This is the first evaluation report of the 2.4G version of mBot robot in the whole network!

The current robot technology is by no means as simple as the dancing, cooking, and kicking of several small robots we see on the Internet and TV. The robot system is very complex, and robot technology has become a hot research field. For a child who still has many unknowns about science, if he can get access to the most advanced science and technology in the world early in his life, I believe it will be a great benefit for his brain intelligence development, and can greatly expand their knowledge.

In this process, I believe that many parents will also face the problem of how to choose toys for their children. Many unscrupulous businesses boast of exaggerating product functions, which leads to some blind spots in our understanding. Until recently, I happened to see the mBot educational robot. After reading their introduction, I saw a flash and applied for a trial. As a smoker and drinker specializing in intelligent robots, I think this product is cheap and cost-effective. At the same time, it is also the most important thing that this product is simple in function, easy to use, easy to learn hardware control at first hand, and has many sensors, allowing learners to master feedback and control in robot learning, Improve the learning enthusiasm and creativity of small basin friends, and obtain a great sense of achievement.

1、 Unpacking and component display

The robot with the highest cost performance can open the package and see the product packaging box and《 mBLOCK Small makers playing with robots: It's split, and it's very congenial to the small and fresh style of blue and white colors

Seal of Lei Feng

Open the product packaging box and present the fine packaging and all English explanatory materials. Maybe it focuses on foreign markets, but I think it is better to do Chinese and E It is better to combine the instructions! However, it has little impact. You can understand it by reading the pictures. The parts are fixed in the customized foam sandwich with special clamping position, which is very professional!

There are a lot of spare parts on the children's study desk. The official introduction includes forty-five Components! There are not many main parts and components, so it is easy to install.

This is mBot Core parts of robot --Motherboard, aka mCore , the architecture uses arduino IDE ， CPU Using ATmega Of three hundred and twenty-eight , integrated with infrared sensor, light sensor Reset Reset button one Buzzer two individual RGB Tricolor LED 、 one individual USB Interface and four individual RJ25 Expansion port. mCore Mainboard adopts RJ25 The advantage of the interface is that it reduces the trouble of connecting wires one by one, and it is convenient and quick to insert directly when using RJ25 Interface 。

    mCore Detailed description of switches and interfaces on the mainboard

    mBot The trolley is made of aluminum alloy, and the workmanship is very exquisite. Many mounting holes are preset for easy expansion, and there are hollow holes on both sides mBot abbreviation M This time, the color that children like very much is blue.

     Drive motor of mBot , two TT Motor, or convenient plug interface

Drive wheel

Remote control, fine workmanship, with a small battery

    Ultrasonic detection module of mBot The eyes of a robot are like "eyes"

The line finding module of the mBot is built with two sensors on the left and right, and outputs 0, 1 and 2, which can be used in programming. You can observe the change of the light on the sensor by placing it under the sensor by hand.

   The wireless module can use Bluetooth and 1 to many 2.4G wireless module , this test is 2.4G Wireless module

This is a legend 3D Does the mBot front wheel produced by the printer grow up instantly after hearing its name? At the price of more than 600, you can buy toys with 3D printing, which is worth it!

RJ25 data cable and USB Serial port line

The vulnerable spare parts of motor drive have to say Makeblock The company is very comprehensive, and details determine success or failure

Appearance quality

Looking at the overall appearance, the mBot robot is of fine workmanship, the main board circuit is neatly arranged, and the space layout is reasonable. The car has been sandblasted, and the feel is very good. The quality of the parts is excellent, which is definitely worth the price.

  2、 Robot assembly process

First, take a look at the official installation diagram of accessories

First, install the motor on the trolley chassis and fix it with screws. There are positioning holes for alignment and installation is very simple. There are two motors in total, which control the left and right tires of the trolley respectively.

Electricity Effect after installation

Self tapping screws can be used to fix the tire to the motor shaft

The next step is to install the line patrol sensor and omnidirectional wheel. The two modules are placed on the chassis in front of the trolley, and the ultrasonic sensor is placed in front of the trolley, all fixed with screws. It should be noted that the first installation is likely to only install the omnidirectional wheel. The correct installation method is to place the line patrol sensor under the universal wheel and install and fix it together

Correct installation

Then install 4 Copper pillars, very easy to install

Installing ultrasonic sensor

Connect RJ25 Data line, lead the motor line and line patrol sensor line out from the small hole in the middle of the trolley

Stick the battery to the car chassis through the velcro

Fix the main board to the copper column, connect the data cable, battery and motor connector, and you are done. It will take half an hour for the child to finish loading by himself. Note: the line patrol sensor wire is connected to 2 ports, and the ultrasonic sensor is connected to three The two motor wires are connected, and the debugging is correct under the manual mode.

