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A supply store for people who want to build robots, electronic gadgets, kinetic art or anything else that moves, beeps or flashes. | |
Learning Robotics Section
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Robotics is is such a broad field that nobody can be a complete expert. So, despite numerous requests, we don't have any one thing to help you learn "all about robotics". Robotics includes so many disciplines (electronics, mechanics, power systems, metal fabrication and many more) that there isn't even one clear starting point. Our recommendation is to start with your strongest interests and to expect to keep learning as long as you stay involved. Robotics doesn't provide much opportunity for boredom, you will always find new ways to improve your robots and new subjects to learn in order to make those improvements. This is serious fun.
Depending on your learning style, interests and budget you may want to start in our Recommend Robotics Books or Robotics Learning Activity Kits categories in this section. Or you may want to start by focusing on Learning Electronics. Or you could just jump in and build a Robotics kit. Or you can just start building from scratch using some of our Robotics components and maybe something from our Books sections. Or ..., you get the idea: there are lots of good ways to start.
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 | Robot Building for Beginners Author: David Cook The hardest part of hobby robotics may be just getting started. You need to learn a bit about electronics, mechanics, programming and several other fields of study. It can feel intimidating. This book does a great job of getting you started by clearly explaining the electronics and mechanics needed to build robot. It explains concepts logically and simply with lots of pictures and drawings so you can really understand both how robots work and how they are physically put together. The author assumes no prior knowledge of electronics or mechanics. The book is written for adults but even motivated junior high school students should find the material approachable. Manufacturer: APRESS. 568 pages. ISBN: 1-893115-44-5. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Microcontroller Computer systems engineering kit Microcontrollers small, self-contained computers are the brains inside dozens of the devices and appliances in your home. Microwaves, washing machines, telephones, and stereos all have microcontrollers inside them. A microcontroller is a computer-on-a-microchip, and includes a processor, memory for storing data, timers, and ports for connecting to other components. As our everyday devices become increasingly smart with embedded technology, microcontrollers are becoming more and more important. This kit introduces you to microcontrollers, sensors, and programming through 100 experiments. Build devices that use sensors to monitor and record data, and use the data to control motors, buzzers, lights, and a digital display. Write programs to control the devices you build. For example, you can build a light meter using a light dependent resistor and record the light levels in a room over a 12 hour period. Or measure and record the temperature outside with a temperature sensor, then graph the results. The number of possible experiments is infinite. First, assemble a circuit and write a program, following the detailed instructions in the manual. Then, upload the program to the microcontroller using an infrared interface. The program tells the microcontroller how to perform your experiment and store the data. Finally, the data stored in the microcontroller can be downloaded to the computer using the infrared interface. The 100-page, full-color experiment manual guides your circuit assemblies and programming. Requires one 9-Volt Battery (not included) or a standard Power Adapter (not included). Adapter specifications: DC 9-Volt output, barrel connector with out diameter of 5.5 mm and inner diameter of 2.5 mm, positive pole on outside, negative pole on inside. Do not use a "switch-mode" type adapter. Manufacturer: TK. Manufacturer's Part Number: 614515. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | BASIC Stamp 2 Discovery Kit Serial and USB Compatible from Parallax This bundle consists of one BASIC Stamp 2 Discovery Kit Serial, one Parallax USB to 232 Serial Adapter and one USB A to mini B Cable. Save up to $35.29 with this bundle! Now includes the upgraded Basic Stamp Reference Manual v2.2 including the the latest PBasic language extensions. This is a complete microcontroller training course at an amazingly low price. It includes two substantial books including including the highly respected "What's A Microcontroller?" text that is used in high school and college classes around the world. It also includes all the components needed to complete over 40 project circuits described in the text. When you are finished you will know enough to build a small robot or kinetic art sculpture and you will have most of the parts you need. The only other thing you need to start the course are some basic hand tools and a 9v power supply such as AC Power Adapter 9 VDC or a 9v battery. This kit includes:
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 | BASIC Stamp 2 Discovery Kit USB from Parallax This is a complete microcontroller training course at an amazingly low price. It includes two substantial books including including the highly respected "What's A Microcontroller?" text that is used in high school and college classes around the world. It also includes all the components needed to complete over 40 project circuits described in the text. When you are finished you will know enough to build a small robot or kinetic art sculpture and you will have most of the parts you need. The only other thing you need to start the course are some basic hand tools and a 9v power supply such as AC Power Adapter 9 VDC or a 9v battery. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 27807. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | StampWorks v2 from Parallax It's easy to get started micro-controlling your world with StampWorks. The StampWorks manual includes 35 experiments based on the BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller and the Professional Development Board (included). StampWorks gives you the hardware, the electrical components and, most importantly, the know-how to become a confident embedded programmer. Working your way through StampWorks you will learn about efficient embedded design, connecting circuits and "smart" sensors to the BASIC Stamp, adding computer control to your projects, and "Power PBASIC" programming techniques. After you've worked your way through StampWorks you'll be able to: flash LEDs, use 7-segment and LCD displays, monitor one or several push-buttons or switches, add sounds and sound effects to your projects, build a simple light-controlled Theremin, control servos and stepper motors, measure temperature, voltage, and so much more! When you are finished, you will be able to write your own BASIC Stamp programs to control your hobby, engineering, and student projects using a variety of electronic circuits - and you'll be able to do it with the confidence. