come fully assembled and with a USB cable for programming and debugging. |
The IOWizard is used when additional I/O capabilities are required. The IOWizard features an I2C interface that allows users to query 5 analog inputs and 10 digital I/O lines. The default I2C slave address is 100d (0×64h), and it can be changed to a value between 100d and 110d (0×6Eh). |
Looking to make your Robobuilder Humanoid more durable? This Metal Bracket Upgrade Kit is the way to go! These high-quality aluminum brackets reinforce the legs and servo joints to fortify your robot to take a beating during competitions or rough play. |
The Robobuilder 3-Axis Accelerometer sensor module measures the acceleration in all three axis (X, Y and Z). Read measurements range from -7 to +7. Integral number 1 can be translated into 1/4g (here g stands for gravity acceleration). By analyzing the return value on each axis you can determine the actual position/orientation of the robot at any time. |
Archive for the ‘Product Spotlight’ Category
New Robot Parts Roundup!
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009Bucket O’ Sprockets!
Thursday, February 5th, 2009More Grab Bag Goodies!
Looking for sprockets? We had a surplus of various steel sprockets and lock collars from McMaster Carr and decided to put them into Grab Bags at a deep discount to clear them out. Perfect for your next big bot! These are not ‘random’ grab bags in that we are guaranteeing that you will receive a specific quantity of each type of sprocket, check out the product page for details. Now aside from the guaranteed sprockets and parts, we’re also throwing in an additional 9-10 random parts as a bonus! These Grab Bags would retail for about $150, and we’re selling them for a third of that. Get ‘em while they last!
MAKE: Getting started with the 3pi
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009Make came up with a very easy to read “Getting Started” guide for the Pololu 3pi, which we carry as a complete starter kit. If you’re looking for an inexpensive platform to start programming in C with, you won’t find a better value than the 3pi Robot.
This week I am going to show you how to get up and running with the 3pi by Pololu. I will be going through all the steps needed to upload the line following program that is included from Pololu. Getting started with the 3pi isn’t too difficult, but there are a few applications and drivers that need to be installed.
Note: In this tutorial I will be using a PC running Vista. You can program the 3pi on a Mac running OSX or Linux, but it’s a different procedure. You can even program the 3pi through the Arduino IDE!
Phidgets, Arduinos, and Axons, Oh My!
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009We love the smell of fresh circuit boards in the morning! We’re always adding new gizmos and robotic goodies, but here’s a few items we’ve added recently that might be of interest to you tinkerers out there!
From Phidgets we have the return of the 8/8/8 Interface Kit w/ USB Hub. This is a heavy duty 6 port USB Hub, supplying 500ma per port to allow daisychaining of multiple Phidgets devices.
We’d also like to introduce the new Bipolar 1 Motor Stepper controller. Stepper motor controllers can be difficult to find at times, Phidgets makes it easy with this USB board and their reknowned API and software support behind it!
Our buddies over at Sparkfun, the next-gen Radio Shack of our times, continue to amaze us with the amount of neat electronic gadgets they pump out at insane speeds. Joining our Arduino and Atmel line up are the Arduino Pro and Arduino Pro Mini. Both are a minimalist approach to the popular Arduino microcontrollers, allowing you to add headers and wires as you see fit.
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And last but certainly not least, the Axon Microcontroller is back in stock! This board initially sold quicker than Society of Robots could make them, but we’re glad to say we’ve finally got them back in stock. These Atmel 640 based power-horse microcontrollers are a roboticist’s dream, boasting 55 I/O ports, a built in USB compiler, and a impressive software library. Pick yours up today!
Let’s give the Robonova a hand! Err, Stand!
Monday, January 19th, 2009Humanoid robots are everywhere these days, and we encounter plenty of builders on our forums that come up with all sorts of ways to suspend their bots while creating new walking motions, dances, and kung fu moves. Hitec has decided to give their builders a hand by creating this inexpensive and awesomely designed Humanoid Robot Stand.
