Balancing FPV Bot

thingiverse

I'm building a 3D printable frame for a Balancing Robot. Plus, I plan to add FPV just because we can! This project is still in the works. The rims are done - they're made from 5mm dia. shafts with flattened sides. A piece of inner bike tube goes around the rims. Currently, I'm working on the frame itself. I built this bot using whatever materials I had lying around; smaller steppers would be a better choice next time. These Nema 17 steppers fit the frame perfectly. The hardware and firmware were designed by Joop Brokking. You can check out his YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WWqo-Yr8lA&google_comment_id=z13rvh5wokmixbwkh23ig3ooxtr5f5pg304 The only thing I'd like to change is the controller. Joop used a Nintendo Wii controller, but I want to use a normal analog 2-axis joystick instead. Also, I'm planning to make it controllable by an RC receiver. I've only changed the transmitter part of the code, leaving the firmware for the bot untouched. Additionally, I'll write a PWM to BOT-Data Converter for people who prefer controlling the bot with their RC remotes. The code will be posted below the transmitter code once I'm done writing it. Here's the transmitter code: // Balancing Bot Joystick Controller. // Analog joystick connected to Pin A0 and A1 // Rewritten by Bitwise Operator - 29-5-2017 // Thanks to Joop Brokking for the original source #define JoyA_PIN A0 #define JoyB_PIN A1 int Joystick_A = 0; int Joystick_B = 0; int Joystick_A_Center = 520; int Joystick_B_Center = 514; int Joystick_A_DeadZone = 260; int Joystick_B_DeadZone = 260; void setup(){ pinMode(JoyA_PIN, INPUT); pinMode(JoyB_PIN, INPUT); Serial.begin(9600); // Start the serial port at 9600 kbps delay(20); // Short delay } void readJoystick(){ Joystick_A = analogRead(JoyA_PIN); // Read analog Pins Joystick_B = analogRead(JoyB_PIN); // // Serial.println(Joystick_A); // this can be used to check center value // Serial.println(Joystick_B); // do not use serial comms for anything else but the second last line of the propgram. } void loop(){ readJoystick(); send_byte = B00000000; // Set the send_byte variable to 0 if(Joystick_A < (Joystick_A_Center - (Joystick_A_DeadZone /2))) send_byte |= B00000001; if(Joystick_A > (Joystick_A_Center + (Joystick_A_DeadZone /2))) send_byte |= B00000010; if(Joystick_B < (Joystick_B_Center - (Joystick_B_DeadZone /2))) send_byte |= B00001000; if(Joystick_B > (Joystick_B_Center + (Joystick_B_DeadZone /2))) send_byte |= B00000100; if(send_byte) { Serial.print((char)send_byte); // Send the send_byte variable if it's value is larger then 0 } delay(40); // Create a 40 millisecond loop delay }