Food Service Robot Prop

The purpose of this project was to use an AI generated image as a basis and then create a prop relating to the image. this project needs to be easy to follow and understand by a high school student and remain under 100 dollars in components. the image seen is the AI generated image and we have chosen to build a robot prop using the robot in the image as a basis for the design and functionalities. to do this the robot would have to have a head which could swivel, lights which flash and some audio, as well as pushbuttons for user inputs.

Supplies

Supplies needed for this project include:

Additional tools

Glue
Tape
Scissors and or Carboard Cutter/Knife
Pen/Pencil
Ruler

Wiring the Components Together

pushbutton and stepper motor connection.jpg

Start by ensuring you have all the components listed above

Once you have all the components listed, follow the wiring diagram seen here to properly wire all the components to the Arduino Uno

You will make two separate circuits using small breadboards
DF Player board:
Place the DF Player across the center off the board. Follow the DF Player datasheet pinout to make sure the rx pin goes to the tx pin on the Arduino and vice versa
Connect the power and ground to power rail on one side and the ground on the other.
Connect the pushbuttons across the middle. connect one pin to ground
Using the 22k resistors connector, connect the other side of the PB to power. Arduino connection goes between pushbutton and power.
Speakers are connected to DF Player as shown in pinout.
LED Board:
On one side of the LED board arrange four 330 ohm resistors to connect a rail to power and a wire to connect a parallel rail to ground.
Repeat this process on the other side for the two eye LEDs
Bend the led connections so they fit into the female end of your connectors. You will need a connector for the Annode and Cathode. The Anode is connected to the power rail and the Cathode is connected to ground.
The power rail on each side will connect to LED digital pins 2 and 3 on the Arduino
Take a cable and connected each the ground rails together.
Take a wire and connect the ground rail from this board to the ground rail on the DF Player board.

MP3 Module Prep:
take an SD card no more than 32GB in size and format to FAT file system
Upload desired voice tracks that you wish your robot to speak.
These must be .mp3 format and track naming format should be 001, 002, etc....
The program provided in the next step will randomly select these tracks to play.

Programming the Arduino Uno

First you will need to download and install the following software in order to compile and upload the code:
Microchip Studio - https://www.microchip.com/en-us/tools-resources/develop/microchip-studio
AVRDUDESS - https://blog.adafruit.com/2013/02/19/avrdudess-a-gui-for-avrdude/
Download the attached Arduino Code
Once downloaded, Open Microchip Studio and select New Project
Select atmega328p as your device
Copy the code from the main.c you downloaded to the main.c of your program
Store the other .c and .h files in the same folder as your main.c of your arduino program.
Add the files by right-clicking on your program in solution explorer and select 'Add Existing File'
You should add the following files to your program: Stepper.h, Stepper.C, serial_MP3.h, and serial_MP3.c
Press F7 to compile the code and create a .hex file to upload to the Aurdino

Attach the Arduino to your PC using a USB cable and use device manager determine the COM port used
Using AVRDUDESS select the following options:

(these options might vary depending on the Arduino version of your Chipset)

Programmer: Arduino
MCU: ATmega328P
Arduino Uno (ATmega328p)
PORT: COMx * x=com port number
BAUD Rate: 115200
Flash: *locate hex file produced in the debug folder after successful compile. This should be located where you saved your program*
After the above selections are made click "Program!" to upload the program to flash
Go ahead and test it out before assembly. Make sure the push button, stepper motor, LEDs, and MP3 player work.

For better understanding review the codes comments and download and review the datasheet for the DF Player and atmega328p.

Downloads

serial_mp3.h

stepper_motor.c

stepper_motor.h

main.c

serial_MP3.c

Cutting Out the Cardboard Frame

Download the files attached and print: these contain appropriately sized blueprints for cutting out the carboard pieces along with names and quantity needed of each piece. (If you do not have access to a printer, these files also contain the correct dimensions)

With all the cutout templets begin to cut out all the pieces, label them and set them aside in an organized manner as seen in the image above. this will help once beginning to assemble the robot.

Downloads

Back.pdf

Base Bottom.pdf

Base Braces.pdf

Base Walls.pdf

Front and Back.pdf

Head Bases.pdf

Head Corners.pdf

Sides and lid.pdf

Assembling the Robot Frame

following the images seen, glue and tape each carboard piece together to form the frame of the robot head and base.

Adding the Arduino and Components All Together

Now that the frame is assembled and the Arduino and components are wired and ready to go, you can begin putting it all together

(Putting it all together will require some glue or similar to keep it in place)

Place all the components inside the head as seen in the image above.
With the head completed, attach the head to the base by connecting the base to the output shaft of the stepper motor

Try It Out

Now that you have completed the robot, try it out and have some fun with it.

Downloads

Food Service Robot Prop - Step #6