Budget Robotics - Octabot
Page 1
Copyright (c) 2002-2006, Budget Robotics
Budget Robotics
Octabot
Assembly Instructions
The Budget Robotics Octabot kit is a low-cost 7" diameter servo-driven robot base, ready for expansion.
Assembly is simple, and takes less than 15 minutes.
The Octabot comes with two "decks" for mounting the servo motors, batteries, sensors, microcontroller,
and other components. Additional decks can be added if desired. We recommend no more than three
decks total, to reduce the possibility of the robot tipping over.
The Octabot uses the popular "differential steering" motor arrangement, where the robot is propelled by
two motors and wheels on opposite sides of the base. A caster, placed at the rear of the Octabot,
provides balance. With this arrangement, the Octabot is able to move forward and back, turn left and
right, and spin about the axis of the wheels.
The two drive motors are standard R/C airplane servos. Normally, such servos are limited to 180°
rotation only, but the motors included with the Octabot have been modified to permit continuous
rotation. As with all R/C servos, the Octabot motors must be driven using the appropriate control circuit.
This control circuit is not included with the basic Octabot kit.
If you need a control circuit, the OOPic R, from Savage Innovations, (http://www.oopic.com/) is a good
all-purpose solution. The board has connections for attaching up to 16 R/C servos.
