looking for help

[fieldexplorer]

hello
joyned today. complete dummy, looking for help.
i want to build a exploring robot from old electric wheelchair.
don't know where to start.

thanks
f.e.

[WJ]

try google

[wisefire]

what WJ was trying to say was, that we would love to help you with specific questions, but trying to help someone from the ground up is quite a stretch, however this forum is overflowing with information, so try the search function on tom, also the link " bouwen" on the left has a lot of helpful information as well..

[leo-rcc]

What is it that the robot would have to explore? Can you elaborate on terrain, and the robots mission statement?

[fieldexplorer]

What is it that the robot would have to explore? Can you elaborate on terrain, and the robots mission statement?

i've got ms stuck to wheelchair, live in countryside and near forest, and need a camera equiped buddy with rc who could go places off the tracks where i can't go

thanks
f.e.

[fieldexplorer]

what WJ was trying to say was, that we would love to help you with specific questions, but trying to help someone from the ground up is quite a stretch, however this forum is overflowing with information, so try the search function on tom, also the link " bouwen" on the left has a lot of helpful information as well..

ok specific question : i noticed on the drg site the following names
flextreme team
miniflex robt
and a description of a robt build from an old wheelchair.

i want to build my explorer from parts of an old wheelchair make and model "miniflex", so by joining the forum i hope to get in contaac with someone who has experience with a simmelar project

thanks for your help
f.e.

[kalme nelis]

...Flex is still active here, so he'll be joining this conversation soon enough.

But just to get a feel for the situation, does your old wheelchair still funtion? Throttle, steering, battaries an such. If so, you might have all the components you'll need (except the transmitter and receiver part) if you're a skilled electronic.

So just give us a list of what still works and what doesn't, some of us might have spare components in our sheds, leftovers from the days electric wheelchair motors were the most used motors in Robotwars...

[fieldexplorer]

...Flex is still active here, so he'll be joining this conversation soon enough.

But just to get a feel for the situation, does your old wheelchair still funtion? Throttle, steering, battaries an such. If so, you might have all the components you'll need (except the transmitter and receiver part) if you're a skilled electronic.

So just give us a list of what still works and what doesn't, some of us might have spare components in our sheds, leftovers from the days electric wheelchair motors were the most used motors in Robotwars...

ok that does sound great

wheelchair motion parts do function, fully only the highlow function of the seat is not working propperly (motor ok but dx control faulty)
batteries are wornout have to be replaced any tips ?
like to get the motors working without the main dx power unit(complex,expensive, lack of technical info)to make things more clear when it does not work like i want. is this possible, wise(financially)?
is it possible to change the gear/stearing unit to a ps2 game console or else for ergonomic reasens(bad hand function)?
finaly i like to express my gratitude for thehelp sofar
bibi
f.e

[flex]

ok.. here i am....

I understand that you are in a wheelchair, and that you have a spare (old) wheelchair laying about that may be modified for off-track exploration?

I somewhat doubt that a regular 'sidewalk'wheelchair would by suitable for offroad use. Driving around a (leave and needle covered) forest floor takes something else all together. But you could try i suppose.
To take you through some of the modifications it would help to get a clearer idea of the chair in question. Maybe you could put a/some picture(s) online?
I think it would be wise to remove all the original electronics and add in some proper robot speedcontrollers and the RC receiver.
As for mounting a camera.. a platform that can be raised/lowered (chair base) and a system to rotate the camera and perhaps also tilt it would be nice. Perhaps you could look into wireless 'security' webcams. some of those can also be moved around via the wifi signal. And you'd have a legal transmiter system and can view the images on a laptop/pda/smartphone. Some of these cams also feature nightvision/IR led's for use in dark area's/night. A handy feature as it can get quite dark under the tree canopy.

As for the controller. i'm not sure if a ps2 type controller has analog or digital (switches) for the sticks. if it has analog (potentiometers) it may be used to modify a regular transmitter and wire such a controller in to it. Also a regular PC joystick should work.

Anyway. imho i would look into a rugged RC offroad truck (large scale 1/8-1/10 like a Clodbuster /w stretched chassis) and mount a wifi webcam onto it. Gear it down to the lowest speed and make a simple system to raise the cam. a windshieldwipermotor would do ok for that. and look into a righting mechanism for when it topples over.
Why? it's a lot smaller and lighter, so you(r parents) could bring it along on trips without packing in a second large chair... and it would be more nimble when you take it off the path.

[fieldexplorer]

hi,
i have had a coupl of real bad day.

thanks for all your comments, i will post a picture of the whee;lchair in the next days or so, and will start to dismantle the chair to get hold of specs.

talk to you later

[wisefire]

the ps2 controller (same with an old xbox1 controller) has analog sticks, basically 2 pots mounted in a square angle with the axle horizontal..