Introduction: Tiny Altoid Tin Robot With Personality
I love robots. Normally the ones I build are quite large and wouldn't fit in your pocket, but for a change of pace I decided I would try something small and fun! This robot is exactly that, and in fact fits inside of an altoids tin. It is inexpensive, versatile (so many different sensors can be used), and extremely entertaining. Check it out in action below! (Unfortunately I played with mine so much before I took any video I had used up my coin cell batteries and one motor started having issues, so I'm driving it with a 9V in the video)
Step 1: Parts List
Since this project is one that has many different possibilities I'll mainly discuss the essential parts.
Essentials:
1 x Arduino (preferably UNO)
1 x ATmega328 chip (other versions work too, more on this later. You'll most likely want one with a preloaded bootloader)
1 x 28 pin DIP socket (holds the ATMega, not absolutely necessary but you really should have it)
1 x 5v Regulator (L7805)
2 x 10 uf Capacitors
1 x 16Mhz Ceramic Resonator (a 16Mhz crystal works too, but you will need additional capacitors which take up space.
1 x pcb board (got a small one that fit in an altoid tin from radioshack for a few bucks)
1 x breadboard (to test the circuit)
2 x motors (I used pager motors with planetary gear boxes from robotshop.com)
2 x wheels (also got these from robotshop.com, but you can use whatever works)
1 x L293D (motor driver chip, which is necessary if you will be using motors)
1 x pushbutton (my code revolved around this thing, definitely useful)
Wires! Will need a lot to breadboard and solder.
Coin cell batteries (these keep the size small enough to fit in the altoids tin)
Fun Extras:
2 x photoresistors (lots of fun programs you can write for these)
2 x RGB LED's (gives it the personality!)
1 x mic element (lets it listen and react to sound)
Anything you think would be cool! I wanted to add sound, but sadly didn't have enough space left for a tiny piezo speaker.
Tools: clippers, soldering iron, perhaps a friend to help hold wires
Essentials:
1 x Arduino (preferably UNO)
1 x ATmega328 chip (other versions work too, more on this later. You'll most likely want one with a preloaded bootloader)
1 x 28 pin DIP socket (holds the ATMega, not absolutely necessary but you really should have it)
1 x 5v Regulator (L7805)
2 x 10 uf Capacitors
1 x 16Mhz Ceramic Resonator (a 16Mhz crystal works too, but you will need additional capacitors which take up space.
1 x pcb board (got a small one that fit in an altoid tin from radioshack for a few bucks)
1 x breadboard (to test the circuit)
2 x motors (I used pager motors with planetary gear boxes from robotshop.com)
2 x wheels (also got these from robotshop.com, but you can use whatever works)
1 x L293D (motor driver chip, which is necessary if you will be using motors)
1 x pushbutton (my code revolved around this thing, definitely useful)
Wires! Will need a lot to breadboard and solder.
Coin cell batteries (these keep the size small enough to fit in the altoids tin)
Fun Extras:
2 x photoresistors (lots of fun programs you can write for these)
2 x RGB LED's (gives it the personality!)
1 x mic element (lets it listen and react to sound)
Anything you think would be cool! I wanted to add sound, but sadly didn't have enough space left for a tiny piezo speaker.
Tools: clippers, soldering iron, perhaps a friend to help hold wires
Step 2: Main Circuit
There are two main circuits: one for the motor controller (L293D) and the ATmega328 chip.
You can find a pinout diagram of the ATmega328 courtesy of instructables HERE. Basically you are making the simplest arduino circuit possible (I don't even include a reset button, but you can if you'd like). Now the only things you will HAVE to hook up to the ATmega is 5v (regulated by the L7805) to pins 7 and 20, ground to pins 8 and 22 (i drew in pin 21 as blank because it doesn't need to be connected to anything), and the ceramic resonator (or crystal oscillator) to pins 9 and 10. See the pictures for how to use the capacitors with the voltage regulator and be sure to ground the middle pin of your ceramic resonator. If you are using a crystal oscillator you will need additional capacitors, to see how to do that or as another reference for any part of this circuit check the 'ible HERE.
The pinout diagram for the L293D motor controller can be found HERE. I don't have any pictures of this because it's pretty simple pins 1, 8, 9, and 16 get 5v; pins 2, 7, 10, and 15 go to the arduino digital pins (I used ones with pwm to control motor speeds); pins 3, 6, 11, and 14 are hooked up to the motors (the motors run of 3v but the drop through the chip is enough that no diode's are needed); and pins 4, 5, 12, and 13 are put to ground.
