Robot Builders Source Book - Gordon McComb Episode 1 Part 8 doc

Datasheets available on the Web site; products are available from distributors such as Digi-Key.. The main benefit of the manufacturers listed here is the product datasheets and applicat

Industrial Profile Systems 202497

 +41 55 251 5858

 +41 55 251 5868

 info@kanya.com

 http://www.kanya.com/

Aluminum extrusions are

commonly used with T-nuts to

build versatile machine frames.

Machine-Framing Alternatives

If machine framing is too rich for your blood, but you like the idea of assembling framingusing tubing and connectors, consider retail display fixture hardware designed for retailstores Available in plastic, aluminum, or steel, this round or square material can be cut tolength, then joined using various connectors

One common style is 1 1/2-inch PVC tubing, available in white, gray, black, and othercolors The tubing connects with various shapes of corner connectors For example:

• A two-way L joins two pieces of pipe at a right angle

• A three-way T joins three pieces of pipe: two pipes connected end to end and a third

as a riser

• A four-way T joins four pieces of pipe in an intersection arrangement

and so on The pipe is made to fit snugly into the connectors PVC is easy to cut

and drill, so you can readily attach other components to the frame One popular retail

store fixture system is Kee Klamp, made by Kee Industrial Products

Yet another idea is to using so-called furniture-grade PVC

pipe for small robot frames This pipe, available in sizes

ranging from 3/4 to 2 inches, is intended to make outdoor

furniture using PVC pipe and fittings It is furniture grade

because the pipe has been treated with an

ultraviolet-resistant chemical (ordinary PVC becomes brittle in time

from exposure to ultraviolet)

As with retail store fixture materials, you can cut the pipe

to length and assemble it using various connectors Use

PVC solvent cement to prevent the pipe from working loose

(or you can use self-tapping screws if you want to be able

to disassemble the frame in the future) Cut holes in the

pipe to mount other components

Use PVC pipe and fittings to make lightweight robot frames.

Manufacturer of machine framing Web site is in

multi-ple languages, including English, Deutsch, French, and

Spanish Available through agents worldwide

Kee makes round tube structures (play structures,

scaf-folds, etc.) and fittings Their Kee Klamp system can be

used to produce exceptionally strong heavy-duty robots

without welding, drilling, or bolting (you need to cut

the pieces to length) Offices worldwide Their online

catalog includes clear color pictures of all the arts so

you can more readily visualize how you might construct

something with their system

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2101 Jericho Turnpike Box 5416

New Hyde Park, NY 11042-5416USA

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Selected Sellers of Retail Store Fixtures

Alpha Store Fixtures, Inc.

Machine Framing: Erector Sets for Big Boys and Girls

Ever watch a scaffold being erected at a building site? With nothing more than some pipeand connectors, the scaffold can be built to most any shape and any size—within the lim-its of physics, of course The scaffold is a kind of large-scale construction toy, not unlikethe basic concept of the Erector set, LEGO, Construx, K’NEX, and a long line of similartoys The difference is simply one of scale

Imagine something in-between toy construction sets and scaffolding That’s the ideabehind machine framing The system employs lengths of plastic or aluminum rod, con-nected together with various elbows, tees, and hinges Rather than a simple rounded rod,the material is extruded into unique profiles: hexagonal or square shapes, with flangesand ribs that make it easy to secure other components

With machine framing you can more quickly design the body and other structures ofyour robots The framing pieces are cut to length with a hacksaw, then assembled withconnectors and other hardware The typical machine-framing construction does notrequire drilling, taping, or welding, and this is the main attraction of the system Everythingcan be fastened tightly together using the supplied connectors and hardware

Aluminum Leads the Parade

The most common form of machine framing is made with

aluminum and goes by the more mundane descriptor of

minum profile extrusions Several manufacturers offer

alu-minum extrusions, each one with slightly different shapes

and connector types (so they aren’t always compatible with

one another)