A humanoid robot stand for $25 bucks? We had to check it out for ourselves so we tore one open and got to building, and five minutes later our Robonova was kicking freely. We also found that the Bioloid humanoid fits pretty well, which effectively kills two birds with one stone!
Pi > Cake! 3pi Robot Starter Kits available now!
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008This robot is wicked cool. And tiny. And for a pile of PCB, wheels, LCDs, and various components, it’s pretty darned cute too. Our friends over at Pololu came up with the 3pi Robot, and the amount of features they packed into this tiny robot is truly amazing.
At only 3.7″ in diameter it moves at up to 3 feet per second, boasts an Atmega 168 C programmable microcontroller, 5 reflective sensors, an LCD screen, 2 precision gear head motors, push-buttons, a buzzer, and room for expansion using your own sensors! If you’re looking for a serious platform to get started in programming the very popular AVR’s from Atmel, this is the robot for you! Our starter kit comes with the 3pi Robot, an Orangutan USB AVR Programmer, and an mini USB cable- everything you need to get started.
Here’s an introduction video explaining how to get started using the 3pi Robot!
Big Blue Saw’s End of the Year Sale!
Monday, December 15th, 2008Our friends over at Big Blue Saw are having another sale, which is pretty much a dream come true for Roboticists building their own bots. They are generously offering discount quantity pricing on as little as single part orders, which means major savings for anyone looking to get custom work done for their projects. If you’ve ever looked into machine shop pricing you’ll know what a fantastic deal this is, you won’t find pricing like this anywhere so be sure to check them out! Founder Simon Arthur explains the details:
Big Blue Saw’s latest sale starts Tuesday, December 16, 2008 and ends Tuesday, January 6, 2009.
With this sale any aluminum 6061 parts of 0.1 inch or 0.063 inch thickness are automatically automatically eligible for a quantity discount — even on orders of as little as one part!
This is an excellent opportunity to try our services — you can order just one small part, and save on the setup charges.
This offer is valid for orders placed through our online ordering system only.
About the materials
Aluminum 6061
One of the perennial favorite materials at Big Blue Saw, the 6061 alloy of aluminum features excellent strength and light weight. It is weldable and has good corrosion resistance. This alloy is a true “aircraft aluminum”. Among many other applications, it was chosen by NASA to construct the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle.
MechRC Humanoid Back in Stock!
Monday, December 15th, 2008When we first announced that we had the MechRC Humanoid Robot is in stock and ready to ship, they flew off the shelves almost instantly selling out. We now have limited quantities back in stock and are shipping out immediately, just in time for the Holidays! These won’t last long, so if you’re still looking for a great robotic gift for a loved one or even yourself, pick one up quick!
We’d also like to share this awesomely over-the-top promotional video:
Three New VEX Starter Bundles Now Available
Friday, December 12th, 2008This time of year is very exciting for students and teachers as they ramp up for competitions in the new year. VEX Robotics has been a very popular choice in the Educational Robotics field and has recently expanded their product line!
The baseline kits have been upgraded to the Protobot Robot Kit, which is a versatile wheeled platform and make the perfect starting point for any competition. Around the Protobot three different starter bundles are offered, the Radio Controlled Starter Bundle, the Autonomous Control Starter Bundle, and the Dual Control Starter Bundle. These give students and teachers a headstart by providing all the essentials to get started building for their competitions no matter the type or control method. Trossen Robotics would like to wish all of those participating in this upcoming year’s competitions the best of luck!
Need to Control a Ridiculous Amount of Servos?
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008We’ve got you covered. The Acroname 84 Channel USB Servo Controller allows you to control an almost absurd amount of servos making this the perfect board for any over-achiever’s robotics project. Now if controlling 84 servos wasn’t enough, get this: Each of the 84 channels can be set to Digital Input, Digital Output or Servo Output. Additionally, 36 of the channels can act as 10-bit Analog inputs. That makes this one of our most versatile I/O boards yet!
