Sliders used at front and rear
of SpindleBot base.
Battery holders and charging plug.
old HP inkjet printer. The size is perfect for the SpindleBot
and the traction is outstanding. The new wheels are easier
to source, as well. The rest of the base is the same with the
power switch, charging jack, and sliders all on this level.
A pair of 1” standoffs is used to mount a CD/DVD that
has been trimmed down on two sides to clear the wheels.
This second level holds the batteries and provides an
upgraded 6V supply for the robot. There are two battery
holders used. These are attached with double-sided tape. To
ensure they sit level, I used a larger drill to counter-sink
50 SERVO 04.2012
CDP2 prototype board (available
from author, see Sources).
Artwork made by
SpindleBot version 2.
each of the two mounting holes. This way, it won’t
interfere with the screws. The front holds two AA NiMH
batteries and the rear one has three AA NiMH batteries.
The extra weight towards the back of the robot helps favor
the rear slider so it normally ends up touching the ground.
NOTE: In order to make the best use of space for the
electronics, a new prototype PCB (printed circuit board) was
created to leverage this form factor — the CDPCB. The first
board in the series is the CDP2 which is a single-sided PCB
that is very easy to work with. With standard .100” hole
spacing, it can handle a wide variety of components and
microcontrollers. There were times when I needed to isolate
sections of the foils underneath. This is a simple process
that can be accomplished with either a hobby knife or by
lightly using a drill bit that is slightly larger than the width
of the pad you want to remove.
The top level holds a CDP2 CD-protoboard which
contains all the electronics for the robot. During the
construction, I wanted to try using an OEM BASIC Stamp
chip. It was all wired by hand on the protoboard using solid
phone wire. I’ve found that wire is very easy to work with,
and you can often get lengths of that wire for free. This
board uses a standard host of sensors that you’d find on
any Stamp style robot like the Boe-Bot or original Scribbler 1