Framing profiles comes in a variety of sizes and usually in

two “classes”: fractional and metric The choice depends on

what measurement system you’re most comfortable

work-ing in We’ll assume fractional for our discussion, but note

that similar products are available in equivalent metric sizes

as well

Machine-framing components are first measured by their cross-section dimensions,such as 1 by 1 inch, or 1 1/2 by 2 inch For most robots, the smaller material is sufficient,and it’s less expensive all around Sizes of up to 3 by 6 inches are available, when maxi-mum structural strength is required

Literally hundreds of profiles (extrusion shapes) are available, with the “T-slot” the mostcommon In this profile, a T-shaped slot is extruded on all four sides of a square tube.With the proper hardware, other components can be fastened anywhere along the length

of the slot Components can be moved to another position along the length simply byloosening their fastener, sliding it up or down, and retightening No drilling! No welding!Frames are constructed using connectors, fasteners, or hinges Depending on the sys-tem, a square frame can be made using four lengths of profile extrusion and four L-shaped connectors Hinges offer added flexibility by allowing you to set the angle of thejoined pieces The hinges can be tightened to stay in place

Now, How About Cost?

While machine framing offers a fast and efficient way to build the frames and othermechanical systems of medium and large robots, the cost is not cheap Most extrusionsare sold by the foot or the inch A 6-foot length of 1 by 1 inch T-slot costs on averageabout $15 to $20 A similar length of extruded aluminum channel stock, available at the

An aluminum profile extrusion.

Kits, projects, and spare parts of aluminum profile

extrusions, connectors, hinges, and other components

Nice prices, and the extra lengths of aluminum framing

are precut to standard sizes

See also Evolution Robotics:

http://www.evolution.com/

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home improvement store, is barely half that amount; of

course, to use it you must drill mounting holes as needed

Costs can be controlled by carefully selecting the pieces

you need, in the exact lengths you need, so there is no

waste A foot of wasted extrusion can cost several dollars,

so it’s wise to make your investment stretch as far as it can

Somewhat less expensive is plastic extrusion This

mate-rial is not as strong as aluminum extrusion, and

supplemen-tary hardware is not as extensive However, it costs

consid-erably less Like aluminum extrusions, the common style in

plastic is the T-slot, either with a square shape or an

octa-gon (eight-sided) profile

Plastic extrusions are cheaper, but not quite as strong.

X-Beams packages pre-cut extrusions and connectors Photo XBeams, Inc.

 Manufacturer

The following sections list manufacturers of products of

keen interest to the robot constructionist These

include components, semiconductors, tools, and hobby

products

Most manufacturers won’t sell directly to the public

But they are nevertheless good resources for product

information, datasheets, and application notes

Plus, a growing number of manufacturers are selling

refurbished gear and replacement parts directly from

their Web sites Example replacement parts include

motors, gearboxes, and batteries for cordless drills and

screwdrivers, or wheels and drive shafts for power

gar-den equipment Scan the company’s parts catalog and

you’re sure to find items that can be used on a robot

G

Manufacturer-Components

Manufacturers listed here produce electronic parts that

aren’t classified as semiconductors Most of what you’ll

find here are used in robotics for sensors, such as linear

and rotary potentiometers for position sensors and

LED and infrared components for proximity sensors

Also included here are manufacturers of connectors,

wiring harnesses, relays, switches, and other electronics

hardware

Most of the manufacturers in this section do not sell

directly to individuals, but a few will sell in small

quanti-ties via phone orders or the Internet

active components, such as transistors

Retail-General Electronics: Another source

for buying this stuff

Sensors-Distance & Proximity:

Self-con-tained sensors using technologies found in this

• Chip resistors and chip arrays

• Pointing devices (strain gauge analog joysticks, nowhandled by Synaptics)

• Encoders

• Precision rotary potentiometers

• Resistor and R/C networks

• Linear motion potentiometers

x 

9615 SW Allen Blvd

Ste 103Beaverton, OR 97005USA

Copyright 2003 by Gordon McComb Click Here for Terms of Use.

