I am just getting to see and read this thread but it is very interesting. I love tech and DIY so this has both. So it will be a track vehicle..Will it be stationary tracks or will they actuate to climb over objects. I assume a live camera feed maybe a cell phone mode for low cost transmittions with a solar charger on the outside to help trickle recharge possible on a remote extender to get a bit higher for more sun..Very neat. Id like to see a spray setup to spray animal deterant such as coyote urine to keep deer and rabbits out of the area. If it can pick up a hose and drag it with a valave action to allow a hidden solr pump in a water source such as a covered pit rain catch that would be awesome. bascially a helper bot to cut down actual people presence to the spot down would be cool.. lotta potential fun here.. Of course we need a self destruct mech built in for security and self defense.
Yeah I agree I love DIY, Tech., and Mechanics + why pay lots of money for things you can build yourself...
1 with that said yes i plan a tracked tank like vehicle but idk about acuating tracks im not even sure how i would go about doing that cause i never thought it was needed so i never thought about it really... maybe if you drawed us up some pics of your idea based on my design, measurements, and what not It may be incorporated but honestly with the right tracks to grip and independant suspension at each roller/track guide I see problem climbing over fallin trees rocks or hills...
2 No about live cam... I mean its not needed for my current plans because I have an old gateway solo 3050(i think) and with a basic web cam I can just view it from the desktop as if you were taking a pic for you skype account or something... although if moolah permits I can see a pop up net cam with pan and tilt...
3. I have spent a few mins looking into dropping the laptop and opting for droid to arduino control via usb serial but I have no usb host controller for mine nor have I found any real info on controlling the droid remotely and at the same time having real time cam stream... Not even sure if you can RC a droid like a pc much less view a net cam from it too... If Im not mistaken I may would have to control it with code this way. I could really do without that headache... basically any small device that can run windows and has a usb port is game but printer port gives a few more options...
4 Yeah I plan a solar charge system but at the moment im not even thinkin about it till i get my prototype up and running but im sure it being extended out would be bad 1 for space and weight 2 too noticable 3 it should operate most of its time in direct sun around the highly thought out locations and only used for relatively short periods of time... but i wont know how much charge is needed till i figure out how fast the battery drains during testing i mean hey im not an engineer yet lol
5 this is an idea i havent thought of before in my own hands on action i just used sevensdust and animal repellant pellets and that seemed to work. one dose lasted atleast 75 percent of a season before bugs started pickin at em but not enough to be TOO alarmed but not at all is better and this would not take entirely too much effort just concerned about wieght and space vs battery and motor strength and trying to get as many features needed with out too much heat build up inside...
6 Im not too concerned on water source right now cause im sure creeks/lakes will be nearby but you could always dig a hole and line in some how so runoff accumulates and doesnt absorb into soil. do this close to every couple plants and you could just use the bots res fill pump to take like a gallon at a time and not have to go far...
7 lol are you serious im not blowin up a fews hundred bucks and like 6+ months of work maybe after a couple of seasons lol but i rather use thermite its used in special welding cases but set if off and u dont have to worry about disposing of a body full of shrapnel lol picture, say, a park ranger walkin thru the woods and finds himself a pot plant and hes like hmm... smells yummy. wheres the rest and then he sees this mini camo tank scootin by so he gets destracted and follows it as it zig zags him around thru the woods and then it stops slowly turns to face him and it starts smoking by now surely hes called back up but then it starts glowing red and holes form and then flames shoot out ingulfing the bot and it gets hotter and hotter to around 4000 degrees F. and its so hot and intense the ranger doesnt know wat to do or put it out. in a short min the robot melts and hes left with a pile of melted metal a brush fire and no clue what just happened... after that im sure he'll be scratchin his head 4 a while... lol just kiddin but i did think about takin my old single shot savage 12ga cut the barrel and build a auto loader and electronic trigger that could really fuk some deer up...also thought about removing the pellets from the shot and making a grappling hook on a mini winch lol u know in case i get stuck but these ideas are just for fun lol..
In all seriousness this is what I got and im takin any decent well thought out innovations that i believe i can afford/ build...
Like it sits right now I can use Logmein.com or "Remote Control Pc" software to view the desktop of the gateway as if I were in front of it and I removed lcd, body, battery,and cd drive. Running on my 12V ATV battery+140W inverter, I can RC it from any net connection or straight adhoc. which allows me to view attached cam(s), change my arduino code if needed, i have WNDLPT to control my printer port, and when i get my linksys 54g i plan to order, i plan to mod it and attach antenna to a small dish that will (in someway or another) be able to pop out + pan and tilt to get best reception to nearest AP or to my RCing device pc droid or w/e... with all this I estimate off the top of my head about 25 - 5V outputs to turn on transistors in my home made ciruit boards which will in turn turn on 12v supply to drive motors(2) pumps(2 or 3) retractable robot arm and claw with cutters(atleast 6or7 more motors), led/infra red lights, and what ever the hell else we can fit in it... so yeah... curious to hear what you guys have to reply to this post. Later...
