Front auger motor
and gearbox
assembly. Note
free spinning
wheels.
compact and relatively lightweight. The largest and
heaviest component of the system is the NiCad
battery pack.
The controller features an on-off switch and
momentary on buttons for forward and reverse and auger
direction. Like most power tools, the forward/reverse switch
requires constant pressure for activation. The electronics of
the controller — accessible by removing a couple Phillips
Extracted auger
drive assembly.
Extracted rear
drive assembly.
30 SERVO 05.2008
Rear drive motor and
gearbox assembly with
electronics.
head screws — feature a 49. 86 MHz crystal and 26 inches
of antenna stuffed into the head of the controller. This
unorthodox antenna design may account for the relatively
short range of 57 feet. An uncoiled antenna, similar to
that used on the robot body, would certainly provide
better range.
FROM HERE
The Looj robot presents several opportunities for
the robotics innovator. One is to leave the unit intact
and build on it. Fortunately, there’s a lot of unobstructed
real estate on the top of the Looj. I noticed that the body
happens to be just wide enough to hold a BASIC
Stamp 2pe motherboard — my latest favorite controller
from Parallax.
If you decide to use an unmodified Looj as a
development platform, then consider replacing the NiCad
battery pack with a more significant NiMH pack; 3. 8
amp-hour NiMH packs (that’s 12 hours of running time
at 300 mA) with the same connector used on the Looj are
available at numerous hobby shops on the web. If you opt
for a NiMH pack, then replace the 15 hour NiCad charger
with a quick NiMH charger.
An obvious question is whether the Looj is more
valuable as parts than as an intact platform. For $99,
Extracted receiver
and motor controller
electronics
assembly.