 (503) 643-6129

 (800) 275-4899

 http://www.cui.com/

Encoders, switches, sensors (pressure, current),

speak-ers, connectors, piezo transducers Some product line

1800 Industrial Way North

• Heyco Flex II-liquid tight tubing and fittings

• Heyco Flex V-slit tubing

• Shorty, Universal, and Armbor bushings

• Wire clips-J, C, and U style

• Aluminum solderless connectors

Sold through distributors or direct from the turer

manufac- x 

2575 East Bayshore Rd

Palo Alto, CA 94303-3210USA

59-25 Little Neck Pkwy

Little Neck, NY 11362-2591USA

 (408) 946.4873

 (408) 941.4597

 http://www.liteon.com/

Infrared receiver modules, LEDs, phototransistors,

photointerrupters Useful site for app notes and spec

sheets Datasheets available on the Web site; products

are available from distributors such as Digi-Key

to create such things as sensors

SEE ALSO:

Retail-Arts & Crafts: Sells a variety of stickymaterials

Retail-Hardware & Home Improvement:

Glues and adhesives for the home

Supplies-Glues & Adhesives: Retail sources forthese products

61 Katie Ln

Swanzey, NH 03446USA

Manufacturer and distributor of Opto- and

Photo-Electronic Components and devices

Mallory

http://www.nacc-mallory.com/

Makers of capacitors, “Sonalert” piezo annunciator,

and other electronics components

Ambroid makes glues: Ambroid liquid cement eral adhesive), styrene plastic cement, Proweld (forABS, styrene, butyrate and acrylic plastics), EZ Maskpeel-away liquid, and Tac-N-Place The products areavailable in many hobby stores and in arts and craftsstores.

(gen-x 

3M Product Information 3M Center, 515-3N-06

St Paul, MN 55144-1000USA

Among the most useful products:

• Engineered adhesives (spray, tape, putty, reclosablefasteners-like Velcro, only more aggressive sticki-ness)

• Paints and protective coatings

• Abrasives (sandpaper, Scotch-Bright)

• Foils and tapes (metal, plastic, paper, duct, foam)

x 

Oe of the many products pages at the

 info@graphicvisioninc.com

 http://www.ambroid.com/

Makers of unusual adhesive tapes, including transfer

tape, which is just the gooey part, without the backing

It’s used heavily in manufacturing, because the

light-weight adhesive keeps parts in place when ordinary

tapes will not

Additional offices around the world Check the Web

site for locations, addresses, and phone numbers Main

Web site is in English and German

Tesa products are available from retailers and

distribu-tors Try the following Google.com search phrase:

tesa adhesive transfer tape



@

Manufacturer-Semiconductors

Semiconductors include integrated circuits, transistors

(signal and power), diodes, and related circuitry The

semiconductor manufacturers listed here run the

gamut from large multi-billion-dollar companies with

fabrication factories around the world to small specialty

designers that “send out” their ICs, transistors, and

other parts to be built by someone else

As it turns out, the smaller outfits often have the most

interesting specialty products Look especially for

motor controllers, power drivers, switching regulators,

DC-DC converters, analog-to-digital converters,

solid-state accelerometers and tilt sensors, optical sensors,

LCD drivers, and microcontrollers

Most companies listed in this section do not sell directly

to individuals The main benefit of the manufacturers

listed here is the product datasheets and application

notes you can obtain from them These are routinely

published as PDFs, which require the free Adobe

Acrobat Reader program to view (see

http://www.adobe.com/ for downloading details)

Note that a number ofsemiconductor makers are

only too happy to send out free samples When

sam-ples are available, they are typically for current

prod-uct only (no legacy prodprod-ucts kept in stock for

perpe-tuity), and package styles are limited—for instance,

ICs only in surface mount and not in DIP packages

Check the companys’ Web sites for their samples

policies

SEE ALSO:

Distributor/Wholesaler-Industrial Electronics: Purchase semiconductors

Internet-Research: Look for semiconductors

by part number (e.g., Findchips.com and IC ChipDirectory)

Electronics-Display: LCD panels to go alongwith LCD driver ICs

Microcontrollers-Hardware: Includesmakers of microcontroller ICs and subsystems

Retail-General Electronics: Purchase conductors

semi-Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 203071One AMD Pl

P.O Box 3453Sunnyvale, CA 94088USA

x 

SPG Technical Response Center

3175 Bowers Ave

Santa Clara, CA 95054USA

no purchasing information is available) Copiousamounts of datasheets and application notes are avail-able for download from the site (most are in AdobeAcrobat PDF format)

