Vex Robot Construction

 This is just a boring gallery of me putting together the VEX robot since it is an assignment.

Not sure if comment are really necessary since it's just me following a LEGO-style direction book.

It goes all the way up to the day of the final, which it didn't get to participate in due to its creator's incompetence with programming, hahaha.

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Post 3: Switches and Relays

Here are today's assortment of interesting parts!

On the left is a simple push button used to control the contact between two/more parts of an electrical assembly (the ON portion and the part you want to control upon pressing the button).

The orange box in the center is a DPDT relay and the component on the right is a capacitator, but we'll get to those in a bit!

Here's a quick circuit using one of these push buttons and an LED to visualize the effect:

 

Using two LEDs attached to separate outputs of the same push button results in one light always being on, depending on if the button is pushed or not:

  

Okay so now we get to use the orange box! In this circuit it is supposed to utilize an electrified coil and two switches to manipulate a variety of configurations in a circuit.

This specific config. is built to switch what LED is on by sending voltage through the magnetic coil on the bottom pins of the relay!


 

 




Here's a diagram to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

 

Whenever the coil on the bottom sends out magnetic waves, it changes the contact of the two pins!

So here is the circuit in action!

Now we get to try using the capacitor!

The capacitor is like a tiny battery, it gets charged up whenever in a circuit and expends its energy in turn.

By putting this into the circuit with the relay, an oscillating relay is constructed, causing the electricity from the capacitor to also magnetize the coils and re-do what the original connection did. This is seen as a very quickly (and by quickly I mean fast as all hell) flashing in the two LEDs when the push button connection is made.

A great example of this can be seen in this clip:

Hopefully is doesn't just seem like both lights are on at the same time, watch closely to see them quickly switch.

Well! That concludes Day 3, after these exercises is some boring VEX robot inventory that I don't think would be interesting to document, but feel free to check out the link to the actual building of it that I will try to document in step by step format!

Post 2: Using Multimeters/Various Resistors

I got to learn the proper way to use a multimeter.

I also was able to use a much better quality one on loan from the student stock room rather than the amateurish one I got from Harbor Freight for free...

The crappy meter in question...

I had always seen resistors in various electronic parts and assemblies but was never able to tell what they were for or why they're always so colorful.

Luckily some handy reading from the prof. explained the bands and what each of the colors is equal to in numerical value. I kind of cheated using ElectroDroid, but I would like to see if there is maybe an easy acronym for memorization or something.

This here is a potentiometer! It has the POTENTIAL to do an infinite number of jobs! Hyuk hyuk!

No but seriously, it's is pretty much an adjustable resistor with a max limit, for instance, this one pictured on the right has a Maximum resistance of 1KOhms. When the middle indent is turned all the way to the right (like tightening a screw) the resistance is increased. While left causes the opposite. Pretty nifty!

This is the back of the Potentiometer.

An important thing to note is that the variable resistance is only output from the pins on the side to the pin in the center.

In other words, only the pin in the center is affected by the turning of the indent.

Here's a quick visual demo (Below) of what I mean using a very basic LED set up:

 

 Here's an assortment of parts:

On the left is our old friend the LED

On the right is our new friend the Potentiometer.

The little pill with legs in the middle there is actually a really cool component called a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR).

It does the same thing as a potentiometer in the sense that it can determine the amount of resistance used according to a variable in a set range. Only this time there is no screw, it relies on the light being cast on it!

Here's another demo, but this time the potentiometer has been replaced with an LDR:

This is probably the kind of part used to turn on those solar lawn lights! Gotta break open some of those and see...

This is just a quick pic of multiple resistors being used and their various outputs.

Post 1: Creating and testing a 5V power supply/ Intro to Breadboards

 First some soldering practice...

 Some VERY terrible soldering, but I got my first try at it so I'm glad.

Using a stripped 5V charger (the same kind used to charge cellphones) I soldered together a power supply capable of powering a breadboard.

 Here's a better focus of the ground wire.

Here's a picture of the finished power supply after putting heat shrink tubing over it to protect it from short circuits.

Using the power supply on a breadboard, it is capable of creating a flow of electricity to power an LED (Light Emitting Diode). An important component to note in this process is the resistor, which ensures that the amount of electricity sent to the LED is not too much. This can lead to a short circuit.