If you’d like one of these, just email me… if I get enough emails, I’ll build more :) -Justin

I was watching Wall-E the other day, and aside from feeling sorry for the little guy in his attempts to get a date with Eva, it also made me want to turn my Arduino into a floating, smooth white robot with lasers and surface-shaped OLEDs (aka Eva). But, I ran out of anti-gravity parts, so instead…

This is a modular, snap-and-go TankShield. It uses TriAngles to prop up a DoubleTall ExtenderShield at just the perfect angle to snap an Arduino on the back. It has dual motors which are controlled by the Arduino through serial commands, and can run from a Lithium Backpack. And since it uses an ExtenderShield, it can also be connected to other shields too.

This is a modular, snap-and-go TankShield. It uses TriAngles to prop up a DoubleTall ExtenderShield at just the perfect angle to snap an Arduino on the back. It has dual motors which are controlled by the Arduino through serial commands, and can run from a Lithium Backpack. And since it uses an ExtenderShield, it can also be connected to other shields too.

Here is the TankShield base which houses a geared motor drive train and dual hall-effect sensor interface for speed measurement.



The Double Tall ExtenderShield and TriAngles connect the Arduino to the TankShield and give extra prototyping space for other sensors.



Here the TankShield is using a TouchShield Slide display to say “hello” display status. The remote control interface made using XBee Shields for long range remote control. The power is provided through Lithium Backpacks, making a fully remote controlled TankShield Robot.



 

Serial API

The TankShield listens for serial commands on Arduino pins 12 and 13 to control movement and report back speed. The two commands are sent as plain ASCII text. The following describes the command usage.

THROTTLE

Syntax

THROTTLE|left-gear-box|right-gear-box; – Controls the power to the left and right treads.

Example

Here is an example that makes the TankShield spin in a circle:
THROTTLE|175|-175;

GETSPEED

Syntax

GETSPEED; – Returns the speed of each wheel in milliseconds between wheel revolutions.

Example

GETSPEED;

The TankShield will respond back with:
500| 545;  

Specifications

Mechanical Information

2x Brush DC Motors

• 6V nominal voltage
• 35mA no load current
• 800mA stall current 2.8×1.6×1.9cm motor size
• 0.02kg motor weight (0.7 ounces)
• left – Motor 2
• right – Motor 1

2x Independent Gearboxes

• 114.7:1 gear ratio
• 809gfcm of torque
• 115 revolutions per minute (rpm)
• rear wheel drive shaft

Electrical Information

Processor

• ATMEGA168

Speed Sensor

• hall effect sensor
• magnet in each of the rear wheels

Jumper Definitions

• Sel – Select
• Tx – Tank Transmit
• Rx – Tank Receive
• PGM – Program
• Vin – Input Power
• PSel – Power Selection
• J4 – Jumper 4
• J5 – Jumper 5
• J6 – Jumper 6

Note:

• If J4 has Rx selected (like the picture below), than the TankShields Rx matches Arduino pin 13. In the PGM position Rx matches Arduino pin 1.
• If J5 has Tx selected (like the picture below), than the TankShields Tx matches Arduino pin 12. In the PGM position Tx matches Arduino pin 0.

The TankShield motors can receive power from Vin or 5V depending on the J6.

Specs

• Dual independent rear wheel drive
• Dual brushed motors anchored underneath
• Dual 20-link black tank treads
• Adjustable tension on front and back wheels
• Solid metal front axle with dual non-threaded stop-locker nuts to prevent axle drift
• Variable speed control via serial
• Speed select and read / detection functions
• Built-in quad capacitor PWM power reservoir
• 35 feet/minute

Examples

• Mike's Tank Project

Media