Hardware Is Hard?
6 hours ago
- #DIY
- #robotics
- #electronics
- The author, feeling bored with AI taking over their work, decides to build a robot for fun, inspired by nostalgic college projects.
- Researching robot building reveals a lack of electronics knowledge, including basics like electricity, components, and tools such as multimeters and breadboards.
- To start simply, the author chooses to build a "Hello, World!" equivalent in robotics: a small remote-controlled robot car using a phone.
- The core principle is that voltage difference moves motors, explained through Ohm's law (V=IR) with an analogy to water flowing downhill.
- Required components include a 4WD chassis kit, 18650 Li-ion batteries, ESP32 as the brain, TB6612FNG motor controller, multimeter, and other tools like a soldering iron.
- Assembly involves testing motor directions, wiring components, and using the ESP32 to control motors via GPIO pins and pulse width modulation (PWM) for speed.
- The TB6612FNG module acts as an H-bridge to control motor direction and speed based on ESP32 signals, avoiding energy waste from resistance.
- Programming the ESP32 involves C code interacting with memory-mapped I/O to trigger pins, with help from online resources and AI like Claude.
- Wiring follows detailed instructions, and despite challenges like faulty components, the author succeeds in making the wheels move, achieving a eureka moment.
- The author concludes that electronics revolves around voltage, appreciates AI assistance, and encourages embracing life's richness through hands-on projects.