Page 329 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

306 Making Things Move

SADbot gets its name from the source of its power: the sun. Since the motors are
solar-powered, they will run only if it has been sunny enough to store solar energy in
the battery. When the batteries run low and the SADbot motors stop running, SADbot
appears sad because it has to wait for the sun to come out before it can keep drawing.

Shopping List:

• Electronics
• Multimeter
• Arduino with USB cable and AC adaptor

• Soldering iron, stand, and solder
• Three small breadboards (like All Electronics PB-400)
• Jumper wires (like SparkFun PRT-00124)

• Hook-up wire: red, black, and white (SparkFun PRT-08023, PRT-08022, and
PRT-08026)

• Two stepper motors (SparkFun ROB-09238)
• Two EasyDrivers (SparkFun ROB-09402)
• Male header pins (SparkFun PRT-00116)

• Four photocells (1KΩ – 10kΩ: SparkFun SEN-09088)
• Four 1KΩ resistors (SparkFun COM-08980)

NOTE You can also use a 1K – 10k photocell (SparkFun SEN-09088). In
that case, you should use a 1K resistor (SparkFun COM-08980) to get the
best response.

• Benchtop power supply for testing

• 12V 5Ah SLA battery (PS-1250 F1 from Microbattery.com, www.microbattery
.com)

• Solar charge controller (SKU 06-1024 from Silicon Solar, www.siliconsolar
.com)
• 12V 7W solar battery charger panel (Silicon Solar SKU 9358)