DFRobotShop Rover V2 - Arduino Compatible Tracked Robot (Basic Kit)
Description
- Versatile, programmable robot tank kit
- Onboard LiPo battery charger
- Complete Arduino board built-in (Arduino Uno)
- Dual H-bridge and onboard voltage regulator (only one battery needed)
- Compatible with a variety of shields
- Two XBee areas (2mm 10pin XBee Socket sold separately) and solder prototyping area
- No soldering required
- Please verify the polarity of the connector before using this battery as it may differ from the image
The DFRobotShop Rover V2 – Arduino Compatible Tracked Robot (Basic Kit) is a versatile mobile robot tank based on the popular Arduino Uno R3 USB Microcontroller . The Rover uses the popular Tamiya twin motor gearbox and the Tamiya track and wheel set. The DFRobotShop Rover PCB incorporates a standard Arduino Uno (surface mount ATMega328), L293B motor driver (connected to pins 5 to 8), voltage regulator and prototyping area while contributing to the mechanical structural of the robot. The onboard voltage regulator allows the entire board to be powered using as little as 3.7V to ~9V*.
Important Note: If you are using the 4xAA battery pack, please remove the LiPo jumper located at the left rear of the board.
The board does NOT include 2mm 10pin XBee Socket .
In order to make assembly as easy as possible, solderless quick connect terminals have been included to give customers the option of crimping the wires to the motors (soldering is still preferable). The DFRobotShop Rover is compatible with a variety of shields when used at the same time as the motor driver, and is compatible with all shields when not using the motor driver. Additional features include 2x encoder connectors connected to A0 and A1 for use with the Encoder Pair for Tamiya Twin Motor Gearbox , pinout for DFRobot Bluetooth and DFRobot APC220 RF modules as well as 6x cool blue LEDs (jumper selectable) placed around the board. "DFRobotShop" = "DFRobot" + "RobotShop" (a.k.a. "DFRover").
*Note that the Tamiya Twin-Motor Gear Box included with the kit operates at 4.5V nominal. For 6V motors purchase 2x RB-Pol-202.

Features
- Arduino compatible and shield stackable
- Based on ATMEGA328 surface mount chip (Uno design) and L298P H Bridge
- Incorporates dual H-bridge for bi-directional motor control (digital pins 5, 6, 7 and 8)
- Voltage regulator included (connected to battery input and 3.5mm barrel connector)
- Two XBee slots with breakout pins (switch selects which is connected to Tx/Rx) - headers sold separately
- Solder prototyping area
- Easy connection to DFRobot Bluetooth and APC220 wireless modules
- “Universal connection point” at the front of the robot (see user guide for compatibility)
- 6x Blue LEDs around the board for effect (selectable via jumper LED_SEL)
- In-system programming via ICSP
- 4x LEDs to indicate motor direction
- Fully assembled DFRobotShop Rover PCB
- DFRobotShop Rover aluminum frame (left and right sides) and hardware
- Tamiya Twin-Motor Gear Box
- Tamiya Track and Wheel Set
- 4xAA Battery holder (batteries and charger sold separately)
Looking for products to experiment with? Consider purchasing one or more of the following (Not included):
- 3.7V, 1000mAh, 5C LiPo Battery (Rover already has an onboard LiPo charger!)
- Gravity I/O Expansion Shield for Arduino v7
- Lynxmotion Multi-Purpose Sensor Bracket MPSH-01
- Sharp IR Range Sensor - 10cm to 80cm W/ Cable
- Encoder Pair for Tamiya Twin Motor Gearbox
- Gravity Sound Sensor
- DFRobotShop Rover Line Follower Sensor
- DFRobot Serial Bluetooth Module
- PCB Dimensions: 57 x 195 mm
- Overall dimensions: 200 mm long x 108 mm wide x 58 mm high
- Weight (not including batteries): 250g
The instructions were not clear. The video was basically a slideshow, showing how the parts look like once it was assembled but they did not show the actual procedure of putting the parts together. Also, even though other customers and the website said that Arduino was an easy start into robotics, the Arduino website says that it is an Integrated Development Environment, which when I searched that up on Google, it says that computer programmers use it for software development, not some toy a little kid can play with. If want to buy this kit, remember to learn programming language and buy the Bluetooth accessories first, so that you can control it wirelessly and not waste a lot of time. Otherwise, you will be stuck playing with it at your computer desk, because it requires the USB cable to be commanded.
Hi! I just assembled and tested this robot and it's a good robot kit for people thinking on some robotics with sensors, flexible enough and with Arduino support. The kit is very comprehensive to mount, with good instructions thanks to a video in Youtube from Robotshop. It is also simple yet powerful enough to expand it with sensors and other actuators thanks to the integrated Arduino board it has. The DC motors are simple but effective with the gears and the whole structure is light but robust. It brings also several simple programs so you can start using it after mounting it, and later develop your own robot and have even mor fun! I posted a full review also here, and probably more later after I add more stuff to it ;-) http://letsmakerobots.com/node/47761
I had the basic unit running in a couple of hours. After installing the Arduino SDK on Windows, I was pleased to fine that the SDK was quite easy to use, and you can test your Sketch program using the built in serial terminal. I had a bit of trouble with the bluetooth driver on windows, but the problem was resolved by restarting windows. I acquired a Moto Razr on ebay, and downloaded the Arduino BT Joystick app, it connected immediately. A few lines of "sketch" code and I was driving the Rover all over the house. My Rover is actually going to be the base of a plastic penguin that will be appearing in the local Community Theatre.performance of "The Man Who Came to Dinner". The complete package of Arduino, and Rover, and Android plus Bluetooth. looks like a winner. it will be easy to use and reliable enough for the stage crew to run. At under $200 for all parts including the Android based cellphone, it was quite reasonable. I haven't done any embedded computer programming since the early 80's. I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly the entire project came together. I had expected to spend weeks on it, but it only took a few evenings. I found only three glitches in the docs; 1-- be sure to reboot Windows after installing the bluetooth driver; 2-- The Bluetooth PIN is 1234; and 3. You must remove the bluetooth module to upload your Sketch program.
Just what I needed to build a robot that I can add sensors to.
I plan on adding gas sensors I am currently developing into the rover. This rover + bluetooth module + expansion plate + servo motor should be perfect for my little side project.
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