3、 Robot built-in function test

The three original modes of the mBot are

A、 Free control mode;

In this mode, use the remote control to control the movement of the mBot robot up, down, left and right, and be careful not to press two Keys

B、 Obstacle avoidance mode;

C Tracking mode.

4、 Software programming test

Beginner players should be honest《 mBLOCK Small makers playing with robots should be able to learn simple programming. Or you can learn something by comparing some programs compiled by others online and offline. in addition //www.mbot.cc/ There are abundant resources. Go and see more if you have nothing to do!

Software used for programming mBlock3.1 , please reach Download. This software may not have good compatibility. After installation, my desktop computer will click some buttons to flash back. There is any problem with the laptop installation.

1. Programming

First write the light control, dazzle it, and then write a simple program that only moves the car in the circle. It is very simple to write the fool mode. Drag some encapsulated statements in the "script" below to the right, and then go in and have a look.

2. Upload the program to the robot

a. Usb data cable connects computer and robot

b. Start mBlock Software, open the program to upload, and then click "Connect" -- "Serial port", select the following com mouth

c. Click Edit -- “ Arduino Mode "

d. In the pop-up window, click Upload to Arduino ”

e. After uploading, click the "Close" button to complete the upload, unplug the data cable, and start the test

Test effect - paint the ground firmly procedure:

5、 Mbot wireless module test

MBot robot is plugged in 2.4G Wireless module, at this time, the blue light enters the slow flash mode, and you can connect the adapter that was successfully connected last time. Plug the wireless module adapter into the computer, and the computer automatically completes the drive installation. Press the button on the wireless module to enter the fast flash mode, and connect the new one 2.4G When the adapter is connected, the flash light is always on.

Click Dashboard -- “ mBot ”

Click Expand -- “ Makeblock ”

Click Connect - “ 2.4G Wireless serial port " - "Connect", the title bar above displays 2.4G The wireless serial port is connected

Next, write a simple computer wireless control program as shown in the figure below. After many tests, the car cannot be controlled. Then restart the machine and restore it to the factory program. It still doesn't work! After searching for information, the key step is coming. If the 2.4G wireless module cannot control it, the following operations must be followed:

Initialization steps for 2.4G wireless connection problems:

1、 Unplug the 2.4G module on the mBot; 2、 Connect USB cable to install mBot firmware; 3、 Plug in the 2.4G module again after turning off the power supply; 4、 After powering on the mBot, press the button on the 2.4G module, and then plug in the USB adapter.

Miracle has appeared. The original motionless mBot can be controlled by computer! There is no need to upload any control program to the robot, just need to program on the PC side, and the movement of the mBot robot can be controlled through the 2.4G module.

     During the trial, it was found that in 2.4G wireless mode mBot Robot uploads programs only through USB Mode, and wireless mode and USB Modes cannot coexist. To use one mode, you must turn off the other.

  6、 Summary

advantage:

　　 one The overall design is beautiful, the workmanship is excellent, the module programming is simple and easy to use, and the cost performance is high

　　 two Small friends can carry out high-level exploration after they get started, which is not wasteful and has strong usability

　　 three , multi platform compatibility (Android, Apple windows ）

　　 four . Acoustic, infrared, Bluetooth, sound and other modules can be added

　　 five The computer can control the movement of multiple mBot robots through 2.4G, which is suitable for teaching

Disadvantages:

     one The front wheels are noisy

     two The rubber ring of the robot wheel is easy to get dusty

3. "Head up" is obvious when the robot is at high speed

Suggestion:

     one , Hope RJ25 The data line adopts a softer line

2. Program can be downloaded in wireless mode

3. Provide All instructions in Chinese

The 2.4G mBot robot is suitable for teaching, but it is more playable for families to buy Bluetooth

My child has been learning Lego Robot for two years, and the annual learning cost is tens of thousands of yuan. So far, he has not yet been exposed to programming, so he is still worried. It is right to go step by step, but he has learned some programming knowledge from the beginning. Especially now, children can master such easy to learn fool like programming programs as mBlock software, Let them know that the combination of hardware and software control is not too difficult, broaden their knowledge, build confidence and lay a foundation for learning more complex knowledge in the future! thank Makebock！

Thanks to Lei Feng.com（ //www.leiphone.com ）This activity of gave me an experience mBot The opportunity for robots, I wish Lei Feng.com better and better, and I wish Makebock to develop more robot products that everyone likes, one robot per kid！