Floppy the Robot 196
Alien54 writes "Build your own Robot for almost Free..... As seen here where there are complete plans [and pictures] to build a robot from a 3 1/2" floppy drive without taking it apart. The floppy drive has all of the motors and electronics you need to get started and compete in a robot contest. With some old 5.25 inch drives, you can really get some power."
FINALLY! (Score:3, Funny)
Does this work for 2x CD-ROM drives, too?
Re:FINALLY! (Score:2)
Fun stuff, though.
--
Evan
Re:FINALLY! (Score:2)
Re:FINALLY! (Score:3, Informative)
This is sooo old news. Heck, I made a similar project in 2001, based on Ohmslaw's. It really sucked though, so I'll plug in a classmate's project instead of mine: Phil's Floppy Robot [crc-lennox.qc.ca], ladies and gentlemen.
I recall it to be much better than the one featured in the article, but maybe that's just my rose tinted glasses
Re:FINALLY! (Score:2)
Oooh, boy. Maybe I should have actually read that page before linking to it... this was a final project for a class, so they did most of the work in their spare time, and it appears that somewhere along the way they switched from a purely Floppy Robot to a Lego robot controlled by the parallel port, which really isn't quite the same thing.
It's still an interesting project, I believe, but it's not a floppy robot. Apologies for the misinformation
Re:FINALLY! (Score:5, Funny)
Rus
Re:FINALLY! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:FINALLY! (Score:3, Interesting)
Unfortunately, they also weigh as much as my 3 week old baby. I do plan to do some boating this summer... boat anchors maybe?
-robSlimo
Re:FINALLY! (Score:4, Funny)
I dunno. Good luck. I tried that last summer, but the babies kept floating to the surface.
Working mirror with all of the contents (Score:2, Informative)
He's upgrading the server BW on monday (12 may 2003) by the way
Careful! (Score:4, Informative)
Are you sure you want to build a robot armed with a laser? :^P
Actually I did take apart an old 1.5x drive. The motors work nicely off of a small solar panel. The laser module is cute, I wish I had specs. It has a laser diode & drivers, detector for the bounced beam, and coils to steer the beam/detector with a small lens. Cool.
Re:Careful! (Score:3, Interesting)
But thank you! My plans for world domination may now proceed...
Wonderful. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:not so Wonderful. (Score:3, Funny)
Several so-called "slashdot readers" have been
hospitalized with probable blindness after trying
to get a close up view of their freakish toys
in action...
Re:not so Wonderful. (Score:5, Funny)
Several so-called "slashdot readers" have been
hospitalized with probable blindness after trying
to get a close up view of their freakish toys in action...
I've news for ya. Robots have nothing to do with why slashdot readers go blind.
Re:not so Wonderful. (Score:2)
I'm not sure. My braille terminal is on the fritz.
Re:Wonderful. (Score:2, Funny)
I bet... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I bet... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I bet... (Score:5, Funny)
Dr. Evil: or perhaps we can make robots that interfere with the loading of web pages. They disallow access so we can all it a "denial of service" attack.. we will bring the world to its knees...
Scott: Uhhh... dad... that's already been done... they're called "slashbots" and its called the "slashdot effect"...
Me: I can't get to the site... can ya tell? :-D
Re:I bet... (Score:2, Funny)
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. LASER. You want some fricken sharks with fricken lasers on thier fricken heads.
Re:I bet... (Score:2)
fricken sharks with fricken lasers on thier fricken heads.
That was one damn lucky guess for someone who hasn't seen the movie eh?
Fricken slasbots fricken pointing out the fricken obvious...
Oh wait, you were being sarcastic. +1 Funny, Move along people, nothing to see here.
At least now I remember where I recognised my neihbours attempts to get their MPV out of their driveway. And their driveway has arund four times as much comparative space too.
Re:I bet... (Score:2)
Re:I bet... (Score:4, Funny)
Your own airplane (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Your own airplane (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Your own airplane (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Your own airplane (Score:2)
Rus
Re:Your own airplane (Score:2, Funny)
Make sure to use broken drive... (Score:5, Informative)
My thoughts on the robot as soon as the page loads...
Re:Make sure to use broken drive... (Score:5, Funny)
Why would anyone build a floppy drive with a revolving turret on top?
Still, it gives you an advantage in those robot contests I suppose, especially if you use DU ammo.
Re:Make sure to use broken drive... (Score:2)
Ack... flasback to EE control simulatutions ...
Re:Make sure to use broken drive... (Score:2)
Re:Make sure to use broken drive... (Score:2)
There is a place local to me that does sell old teac pulls from systems. While the color is not *high-tech white* as found on modern systems, more of a skin tone ugly color, they work.
I've had to actually buy floppy drives once or twice, not to replace the teac models I own, but rather for systems who just didn't have them, and my experence has been just like yours. Crap crap crap.
Argh (Score:2)
6 Replies
Server Hurting badly
I guess I'll go back to bed.
SD
G-G-G-G-G-Google Cache (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:HC7NCC9Xud
Enjoy!
Re:G-G-G-G-G-Google Cache (Score:1)
Pictures (Score:4, Informative)
Wow. Look at that website (Score:3, Funny)
Finnaly we have a use for all of these floppy drives. When I built my current computer, I did not put in a floppy drive, even though my case has a special slot for one.
Re:Wow. Look at that website (Score:1)
Re:Wow. Look at that website (Score:1)
call me a troll, but over the internet bits *are* sent one by one, it's a serial connection.
