Skill Builder: Build a Wobbler

In the latest issue of MAKE, Volume 27, the always-awesome Howtoons project column shows you how to build a wobbly little walker using two servomotors and some plastic coat hanger hooks for eccentric wheegs. While this is not really a robot, it’s a fun project for teaching kids some bot basics, like the important robot-building technique of hacking servos for continuous rotation and using Tupperware as a bot body (very handy). Here’s a free PDF download of the two-page spread from the magazine.

More:
Robot Skill Builder series
Robotics section of Make: Projects

From the Pages of MAKE

MAKE Volume 27, Robots!
The robots have returned! MAKE Volume 27 features a special package with robotics projects for every age and skill level. They play music; they outwit your pets; they learn from their mistakes! In addition, we’ll show you how to build a special aquarium to keep jellyfish, create pre-Edison incandescent lighting, spy via the internet, and make a go-anywhere digital message board! All this and much, much more, in MAKE Volume 27.

On newsstands July 26! Buy or Subscribe

5 Responses to Skill Builder: Build a Wobbler

Drew Harwell on August 3rd, 2011 at 12:35 am said:

Why not skip a step and just use DC motors by themselves, rather than spend money on a servo just to simply rip it apart?

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- Anonymous on August 3rd, 2011 at 4:44 am said:
  
  Because you’d likely want to gear the motors and a servo sans electronics is basically a gearmotor. And servos are now pretty cheap, and you can get them sans control electronics, which basically makes it a gearmotor right out of the box.
  
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Christopher Eriksson on August 3rd, 2011 at 7:00 am said:

It doesnt really say you have to remove the end stops in the servo first, just running a non modded servo without doing that will most likely break a gear or two.

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James B on August 3rd, 2011 at 4:14 pm said:

I’m disappointed. I thought this was going to be an article about how to make a center finding device for the lathe and drill press.

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James B on August 3rd, 2011 at 4:14 pm said:

I’m disappointed. I thought this was going to be an article about how to make a center finding device for the lathe and drill press.

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