Tag Archives: PiWars 2024

While developing Eco-Disaster, I came upon a problem. When a barrel has been picked up, the robot heads for the appropriate end zone to deposit it. It uses a core function to drive towards the centre of the largest area of the specified hue until the front time-of-flight (ToF) sensor is triggered by the wallContinue reading “Where shall I put this barrel?”

Recently I set about testing the line following code for Firefly in preparation for Lava Palava.  First off, I reviewed the line-follower code I had written for the 2022 games.  I decided that the code was overly complicated since it can detect junctions and accept voice input directions.  So, I reinstated the code I hadContinue reading “The Pesky Hump”

The initial plan for Minesweeper was to build a camera system that could see the entire arena at once.  We wanted to be able to see every mine from any of the other mines.  We planned to use an upward facing camera, with a curved mirror above it, mounted high on the vehicle. Design OneContinue reading “Backwards and Forwards with Minesweeper”

This post details the operation of the anti-zombie Nerf gun. The gun is mounted on a turntable, the interior of which is shown below. A servo is mounted in a 3-legged “caddy”.  The legs of the caddy have Lego wheels which run on a track to support the turret, providing very smooth movement combined withContinue reading “The Zombie Gun”

Firefly is fitted with custom designed, low friction track sprockets. They increase the robot’s battery endurance by reducing it’s rolling resistance. Actually, they’re for something else. Firefly can be fitted with with mecanum wheels, and these require four independent motor controls. If you are driving the robot in radio control mode, with the tracks fitted,Continue reading “Low Friction Track Sprocket”

Firefly’s lid includes a few decorative features such as lights and a servo to move Doofus’s head. This requires a microcontroller to drive it, so I thought I’d build a circuit over the weekend. I started off by building some of the circuitry on a breadboard; the rear lights use LED strips and I wanted toContinue reading “Frustration!”

The chaps at PiWars HQ have asked for an update. So, here are some recent pictures…

In mid October I blogged that I had built Firefly, but I expressed dissatisfaction with the build quality.  I was mainly unhappy with the standard and longevity of the paint. It seems to me that some paint colours take better on 3D prints than others; the dark grey of the hull looks fine, but theContinue reading “Version 2”

Ordered Sunday, here by Friday!