I knew I should have saved that spam (Score:5, Funny)
Tierce
Super Floppy (Score:2)
R.
Re:Super Floppy (Score:5, Funny)
One word: ouch.
Re:Super Floppy (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I knew I should have saved that spam (Score:2)
Re:I knew I should have saved that spam (Score:2)
A computer will accept a 3.5 inch floppy.
More news (Score:5, Funny)
I'd build a giant robot (Score:5, Funny)
I will crush all your tiny bots!!
Re:I'd build a giant robot (Score:2)
Looks like they found another use. . . (Score:2)
A Few Other Pages (Score:5, Informative)
Construction Pictures [216.239.33.104]
5 1/4" FLoppy II Robot [216.239.33.104]
"Floppy II" Robot Plans [216.239.33.104]
Yea, no pictures. I think this site was crawling before
Re:A Few Other Pages (Score:3, Informative)
Re:A Few Other Pages (Score:2)
Cool sounding link, tiny slashdotted domain, suspiciously missing google cache graphics?
*Ashton Kutcher walks in*
You've been punk'd!
*Subscribers laughing behind 2-way mirror*
And people wonder why ... (Score:5, Funny)
Of course, if the federal government had instituted mandatory Asimov controls in robots instead of deciding that that was "anticompetitive and restrictive", we wouldn't be in this mess.
Another interesting project (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Another interesting project (Score:3, Interesting)
Well actually you could use the thorium from Coleman lantern mantles to make a breeder reactor like this enterprising young man [findarticles.com] did.
Re:Another interesting project (Score:3, Funny)
hmm (Score:2)
Who is driving website? Bear is driving website! (Score:2)
Re:Who is driving website? Bear is driving website (Score:2, Informative)
Sorta kinda like Floppy (Score:4, Informative)
He references the
Great! Now you've made it mad! (Score:4, Funny)
They really sting, and could put your eye out.
G-G-G-G-Google's images cache (Score:3, Informative)
Re:G-G-G-G-Google's images cache (Score:1)
Floppylar (Score:1, Informative)
Ahhh the old Floppy Bot (Score:1)
reboot, roboot, robot, ribbit (Score:5, Funny)
Forget 3 1/2 or 5 1/4 go for 8" (Score:2, Funny)
here's an idea (Score:2)
Floppy drive robots? (Score:3, Funny)
Another variation (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Another variation (Score:2, Informative)
Zip drive robot (Score:5, Funny)
JPZ3
World Domination (Score:5, Funny)
Images!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
okay, so they're Google Thumbnails [google.com]
Respect to the AC [slashdot.org] who brought these to my attention
Bean there, done that... (Score:4, Informative)
What I'm suprised at is the need for a the
1 - 7805 Regulator IC
I'm pretty sure most disk drives already have a voltage regulator already on board. The part number is no doubt OEM, but they're fairly easy to recognize, since they come close to the main Volatge, and usually use a capacitor in conjunction.
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Oh and by the way.. This page is a year old...
Re:Bean there, done that... (Score:5, Informative)
1 - 7805 Regulator IC
I'm pretty sure most disk drives already have a voltage regulator already on board. The part number is no doubt OEM, but they're fairly easy to recognize, since they come close to the main Volatge, and usually use a capacitor in conjunction.
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Why? cince you have a ultra regulated 5 volt source going into it already why waste parts by adding a 5 volt regulator to regulate a already regulated 5 volt supply?
it doesnt suprise me one bit that there isnt a regulator for any of the regulated supplies coming into the device... remember it's a add-on prephrial for a system that has the powersupply already designed in another module of the system.
Re:Bean there, done that... (Score:2)
Re:Bean there, done that... (Score:3, Informative)
Also, I'm into Atmel AVR's for my brains. I specifically use the AT90S2313, and AT90S8535. I bought these from eBay for cheap just a few $'s each.
You can't power a motor using the 5V output pins of the AVR. You've got to send them into the L293D (H-Bridge) to drive the motors.
If you dare dive in. Maybe start with the comp.robotics.misc news group.
It's a very complic
Re:Bean there, done that... (Score:2)
Damn, I knew I shouldn't have dropped EE for CS. What education?
Okay I built one (Score:4, Funny)
Should I be worried?
Obligatory Simpson's Quote (Score:2)
Marge: "See all that stuff in there, Homer? That's why your robot never worked!"
GMD
You mean? (Score:2)
mad max floppy, another crazy robot (Score:3, Interesting)
Mirror (Score:4, Informative)
http://web.archive.org/web/20020914113646/http://
Printer to Cool Artsy Table (Score:2, Interesting)
OMG Floppy Drive Robot! Just Imagine..... (Score:2)
it had to be said....
Yet another mirror not /.ed yet.... (Score:3, Informative)
Robot burn (Score:2)
"Ahh...burning! Why was I programed to feel pain?!"
WOW (Score:2, Informative)
Duh (Score:2, Insightful)
So we can load linux on it!
Re:Duh (Score:3, Informative)
So we can load linux on it!
Say what you will about the simplicity of the project. I'm just glad to finally have a cheap su
Duh! (Score:1)
So we can load Linux on it, of course.
Re:Duh! (Score:1)
Re:I fail to see the use. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Google cache (Score:1)
Sheesh, work must be *really* slow today!
Google is your friend (Score:3, Informative)
OKOK link (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Lame project and old at that (Score:2)
I have never seen it, so its new to me, and probably new to quite a few.