Page 199 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

168 CONSTRUCTING HIGH- TECH ROBOTS FROM TOYS

Figure 16-7 Inside the tank depicted in Figure
Figure 16-6 A store- bought tank toy contains motors, 16-6, showing the modular construction. Not all tank
rubber tracks, drive sprockets, and idler wheels— all can toys are like this model, but when you find one like
be repurposed for a desktop tracked robot. this, it’s a pleasure to tear apart.

the way it goes). The moral: Always be on the lookout for motorized toys that could make for
good robot platforms.
Toy vehicles such as this one are ideal starter bases for your robots. Remove the remote
control electronics and attach your own to the motors already in the tank. The innards are
shown in Figure 16-7; you can see the motor in its case, a speaker for sound effects, and the
circuit board that contains the remote control and motor drive electronics. This board is read-
ily removed and replaced with your own microcontroller and motor drive.

REUSING ALL THE PARTS
When removing treads be sure to also collect the drive sprocket and any idler wheels used to
keep the tread in place. You’ll want to reuse these with your robot, too. Figures 16-8 and 6-9

Figure 16-9 Tank toy showing the motor drive unit,
Figure 16-8 Tank toy as it came out of the box. with drive sprockets for the rubber tracks.

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