How To Play With MiniQ 2WD Complete Kit v2.0- Lesson 1(Get to Know your Robot)

DFRobot Mar 13 2017 1256

1. Key Points

You will learn:

*Recognizing every component of the car

*How to use Arduino IDE and finish some preparation work

Material needed:

*MiniQ 2WD Complete robot Kit v2.0

*4x AA batteries

*USB cable

2.Introduction

First of all,congratulations on getting such a nice robot kit! This is an interesting and fully functional robot,at the same time, it also can help you learn Arduino well. Make it a light hunter, coffee transporter or obstacle avoiding robot and so on. Now, let’s have a look at our robot:

1) MiniQ v2.0

2) LEDs on the bottom of MiniQ V2.0 Components explained:

1.Key

3) Components and locations

4) front view

Function about every component:

1. Infrared transmitter:transmit the infrared signal, the signal can be used for detecting obstacles

2. Photosensitive diode:sensitive with the light, so it can help you get some information about the light

3. Infrared receiver:receive infrared signal, the signal can be used for obstacle avoidance

4. Button:can be programmed for your idea

5. RGB LED:you can change its color use your code, it can show as an alarm and other things you want

6. USB port:upload your code and let your robot talk to your computer

7. Buzzer(passive):be an alarm bell or sing a simple song

8. Controller:runs your code

9. Motor:can be controlled to run forward or backward, so that the car can turn left or right freely

10. Reset button;Reset the robot, the program in the robot will runs again from its initiation

11. Power switch:power switch of the robot

12. Gadgeteer port: 2.0C port, can be used to any 2.0C component

13. Power port:power provided from this port

14. Magnet sensor:can be used for direction measurement

15. Charge port: if your batteries can be charged, you can charge them from this port thus they can be hold in the car

16. Infrared line-follow sensor: can be used for detecting for white or black lines

3. Uploading your first program

Program controls every step of your robot. So you must know how to upload your program into your robot. And firstly, you need to upload the software, this is the link: ArduinoIDE.

➢ Open the website: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software, you will see:

Points

5) Upload page

➢ You should upload the right version to fit your system of your computer, take windows

for example: if you finish the upload and open the software, you will see:

6) ArduinoIDE

➢ OK,connect miniQ to your computer,

7) Connecting the MiniQ

➢ Press the power button, you will see the leds on the bottom of the MiniQ light up, this indicates that the robot gets power successfully

➢ Next step, install the driver. Open the device manager: Right click my Computer→Properties→Device Manger

8) Open device manager

You will see:

9) Unknow device

It shows we need to install its driver, you can install it by windows itself but it is faster do it yourself, right click Arduino Leonardo→Browse my computer for driver software→C:\arduino-1.0.4-windows\arduino-1.0.4\drivers→Next,you will finish the installing.