Some of Agilent’s product lines include:

Among key products for robotics include optical mouse

ICs and sensors for optical navigation One particularly

useful chip is the ADNS-2051 optical mouse sensor

This chip works by taking thousands of digital pictures

each second It has a resolution of up to 800 counts per

inch (CPI) and can track motion of up to 14 inches per

second One possible application is robot odometry

over nonfibrous (i.e., not carpeted) surfaces Specifics

regarding this chip can be found at:

http://www.agilent.com/view/opticalnavigation/

Note the staggered DIP package design; this is not your

standard IC, and it requires special prototyping boards

or custom circuit boards

In addition, Agilent offers a number of low- and

medium-cost optical linear and rotary encoders for

motion control To round out the line, the company

provides various versions of quadrature encoder

inter-face and counter ICs, including several that are in a DIP

(dual-inline pin) IC package, making them easy to

• Motor control ICs for servo, DC, brushless, and per motors

step-Advanced Linear Devices, Inc.

http://www.aldinc.com/

Specializes in linear ICs, including powerMOSFETs, analog switches, voltage comparators,analog-to-digital converters, op-amps

Semiconductors, CCD imagers, and sensors

Smart Modular Technologies, Inc.

• H-bridge ICs

• Hall-effect sensors

Allegro provides a stunning amount of technical

infor-mation; look for their datasheets and application notes

(in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) A line of reference

design demo boards allows you to easily test and

exper-iment with various products

One Technology Way

Analog Devices is a key manufacturer of precision linear

semiconductors Among their product line is the

low-cost ADXL series ofaccelerometer/tilt sensors, which

can be readily used in amateur robotics Their Web site

contains copious amounts ofdatasheets, white papers,

application notes, and other documentation Samples

can be ordered directly from the site; a number of

industrial electronics distributors, such as Allied

Electronics and Newark, carry the Analog line for resale

The company’s main product lines include the

follow-ing:

• Single- and dual-axis accelerometers

• Analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters

embed-Analog Web site.

Analog Devices ADXL202 accelerometer module.

RISC processors, peripherals, and system-chip designs

to leading international electronics companies

Atmel manufactures a number of semiconductor lines

of interest to the robot experimenter First and

fore-most is their AVR 8-bit microcontrollers The AVRs

compete with Microchip’s PICmicro controllers The

AVR line was designed to be programmed using a

high-level language compiler, such as C or Basic ( several

such compilers—some free, some not—are available

for the AVR) Much of the available AVR line is

avail-able from online retailers such as Digi-Key and

Inland-Empire

AVR also manufactures 8051-architecture

microcon-trollers, 32-bit ARM microconmicrocon-trollers, Flash memory,

CCD imagers, RF identification chips, and field

pro-grammable gate arrays (FPGA)

Datasheets and application notes are provided for most

product in Adobe Acrobat PDF format

SEE ALSO:

http://www.ibutton.com/

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Web site for Atmel microcontrollers.

Where to Get Stuff: Freebies

Shhhh! I’m not supposed to tell you this, but a number of electronics component makerswill send you free samples, just for the asking While it helps if you’re an instructor at a

school, or an engineer working for a company building millions of units of some gizmo,the truth is, most semiconductor and electronics manufacturers will send free samples tomost anyone Just don’t be greedy, and observe limits to their kindness (most companieswill send a “handful” of parts—usually under two each, or a total of 10 per request)

Availability of freebies is especially useful, as the newest semiconductors may not becarried by distributors and wholesalers, making it hard to purchase these products Youcan get a jump ahead by asking for free samples and incorporating them in your work.Sample kits are also sometimes available from wholesalers, distributors, and resellers.Look for kits of parts, fasteners, or various types of hardware The kits are limited and areobviously meant to entice you into buying more, but they’re free, and you never know

