Robot Assembly:

Our team built the Graymark 601A sound controlled robot “scooter.” It was a small, basic,
motorized vehicle with three wheels and a microprocessor connected to a printed circuit board.
The 601A robot utilized resistors, capacitors, transistors, a potentiometer, a motor, and a PCB in
order to move. The resistor produces flow of electricity across its terminals, while resisting the
flow of current. The colors on the resistor represent different voltage values. The second to last
color represents a multiplier and the last color depicts a tolerance. A resistor color code chart can
be used to determine the resistance in each resistor. A capacitor stores electrical charge. The
606A robot uses two types of capacitors: a ceramic disc capacitor, which separates a pair of
conductors with some metal or ceramic material, and an electrolytic capacitor which uses a
conducting liquid as one of its plates. The robot makes use of two types of transistors, the NPN
and PNP, which amplify or switch a signal. The potentiometer is a particularly important piece
that allows the engineer to vary the sensitivity of the microphone. If the robot is too sensitive
then it will respond to every little noise it hears, even the noise of the motor. A potentiometer is
essentially a resistor which one can change the resistance of manually using a dial. Turning the
dial clockwise will decrease the sensitivity in the microphone. The DC (direct current) motor
turns the electrical energy into rotational energy allowing the robot to move. The 601A’s PCB
(printed circuit board) is essentially its brain. Electrical wires are printed onto a thin board made
of fiberglass which creates pathways that connects the electrical components of the robot.
Finally, the robot’s microphone is a sensor which converts sound into an electrical signal that
allows the engineer to communicate with and control the robot. When a loud sound such as a
clap or snap was registered through the robot’s microphone, the robot would send the signal
ultimately causing the robot to reverse. Since the robot’s front wheel is on a free axle, the wheel
will turn upon travelling backward. After a couple seconds, the robot will travel forward again.

Assembly Process:

The assembly process consisted of two major components: mechanical and electrical. Since our
team only had two people, we found it most effective for one person to handle the mechanical
side while the other configures the electrical component of the robot. On the mechanical side,
very few problems were encountered along the way. The manual provided clear step by step
instructions leaving little room for confusion. With the added aid of the diagrams in the
instruction booklet and previously assembled robots, the construction went fairly unhindered.
The hardest parts were screwing on all of the tiny nuts and bolts. The only major problem during
the mechanical side of assembly came upon securing the battery pack to the base of the robot.
The screws did not quite fit properly, so we had to flip them in order for it to work right. On the
electrical side….

Robot Testing and Troubleshooting:

We finished construction of the robot about a day ahead of our classmates. Sadly, our success
was greeted with many problems. Our first major problem was that a small section of the circuit
board wiring broke off. This problem was solved by soldering on a wire to reconnect the two
resistors. Another problem arose as one of the black battery wires came loose and needed to be
soldered again. After a day spent fixing these two problems, we returned in hopes that our robot
would run smoothly again; this was not the case. Our robot was responding to every little sound
made and would constantly change direction. A new potentiometer was deemed necessary and
was thus installed. The next day we ran our robot, it had developed the inability to travel in a
straight line. We attempted to tighten the bolts attaching the wheels and tightening the front axle
but our efforts proved fruitless. The major right hook was only solved for the second competition
by applying a strip of tape to the back screw on which the front axle rests. In testing, this strip of
tape allowed the robot to successfully travel in a straight path. However, in the actual contest,
this potential was never actualized and the robot failed to travel in a straight path. The trouble
shooting procedures in the manual were not very helpful for our problems always were outside
of the scope of those solved in the manual. Another problem was that sometimes upon clapping,
the robot would simply stop and another clap would be necessary for it to start up again. We
never figured out this problem. If we had time, I would have liked to loosen the front wheel so
the robot could travel faster.

Robot Contest:

Our team did not fare well in the robot contest. In the first contest, our failure can be attributed to
the fact that our robot developed a huge right hooking path. Thus, our robot could not simply
travel straight and had to use the extensive time it takes to turn the robot around. In the second
competition we thought we had figured everything out but for some reason it got caught on the
starting tape twice and could not break free until it had made a ninety degree turn away from the
finish line.