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 27297. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| What's a Microcontroller? Text Only (Version 2) from Parallax The Whats a Microcontroller? text answers the question Whats a Microcontroller? by showing students how they can design their own customized, intelligent inventions using the BASIC Stamp. The activities in this text incorporate a variety of fun and engaging experiments that appeal to the students imagination using motion, light, sound, and tactile feedback to introduce new concepts. These activities are designed to introduce the student to many basic principles in the fields of computer programming, electricity and electronics, mathematics and physics. Many of the activities facilitate a hands-on presentation of design practices used by engineers and technicians in the creation of modern machines and appliances using inexpensive and easy to obtain parts. This text is designed to accommodate a wide range of ages and skill levels. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 28123. ISBN: 1928982026. More Product Details ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| What's a Microcontroller Bonus Starter Kit This bundle consists of one BASIC Stamp II Starter Kit w/ Board of Education, one What's a Microcontroller? Parts and Text (Version 2), one Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics (3rd Ed) and one AC Power Adapter 9 VDC. Save up to $56.90 with this bundle! A comprehensive starter package for beginers interested in quickly developing in-depth knowledge of electronics and microcontrolers. More Product Details ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | What's a Microcontroller? Parts and Text (Version 2) from Parallax The Whats a Microcontroller? text answers the question Whats a Microcontroller? by showing students how they can design their own customized, intelligent inventions using the BASIC Stamp. The activities in this text incorporate a variety of fun and engaging experiments that appeal to the students imagination using motion, light, sound, and tactile feedback to introduce new concepts. These activities are designed to introduce the student to many basic principles in the fields of computer programming, electricity and electronics, mathematics and physics. Many of the activities facilitate a hands-on presentation of design practices used by engineers and technicians in the creation of modern machines and appliances using inexpensive and easy to obtain parts. This text is designed to accommodate a wide range of ages and skill levels. The parts kit includes an assortment of LEDs, resistors, capacitors, potentiometers, momentary contact switch, and a Parallax standard servo. Either BASIC Stamp II Starter Kit w/ Board of Education or Board of Education - Full Kit Serial are required to complete the exercises. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 28152-V2. ISBN: 1928982026. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Applied Sensors from Parallax Author: Dr. Tracy Allen This kit provides the most complete primer availble on interfacing Basic Stamps to sensors for air temperature, water temperatire, light and other environmental conditions. The text explains how to connect the sensors and how to manage the results for data logging or process control. The kit includes two temperature sensors, a light sensor, a conductivity sensor and a water pump along with necessary support components. Examples in the text include an environmental data logger and a process control system that uses the pump to maintain a fixed water level. A speaker provides Morse code sound feedback of each sensor's output as it is logged to the BASIC Stamp's EEPROM. The BASIC Stamp's debug command is used to send the data to a PC where it can be pasted into a spreadsheet for analysis. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 28153. 201 pages. ISBN: 1928982212. More Product Details ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Basic Analog and Digital Parts and Text, v1.2 from Parallax Basic Analog and Digital is a 162-page tutorial that covers the essentials of 8-bit A/D and D/A conversion using a BASIC Stamp. The text introduces PBASIC commands for A/D conversion with resistor/capacitor circuits, interfacing an ADC0831 8-bit A/D converter, scaling analog outputs into meaningful digital values, analyzing time-varying signals, and using PWM as analog output. The text was written by Andrew Lindsay of California State University, Sacramento. The text may be duplicated for use in an educational environment. The parts kit provides the components you need to perform the book's experiments including potentiometers, LEDs, speakers, photoresistors, and buttons. The experiments also require a BASIC Stamp II Starter Kit w/ Board of Education or Board of Education - Full Kit Serial, sold separately. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 28155. ISBN: 1928982042. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Industrial Control Parts and Text v1.1 from Parallax The 264-page industrial control text is an educational tutorial on process control with the BASIC Stamp. Methods of process control (on-off, differential gap, proportional-integral-derivative) are demonstrated in detail using a simple desktop heater system consisting of a film canister with a temperature sensor (LM34 probe) and a heat (1/2 watt 47 ohm resistor). Heating drive is altered to demonstrate each concept. A fan provides an external disturbance to the closed-loop system. The use of high-voltage electricity to achieve the same concepts is also explained using solid-state relays. A key benefit of the text is that it uses StampPlot Lite as a graphic and datalogging utility for each experiment. Industrial Control was written by Marty Hebel and Will Devenport, two instructors from Southern Illinois University. Requires BASIC Stamp II Starter Kit w/ Board of Education or Board of Education - Full Kit Serial. Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 28156. More Product Details ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Industrial Control Parts Kit v1.1 from Parallax Manufacturer: Parallax. Manufacturer's Part Number: 27340. More Product Details ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Recommend Robotics Books |
| Robotics Learning Activity Kits |
The content on this page was updated on 05/08/2008