Powered by Step 1: Simple Bots: Buck
Just like a bull, a bronco, and a ninja, Buck has a lot of kick. With spring-loaded feet, this noisy little bot does a lot of stomping about. Everywhere Buck goes, commotion ensues. This keeps people on their toes, which is a good attribute for any bot to have.
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Step 2: Go get stuff
You will need:
(x1) continuous rotation servo modified for direct drive**
(x1) 4" x 3" x 2" plastic container
(x1) 4 X AA battery holder
(x1) 5" cylindrical metal drawer pull (with two arms)
(x1) 8-32 x 2" bolt
(x3) 8-32 nut
(x2) 4-40 x 3/4" bolt
(x4) 4-40 nuts
(x2) 1/8" (inner diameter) x 1/2" plastic spacer
(x1) 3/4" to 1" extension spring
(x2) 4-40 x 1/4" nuts and bolts
(x1) Assorted zip ties
**Modify your servos for direct drive here
Step 3: Drill
Drill two 1/8" holes opposite each other on the servo horn.
Step 4: Fasten
Pass the 4-40 x 3/4" bolts up through the holes in the servo horn.
Thread a nut all the way down to fasten them in place.
Slide on the plastic spacer, and then screw on another nut to fasten this in place, as well.
Step 5: Mark
Lay the drawer pull on its side and make a mark on the top surface 3" from one side of the handle.
Step 6:
Drill a 3/16" hole through the handle in the spot that was marked.
Step 7: Spring
Slide the spring down to the end of the 2" bolt. Fasten this firmly in place with a nut.
Thread another nut half way down the bolt.
Now, slide the bolt into the hole that was drilled in the drawer pull.
Fasten the bolt in place by threading on yet one more nut.
Step 8: Mark and Drill
Turn the plastic container upside down. Measure 1/4" up from the container's lip and 2" in from the side of the container. Make a mark.
Make an identical mark mirrored on the opposite side of the plastic container.
Drill both of these marks with a 1/2" spade bit.
Step 9: Insert
Insert the metal drawer pull through the 1/2" holes that were just drilled. The drawer pulls mounting arms should be orientated so that they stick upward out of the containers opening.
The arms of the drawer pull should also be sticking out beyond the opening of the plastic container.
Note: The drawer pull that was used here had a removable arm which twisted off. Being able to take this off, slide it into place and reattach it, made this task easier.
Step 10: Drill Some More
Position the free end of the tension spring such that it is touching up against the bottom of the plastic container.
Flip the container over and make a mark on each side of the spring's mounting ring.
Drill through both of these marks with an 1/8" drill bit.
Step 11: Fasten
Using the holes that you have just drilled, zip tie the spring to the bottom of the plastic container.
Step 12: Motor Mount
Place the servo on the inside of the plastic container, next to the drawer pull, in a manner such that the whole motor is on the inside of the container and the bottom of the servo is flush with one of the side walls.
Make marks that line up with the servo's mounting holes and drill them with a 1/8" drill bit.
Step 13: Mount the Motor
Using the mounting holes that were just drilled, zip tie the motor in place such that the servo horn is closer to the drawer pull.
The rods jutting out of the servo horn should now be coming into contact with the bolt inserted through to the drawer pull.
Step 14: Drill a hole
Drill a 1/8" hole in a spot on the plastic container where you can pass through the servo's power wires without interfering with the operation of the motor.
Step 15: Battery Mount
With the plastic container still turned upside down, place the battery holder centered atop the container.
Make a mark in each of the holder's mounting holes and then use these as guides to drill two 1/8" holes.
Step 16: Mount the Battery Holder
Fasten the battery holder to the outside of the plastic container using 4-40 x 1/4" nuts and bolts.
Step 17: Wire it up
Solder together the red wire from the battery holder with the red wire from the servo and the black wire from the battery holder with the black wire from the servo.
Step 18: Clean up
Zip tie the wires together to make them neater and to separate the solder connections so that they cannot come into contact with each other.
Step 19: Power
Insert batteries and watch it go.
License: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.
