This section of the BEAM Reference Library is devoted to collecting designs (and links to designs hosted elsewhere) for circuits of interest to BEAMers.
34164s are undervoltage sensing circuits ("voltage supervisors") designed for use as reset controllers in portable microprocessor based systems. We use them as 3- or 5-volt triggers (here, 3 or 5 fills in the "*" of the part number above), as the heart of the Chloroplast solar engine design.
1381s are CMOS voltage-controlled triggers -- these "gate" a source until the voltage is above some "trip" limit, at which point it is allowed onto a third pin.
If you can't find 1381s locally, you might have better luck finding its European cousin, the TC-54 -- for details on it, see its data sheet.
Most BEAMbot designs require at least 3 volts from their solar cell(s). This means, of course, that if you buy 0.5 V cells, you need to wire together at least six of them to do the job. This may or may not be something you want to mess with; it may or may not fit with the aesthetic design you're shooting for.
A device used to store charge in an electrical circuit. A capacitor functions much like a battery, but charges and discharges much more efficiently
BEAM robots tend to use capacitors in two, very different roles -- small ones in Nv neurons and solar engines (filter capacitors), and bigger ones as energy storage devices (storage capacitors).
To use a photodiode in its photoconductive mode, the photodiode is reverse-biased; the photodiode will then allow a current to flow when it is illuminated.
LEDs can be used as photodiodes (tho' their sensitivity is relatively low, so they're only useable this way in very bright conditions).
When light is applied to an LED the anode sources current and becomes positive.
Includes all of the step-by-step instructions you need to create your own robot that can explore rooms,
follow lines, or battle opponents in mini sumo.
The circuits and parts in this book are presented as independent modules,
so that you can build the complete robot as described or apply the modules to your own unique robot designs.
this book simplifies the process of finding basic circuits to perform
simple tasks such as how to control a DC or step motor, and offers
instruction on creating moving robotic parts such as an eye or an ear.
Cook begins with the anatomy of a homemade robot and gives you the best
advice on how to proceed successfully. General sources for tools and
parts are provided in a consolidated list, and specific parts are
recommended throughout the book. Also, basic safety precautions and
essential measuring and numbering systems are promoted throughout.
The Bicore is one of the easiest BEAM circuits to free form and can be built in 10 to 60 minutes depending on your skill level. I would recommend you read the whole tutorial first, this will GREATLY lower the chance of you making a mistake.
Most of us are familiar with Beckingham's photovore block (also known as Chiu's). The following is a similar format used for freeforming a simple H-bridge motor driver that can be used for walkers, heads, and any other project that uses motors that requir
The suspended bicore is the core of most BEAM devices. It's unique structure makes it very easy to customize for a wide range of uses. These uses vary from blinking LED's to servo-drivers to walkers.