Home of Bot_Head

Can't get enough of them little bots! And the BEP boards make it easy!

Bot #1 - Bones II

Bones II image
  • Core Circuit: BBPV2 (Wilf's Design *)
  • SE: Miller @ 2.0V (1381C)
  • Eyes: Photodiode Voltage Divider
  • Cap: 3300uF
  • Solar Cell: Sunceram SC3733 5.4V, 15 ma
  • VIDEO: Taking a Turn
  • Notes: This one is my best low light performer. It will pop at night, 10 ft from a 40W light bulb! Scarey.
 

Bot #2 - Pegleg

Pegleg

Pegleg
  • Core Circuit: BBPV2 (Wilf's Design *)
  • SE: 1371 Maxim @ 3V
  • Eyes: Photodiode Voltage Divider
  • Cap: 4700uF
  • Solar Cells: 2 Sunceram SC2433 ~6V (2 @ ~3V), 17.5 ma
  • VIDEO: It's Alive!!
  • Notes: Since this motor config is kind of whacky, I've tweaked this circuit to deliver stronger pops. Still a good popper in moderate light, and fun to watch in the sun! I tried many different approaches to connecting the motor. Then tried the pen spring on a whim, and it works best so far.
  • ToDo: Still needs his whiskers!

Bot #3 - Dervish

Dervish

Dervish
  • Core Circuit: BBPV2 (Wilf's Design *)
  • SE: Miller @ 2.0V (1381C)
  • Eyes: Photodiode Voltage Divider
  • Cap: 3300uF
  • Solar Cell: Sunceram SC3733 5.4V, 15 ma
  • VIDEO: In the Light Pool
  • Notes: The Suneater config using the same electronics as Bones II. Also a nice low light popper, and once it finds the light pool, it won't leave! My most active bot.
  • ToDo: Also needs whiskers. I want to go with Steven Bolt's Suneater feelers here, which is why I mounted the motors to 1/4 size boards. The whiskers will get mounted to those boards.

* VBBPV2: A Very Bare-Bones Photovore

Note the uncanny resemblance between Wilf's BBPV2 (here) and Solarbotics BEP board BC2 (here). I modified my various poppers to use the BC2 board, and they all pop stronger, especially in bright light! See Wilf's description here.

Bones II image

VBBPV2 Instructions

These instructions show how to modify the Solarbotics BBPV (see their instruction page here ) so that it uses Wilf BBPV2 circuit.
  1. Take BEP Board BC2,
  2. Add 74*240 chip,
  3. Add .22 mF Cap at C1 (I used two .1 mF caps),
  4. Add a small wire jumper at C2. That's it! The main board is done!
  5. Hook your eyes to pad I1 (I used the pad between R5 and R4, which was handier and makes the same connection).
  6. Motors connect to pads O1/Gnd and O2/Gnd (I used little sockets for the motor connections, so I could swap motors quickly),
  7. add Miller SE, and you've got a Very BBPV indeed!
  8. To make a head or Pegleg, hook leads from one motor to pads O1 and O2.