What building a Self-Balancing Robot without any robotics experience taught me

Tanvir Singh — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 20:15:07 +0000

How I Built a Self-Balancing Robot and What I Learned Along the Way

Hey there! I'm a software developer by trade, with a background in web development and DevOps. But back in my final year of pursuing a Bachelor's in Electronics and Communication Engineering, I decided to take on a hardware project that was way outside my comfort zone. Instead of opting for something straightforward like a smart-home automation Telegram bot, I went for a challenge: building a Self-Balancing Robot.

What's a Self-Balancing Robot?

In case you're wondering, a Self-Balancing Robot is a two-wheeled robot that uses a gyroscope to measure its tilt. It counters the tilt by powering the stepper motors connected to its wheels. Essentially, it stays upright by constantly adjusting its position, like a mini-Segway. Sounds cool, right? But it required more than just knowing how to program an Arduino. I had to understand the mechanics of the robot, calculate the center of gravity, and get into a lot of stuff that was way beyond my usual software development realm. I was excited about the challenge!

The Journey Begins

So, I started with some research. After scouring the internet, I found an open-source project on GitHub called BalancingWii. Turns out, a lot of folks used this as a baseline for their self-balancing robots. I thought, "Great, this should make things easier." Spoiler alert: I was wrong.

The Rollercoaster Ride

First Attempt

Bought Parts: Ordered all the necessary components. This included a gyroscope, stepper motors, an Arduino board, motor drivers, and various other electronics.
Parts Arrived: Time to get to work! Receiving all the parts was like Christmas morning, filled with excitement and anticipation.
Learned to Solder: First time soldering, not too shabby. I had to learn how to solder components onto a PCB, which was a new skill for me.
Edited Code: Tweaked the open-source code to fit my needs. I modified the BalancingWii code to work with my specific setup and components.
Uploaded Code: Hit my first snag with a driver issue. My computer wasn't recognizing the Arduino board due to a missing driver. After some digging, I found a driver that worked. Nice!
Test Run: Tested the tilt functionality without a body—it worked! The gyroscope was detecting tilt and the motors were responding correctly.
Major Setback: I accidentally short-circuited the main board and fried everything. Oops. I learned the hard way about the importance of careful handling and proper insulation.

At this point, the project was getting expensive since it was all out of my own pocket. I had to add more people to my team in order to fund the project. My college didn't fund projects, so I had to start over.

Second Attempt

Ordered Parts Again: New parts arrived, and I was ready for round two. I reordered the components and braced myself for another attempt.
Soldered Again: Getting better at this. With practice, my soldering skills improved, resulting in cleaner and more reliable connections.
Made Adjustments: Improved the robustness of the setup. I made some
design changes to make the setup more durable and less prone to short circuits.
Test Run: Things were looking good. The initial tests were promising, and the system seemed to be functioning as expected.
Fabricated Test Body: Created a basic structure to test the center of balance. Using some basic materials, I built a test frame to see how well the robot could balance.
Another Setback: Fried a stepper motor driver this time. Ordered a replacement. This was another frustrating moment, but I didn't let it stop me.

Final Stretch

Replaced Driver: Installed the new motor driver. Once the replacement arrived, I also edited the circuit to add a voltage regulator to save prevent any over voltage.
PID Calculations: Spent a lot of time tweaking the PID settings. The Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller settings are crucial for maintaining balance, and getting them right was a matter of trial and error.
Persistent Testing: Kept trying different setups until something finally clicked. I spent hours testing and adjusting, fine-tuning every aspect of the robot's behavior.
It Worked: After countless attempts and adjustments, it finally worked! Seeing the robot balance on its own was incredibly satisfying and made all the effort worth it.

Images and Videos

Circuit Design:
Soldering after a lot of iterations:
Body V1:
Body V2:
Body V3:
Video: Google Drive Link

Lessons Learned

Never Give Up: Persistence pays off. Even when things go wrong, keep pushing forward. Every setback is a learning opportunity, and determination is key to overcoming obstacles.
How to Solder: Gained a new skill that's pretty handy. Soldering is essential for many electronics projects, and getting good at it can open up a lot of possibilities.
Robotics: Got a crash course in robotics and mechanical engineering. Building the robot gave me a deeper understanding of the principles behind robotics, including kinematics and dynamics.
Embedded C: Improved my programming skills in a new language.
Writing code for embedded systems is different from web development, and it broadened my programming horizons.
New Outlook on Life: This project taught me that stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to incredible growth and learning. Embracing challenges and tackling unfamiliar problems can be incredibly rewarding.

DEV Community: Tanvir Singh