Yummy, m&m’s Candy Tin Robot

Sweet was one of my first line-following robots, and it remains popular even today. Many years later, I reprise the concept by building a robot inside of an m&m’s candy tin shaped like a VW Bug (Volkswagen Beetle).

Yummy (left) and Sweet! (right) are robots based on candy tins

Yummy (left) and Sweet! (right) are robots based on candy tins

Yummy was supposed to be a weekend project; quickly assembled from existing boards and pieces that were lying around. Instead, the robot took several months to make. Part of the reason that it took so long is that I chose to reuse existing boards rather than thinking the design through completely and designing a suitable PCB from the start. Reusing a board from another robot meant extra point-to-point wiring and trying to connect sensors in unusual ways.

The other reason why Yummy took so long to build is that I spent a lot of time machining motor mounts and wheel hubs to fit the narrow width of the candy tin. Compounding the difficulty, rather than using Lego tires, it was important to me to retain the existing wheels.

Narrow slippery wheels on candy tin Rubber band tire to provide grip

Left: Narrow slippery wheels on candy tin. Right: Rubber band tire to provide grip

Fortunately, a snug-fitting pair of pastel blue rubber bands were found in an assortment pack and attached with glue to the steel wheels. This provides traction such that the motors won’t simply spin the wheels in place. Rubber bands aren’t a perfect long-term solution, as eventually the rubber will degrade and crumble.

Inside

Inside the robot are the standard components you’d expect.

Cross section of Yummy robot

Cross section of Yummy robot

  1. Pushbutton with a slightly taller actuator to be easier to reach. A press of the button starts whatever mode is selected.
  2. Cadmium-sulfide (CdS) photocell that detects when the cover is closed. The robot waits for five seconds after the cover is closed to begin moving. And, the robot stops moving immediately if the cover is opened.
  3. An Atmel Attiny861 microcontroller for brains. Hiding just behind it is a blue trimpot for selecting the mode (test, line-following, room exploring, etc).
  4. Side-mounted power switch.
  5. 10 mm red LED in a Chicago Miniature lens for taillight.
  6. 10 mm white LED for headlight.
  7. Custom machined blue Delrin motor-mounting block for the Faulhaber right-angle gearmotor. The PCB also attaches to this block.
  8. A component board with resistors and Molex connectors for supplying power to the headlights and taillights.
  9. Pair of LiPoly batteries that supply a maximum of 8.4 V to the motors and headlights. The PCB regulates this to 5 V for the PCB and taillights.
  10. Line-following sensor floorboard.

Movie

I have enough experience with line-following robots to program a smooth algorithm. However, it seems like the m&m’s characters would be pretty poor drivers, so I kept the first draft code which results in heavy fishtailing.

The next pages go into greater details about how the robot was made, and what problems were encountered along the way.