You can find a pinout diagram of the ATmega328 courtesy of instructables HERE. Basically you are making the simplest arduino circuit possible (I don't even include a reset button, but you can if you'd like). Now the only things you will HAVE to hook up to the ATmega is 5v (regulated by the L7805) to pins 7 and 20, ground to pins 8 and 22 (i drew in pin 21 as blank because it doesn't need to be connected to anything), and the ceramic resonator (or crystal oscillator) to pins 9 and 10. See the pictures for how to use the capacitors with the voltage regulator and be sure to ground the middle pin of your ceramic resonator. If you are using a crystal oscillator you will need additional capacitors, to see how to do that or as another reference for any part of this circuit check the 'ible HERE.
The pinout diagram for the L293D motor controller can be found HERE. I don't have any pictures of this because it's pretty simple pins 1, 8, 9, and 16 get 5v; pins 2, 7, 10, and 15 go to the arduino digital pins (I used ones with pwm to control motor speeds); pins 3, 6, 11, and 14 are hooked up to the motors (the motors run of 3v but the drop through the chip is enough that no diode's are needed); and pins 4, 5, 12, and 13 are put to ground.
Step 3: Extras
These are really up to you, I will show you some simple circuits for the things I added but be creative! This is what gives the robot its 'personality' and makes it interesting.
Step 4: Testing
This is a vital step. You will need to breadboard your entire circuit layout. For now just wire all the sensors and motors up to an actual Arduino because repeatedly taking out the chip to stick in the breadboard would be quite a pain. Once you have done that and written your code (for reference and fun, my program can be found HERE) you can remove the ATMega328 chip from the Arduino and place it into your breadboard. Be extremely cautious when doing this as it requires lots of force and is easy to bend the chip's leads. Once it is in place in the breadboard, connect up the voltage regulator with capacitors and the ceramic resonator to the chip (follow the schematics talked about earlier) and make sure that the voltage is going to the chip at 5v and the program runs as it should free from the board.
Now you're cookin'!
Now you're cookin'!
Step 5: Layout
Since size is such an issue you will need to take a minute and devise how you will cram it all into your space provided. I used the pcb board as my reference and laid out parts one at a time where I would like them to be and outlined them to get a good feel for where everything would end up. Also make sure to test that your battery holder will be able to attach somewhere and fit into the tin along with your components. Don't forget you will mount motors at some point!
Step 6: Soldering
This is easily the most difficult step as the size and density of the wires makes it challenging. My advice to you, is make sure you solder the voltage regulator, ceramic resonator, ATMega chip, and motor driver chip first and make sure they are completely hooked up before going on to any extras (I got so excited about the LED's and motors that it made getting power and ground to the chip more difficult than needed!). I also recommend putting one long bare wire on the left and right side and hook one to power and the other to ground so it will be easier to connect all the extras to them later. Below you can see the crazy forest of wires as it proceeded.
Step 7: Motors
Hopefully you saved some space to mount your motors! The easiest way I found was to drill out an open hole in the pcb and use a zip tie around the front (see pictures). For the wheels from robotshop, I just drilled them out a bit and they popped right on! To keep the motors fixed to the pcb board I used a ziptie that I put through one pcb hole (needed to be drilled out a bit) and then around the front (pics show this better than I can explain). Now you're 'moving'. hah...
The only other issue was that the wires under the belly of the robot were so thick that the small wheels didn't even touch the ground. To solve this I added a paperclip to the back, which I bent into two triangles and used two beads as wheels to allow a smoother ride (pictures are much clearer on what this looks like).
The only other issue was that the wires under the belly of the robot were so thick that the small wheels didn't even touch the ground. To solve this I added a paperclip to the back, which I bent into two triangles and used two beads as wheels to allow a smoother ride (pictures are much clearer on what this looks like).
Step 8: Battery
To get a power source that fits in the altoid tin with your robot you will have to get some coin cells. These can be found at most large stores (groceries, target, etc). You will want the combined voltage of the cells to be above 5V, in my case I got two 3V ones and stacked them in series. to make an easy holder I stripped some wire, put one on each side, and taped the whole thing together. This kept things simple for me to connect it to the robot. You're done! Go impress some people.
Step 9: Enjoy
Now that you've built it, it's about time you give it a name and introduce it to your family and loved ones. It is quite cool though, and is very impressive when you can just pull an altoid tin out of your pocket and have a cute and brilliant robot waiting to do its thing.
Add some sound, make it dance, and let me know what cool things you make! Would love to see lots of tiny robots domin- i mean...
Add some sound, make it dance, and let me know what cool things you make! Would love to see lots of tiny robots domin- i mean...