Those that understand these things...

[Burgerman]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... 5ZANW&th=1

Because I dont. What would it take to add RC to this thing? Arduino stuff baffles me completely!

I want to add camera, thats easy, and my long range RC system. So I can send it miles...
If theres a better option than this then please tell! I am buying as a learning tool.

[Burgerman]

This will help you understand this arduino. After the build etc.

youtu.be/8isSQfe7Qa0

[Burgerman]

Or this!
https://shop.directdrive.com/products/d ... -leg-robot

But £££££££££££££.


youtu.be/3sbVhoE6AFU



youtu.be/GMeY4Ew7Mzs



youtu.be/nDZld7hKp5o

[woodygb]

I would be concerned that the added mass of a camera might overwhelm the self balancing .

[Burgerman]

Yes. I would be too. But I am talking about my tiny digital system quadcopter one. This:
https://www.quadcopters.co.uk/dji-hd-di ... dji-hd-fpv

It gives me 8 miles air range on a aircraft. And pretty good range at ground level and 1080p 60fps to my FPV goggles!
And if it does I can use the same electronics with more powerful motors/controller?

Its a toy to learn and play. The other videos are unafordable but you can sit on that! I can see where the money goes. You should watch those vids anyway!

[Burgerman]

I have RC 4X4 and RC rock climbers etc all with long range and FPV etc.

https://www.wheelchairdriver.com/gopro/bot2.mp4
The above has way better control than the imposible to steer robotwars bots. Because it uses a mini Roboteq controller with the very same script as my roboteq powerchair does as developed by lenny. Inc current sensors etc. This thing has 21v lithium and 9Ah. It runs for days. It has FTP transmitter so I see everything on my laptop or goggles... From my bed. Has miles of range on its high power long range LoRa system and 2 watts.

But:
Balancing is interesting!

[slomobile]

Don't worry about the weight of adding a small camera or RC receiver on top. A DSLR might be a bit much, but in general moving the center of gravity higher is a good thing. A longer pendulum is slower, so it falls slower. Same reason it is easier to balance a broom than a pencil.

RC can be added to an Arduino, but it requires modifying the firmware. Depending on access to existing code, how well the existing code is written, and how fast the processor, the additional time spent processing RC pulses can mess with the balance timing loops. The Arduino Nano isn't super fast. It is probably approaching the limit of its capability in this application. However, because it is socketed and each sensor is on individual breakout boards, this kit should be easy to upgrade.

What you want can be done. The hardware is easy, the software is advanced beginner. Maybe 3 months away from beginner doing it completely on your own. Lots of help is available.
Adding RC is a good way to learn about programming interrupts. I think its a good project.

The cheapness of the kit will continue to frustrate a little. It will need to be chased around a lot and set back up. It will suddenly just not work because it runs out of memory without giving any indication of what was wrong. Then work fine after a power cycle. That is par for the course with complex Arduino projects. A similar kit with more powerful processing, battery, and motors can alleviate that frustration, but will also have less community help available because it is more expensive.

If you get this kit, buy an additional Arduino Nano or 2 to play around with. You can have one running the bot while you program others and quickly swap to the one with the program you want. I'd keep one stock, one be your work in progress for getting everything working together, and one be for unit tests. Just small bits at a time for proof of concept stuff.

This is probably what I would do, there are lots of other ways:
Keep Nano 1 stock so you can always plug it in and verify hardware works in case you run into problems during development.
Get RC to work on Nano 2. Have it just read a RC receiver and output a single servo channel as a proof of your code.
Then add in the bluetooth processing code from the existing project onto Nano 2.
On Nano 3, load the same code as nano 1, but strip the bluetooth processing code out of it and insert code to receive commands from Nano 2. Also add a way to select between RC mode and other modes. Perhaps an encoder knob on Nano 2.

The bluetooth module and RC receiver will plug into Nano 2. Nano 2 will process those and relay the messages to Nano 3 which runs all the other bot functions.

[slomobile]

Or hack a cheap hoverboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS4YpX_epGw

It is possible to control hoverboards via serial UART. However when you load the hacked firmware to do that, you delete the stock balancing firmware. AFAIK they haven't recreated the balance function in the hacked firmware yet. You could put the little elegoo bot on top of a hoverboard and use its brain to balance the hoverboard.

[Burgerman]

Not sure what that achieves?

[slomobile]

The little kit is accessible and teaches you all the principles. But after a couple months of play it is underpowered frustrating and mostly useless for real projects.

A self balancing hoverboard is cheap, has much better motors, tires, sensors, processors, batteries, and it is strong and reliable enough to support human weight in real useful projects. But it is more difficult to hack and the control system has limited programability.

The two together can do more than either on their own. Maybe that doesn't make sense for what you want. What do you want to do with a balance bot?

You dont have to do the serial hack. You can leave the hoverboard in tact and use the small robot to ride the hoverboard. Shifting its weight. Robots driving robots. And ultimately controlled by you, and watched on your camera,

[Burgerman]

Learn.

[MMKay]

self leveling toy I would like a go with. Indoors at least!

https://centaurrobotics.com/

[Burgerman]

Preferably in the kitchen. They styled it after a kitchen accessory.

[Burgerman]

And stole the lift from invacare.

[slomobile]

And invacare just bought it from a generic office furniture maker https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... miQWfD&s=p

[Burgerman]

Thats similar but not the same. I have no doubt that invacare didnt make it. Just like the rest of the chair. They dont make actuators, bolts, motors, controllers, wheels, tyres, looms, rubber handgrips and plastic trims, spacers, and tube fittings. They also dont make chargers or batteries, or bearings. They usually make the seat frames (or get them made to order) and mechanisms. And the same with main chassis. And a few plastic covers and stuff. They also buy in indicators and upholstery and cushions, shock absorbers, connectors, and swingaways. They make very little. At least permobil make (or get made) their own seating parts. They are mostly assemblers. Same applies to your car.

What I meant was that they saw the invacare chair and sort of copied its lift exactly. Even to the same brand by the look of it. I wonder where they got the idea.

Either way those lifts are pretty rigid compared to some.

[slomobile]

Either way those lifts are pretty rigid compared to some.

Hmm. A non rigid seat lift opens up some interesting possibilities on a self balancer.

Thinking seat atop a 4 bar linkage and battery counterweight at 225deg. For lowering user to the ground, acting as a 3rd leg like a kangaroo tail. That probably doesn't make sense, but its enough to remind me of the idea next time I read this.

[ex-Gooserider]

I just purchased a bunch of WC parts from Rolling Cowboy, among them was one of those Invacare lifting columns... I currently have the problem that if I fall out of my chair I don't have a good way to get back into it from the floor...

I'm thinking of making a bigger base for the column and hanging a small seat off the top... This will (hopefully) let me put it next to my chair, get into the seat at floor level, and then boost up with the column to where I can transfer across to the chair... The trick will be making the base and seat small enough (probably folding?) that it won't take a lot of room when I'm not using it....

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

Not sure it will like having your whole bodyweight hanging off in front or to one side?

[slomobile]

Something like https://ablechair.com/

[slomobile]

https://piaggiofastforward.com/
Gita balancing robot follower / carrier thing. I kind of like it.
https://piaggiofastforward.com/business
PFF follow looks like it could be connected to a wheelchair to make it follow. Has CAN.

[Burgerman]

I have can too. Almost gone. Somewhat pricy for a tupaware box though.