when some piece from a kit will come in handy

Elantec Semiconductor, Inc 202959

Products include video amplifiers, laser diode drivers,

DC-DC converters, and MOSFET drivers Datasheets

available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format

Maker of specialty ICs, including video and imaging,

interface and timing (their XR2206

function/wave-form generator is an all-time classic), and serial UARTs

The usual datasheets, of course, are provided in Adobe

Fairchild manufactures just about every kind of

semi-conductor there is, including linear, logic,

microcon-troller, and interface chips Copious amounts of

datasheets are provided on the site

x 

2200 Mission College Blvd

Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119USA

mil-x 

233 Kansas St

El Segundo, CA 90245USA

as such are easy to identify

At the IR site you’ll find numerous application guides,fact sheets, and datasheets (in Adobe Acrobat PDF for-mat) The company sells some product directly, mainlyits reference design developer kits Individual compo-nents are available from distributors, and the onlinecatalog pages for the components include direct links

to distributor stock

x 

Intersil specializes in power-management ICs

(includ-ing power MOSFET components), analog/mixed

sig-nals ICs, and interface ICs Direct ordering is available

through the Web site, as are datasheets and application

notes (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format)

Makers of specialty linear semiconductors: bipolar

tran-sistors, DMOS switches, MOSFETs, A/D and D/A

con-verters, and voltage-controlled resistors

Maxim is a semiconductor maker, perhaps best known

to hobbyists for their power-management and ing ICs The company makes several compact switchingregulator chips that offer both ease of use and relativelyhigh currents The company also sells sensors, micro-controllers, and linear ICs Datasheets (in AdobeAcrobat PDF format) are available on the Web site.Online ordering is available

interfac-x 

2355 W Chandler Blvd

Chandler, AZ 85224USA

be sure to download and save them for study

The company is also involved with radio-frequencyidentification (RFID), selling readers and tags, as well

businesses, which include sensors, microcontrollers,

analog ICs, and digital ICs You’ll find plenty of

datasheets and application notes along the way

Maker of all kinds of semiconductors, including linear

and digital ICs, specialty ICs (e.g., motor drive), and

COP8 microcontrollers Datasheets available at the

Lots of stuff available, including:

Analog chips: amplifiers and comparators; analog

switches; mux/demux; battery management; interface

ICs; motor control; power management; thermal

man-agement

Logic chips: arithmetic; buffers/drivers; flip-flops;

