Project 011 - Home Built Segway (R&D Phase)

INTRO

Running about the streets on a Segway looks like fun but what looks even better is an off-road Segway, something with big chunky tyres and the ability to scoot around the forest trails and at speed! There are some terrific video's on YouTube which motivated me, and I've been looking for something substantial to get my teeth into next.

So, I figured I'd give this a go, however, dipping my toes in the water is what is required first with a bit of good old R&D. I'm building a small prototype based on the following:-

- 12vdc Motors, type = Pololu 29:1 Metal Gearmotor 37Dx52L mm with 64 CPR Encoder.
- RC car chunky tyres/wheels.
- Arduino Nano.
- Acc_Gyro: Accelerometer + Gyro IMU (from GadgetGangster)
- MD22 Dual 5amp H Bridge Motor Driver (modified to by-pass the on-board PIC and have the Arduino drive the MD22 final stage directly)
- RC Lipo battery.

15/05/11 - R&D Phase complete:
The goal with the prototype was to explore the software side of things as well as the electronics which I've managed to do fairly successfully, and so it's time to start building the real thing.
A new thread here will detail the fully size Segway build.

The final prototype has about 95% of the code required for the full blown Segway. There's still a wee bit of work to do on the PID control and also a few inhibits/safety features to add.

Video of the final prototype (sorry for the wierd video colours):

PHOTOS/VIDEOS (OLD)

10/04/11 - Video:
1st prototype based on RC Servo's.

04/04/11 - First power up:
First run with test code running the LCD & servos. Still waiting on the Gyro & Accelerometer to arrive:

Arduino, 2x16 serial LCD, battery, switches and status LED's dry fitted. Large wheels option:

Arduino, 2x16 serial LCD, battery, switches and status LED's dry fitted. Small wheels option:

Three levels of aluminium carriers c/w standoffs and the Arduino at the top:

RC servo's modified & coupled to the wheels with the Arduino laid on top for scale:

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