gates; inverters; latches; mux/demux/encoders/

decoders; octals and bus interface; 16-bit/18-bit

tions; receivers/transceivers; translators; specialty

x 

2201 Laurelwood Rd

Santa Clara, CA 95054USA

x 

20 Route de Pre-Bois ICC Bldg

CH-1215 Geneva 15Switzerland

x 

12500 TI Blvd

Dallas, TX 75266-0199USA

 (972) 995-3773

 (972) 995-4360

 (800) 336-5236

 http://www.ti.com/

TI is a multifaceted electronics company with many

products useful to the robot builder These include

stan-dard TTL and CMOS logic, microcontrollers, op-amps,

linear devices such as the venerable LM555, motor

H-bridge circuits, so-called power management (DC-DC

converters, voltage regulators, MOSFET and power

driv-ers), ADC and DAC chips, and audio amplifiers

Among TI’s most used nongeneric products useful in

robotics is the L293D quad half-H driver (functionally

equivalent to the ST Micro L293D) and the SN754410

quad half-H driver (basically the same as an L293D, but

with greater current capacity) These two chips are used

extensively in small robot designs to control motors via

a microcontroller or computer

TI provides extensive datasheets and application notes

(in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) and even supplies

the approximate U.S price (per 1000 quantity) for

many of their products Products are available through

2727 North First St

San Jose, CA 95134USA

For the company’s U.S subsidiary’s Web site, see:http://www.winbond-usa.com/

Zarlink Semiconductor Inc 202962

Zarlink’s old name was Mitel Corp Their product line

is only indirectly related to amateur robotics and is

listed here more for their technical documentation and

white papers than for stuff you can buy Zarlink makes

semiconductor chips for such applications as global

positioning satellite, Bluetooth computing controllers,

embedded pacemakers, hearing aids, and wireless

net-works Check the Product & Design Data link for some

interesting reading on their products

Zilog makes microprocessors and support components

They helped usher in the personal computer with the

now—famous Z80 microprocessor—which is still

avail-able in updated packages and is often used in

embed-ded systems and single board computers Zilog also

offers general and special-use microcontrollers, wireless

infrared controllers, and other components

An extensive array of datasheets, application notes, and

developer tools is provided on the site Most are in

Adobe Acrobat PDF format Products are available for

sale from distributors, including Digi-Key and

Pioneer-Standard

x 

& Manufacturer-Tools

The single greatest thing that separates us humans

from animals is not that we enjoy seeing robots tear

each other’s guts out, but that we use tools to help us do

our work Tools make other tools, so the only limits on

the tools we use are their size and practicality In this

section are listed manufacturers of a broad array oftools used in robotics construction This category spansfrom soldering irons to woodworking saws to computer-controlled mills

Very few of the companies listed here will sell directly toindividuals; they prefer instead that you buy your toolsfrom retailers That’s okay, because many manufacturer

Ingersoll-Rand Company/Tool and Hoist

http://www.irtools.com/

Automotive and pneumatic tools

Jet/WMH Tool Group

http://www.jettools.com/

Industrial power tools and machinery

Johnson Level & Tool

Ryobi Power Tool

http://www.ryobitools.com/

Manufacturer of power tools (saws, drills, more)

Skil Power Tools

Web sites contain datasheets and specifications of their

products, safety sheets, even repair guides And a few

sell replacement parts online You don’t have to own

the tool to make use of the replacement parts, which

include motors, batteries, gears and gearboxes,

sprock-ets, and other mechanical components

SEE ALSO:

Distributor/Wholesaler-Industrial

Electronics: Sellers of electronic tools

Retail-General Electronics: Hand tools and

soldering equipment for electronics construction

Retail-Hardware & Home Improvement:

Places to buy tools

Tools (various): Sources and resources

about tools of all types

Arrow Fastener Company, Inc 203221

Makers of staplers, industrial stapler guns, nail guns,

and glue guns

Black & Decker makes power tools for home and small

shop use Some basic specification information on

products available at the site

x 

3535 Glenwood Ave

Raleigh, NC 27612USA

 (800) 433-9258

 http://www.dewalt.com/

Maker of power tools, including a line of cordless drillsand screwdrivers Replacement batteries and chargersare available

x 

Web page for DEWALT Industrial Tool Co.

Tools of the Trade: Soldering Iron

A soldering iron is a requirement for any robot building that requires you to construct or

repair electronic circuits or wiring

• For maximum flexibility, invest in a modular soldering pencil This style of soldering iron

lets you change the heating element A 25- or 30-watt heating element is preferred

• Stay away from “instant-on” soldering irons They put out far to much heat for most any

application other than soldering large-gauge wires

• Always use a soldering stand to keep the soldering pencil in a safe, upright position

• Get one or two small soldering tips for intricate printed circuit board work, but invest in

a single medium- or large-size tip for routine soldering chores

• You need solder to feed the soldering iron And not just any kind of solder, but the rosin or

flux core type Acid core and silver solder should never be used on electronic components

• A sponge is used to clean the soldering tip during use Keep the sponge damp and

wipe the tip clean every few joints An ordinary kitchen sponge is fine, but don’t use thekind that contains soap

Extra soldering tools you may want to add to your shop:

• Heat sink, for attaching to sensitive electronic components during soldering The heat

sink draws the excess heat away from the component and helps prevent damage to it

• Desoldering vacuum tool, to soak up molten solder Used to get rid of excess solder, to

remove components, or redo a wiring job

• Dental picks, for scraping, cutting, forming, and gouging into the work

• Rosin cleaner (spray or brush-on) Apply the cleaner after soldering is complete to

remove excess resin

• Solder vise or “third hand.” The vise holds together pieces to be soldered, leaving you

free to work the iron and feed the solder

The do-just-about-anything Dremel tool.

 (516) 746-5352

 sales@greatnecksaw.com

 http://www.greatnecksaw.com/

Great Neck manufactures hand tools, including

ham-mers, saws, wrenches, cutting tools, threading tap and

die, battery rechargers, and more

Maker of power tools Moderate technical details

pro-vided about the tools

Tool manufacturer (laser lines and levels) Interesting

possibilities for robots

 (781) 899-7900