"Nick Huckaby" wrote in message
news:1110034205.a2af8d4aea092dde8fa9095747643f2a@b ubbanews...
| We are building a robot mower so we don't have to bear the cold
| winter. I have a 120V AC mower and a gas powered mower that cuts
| a leveled 20'x40' grass field perfectly fine. I have a remote control
| and a receiver capable of a hundred meters that can switch a relay to
| get a DC motor to go in forward or reverse. I also have two 8-Amps DC
| motors and two indrustrial drill AC motors.
|
| We've never built a mower like this before so we don't know if we should
go
| with AC or DC motors or know the best way to transfer power to the
| wheels. How should we begin building a robot grass cutting mower?
|
| Thanks

1. How can you get AC power to the mower without it being wireless? If
you plan on using a wireless system and AC motors, then you have a lot of
electronics learning to do first.
2. What happens if the batteries in the receiver go dead? Will it just
mow right over your neighbors cats?
3. A receiver that can switch a relay for a DC motor is highly unlikely
strong enough for a high current DC motor from a cordless mower. You will
need a second, more powerful relay/contactor for that job.
4. Get on some robotics forums and groups and learn a lot more. RC
groups are good, but in this case, there's a lot of crossover and more basic
robotics than RC.
5. RC servos can be modified to run as motors with proportional
control. A pair are popular for robots, but if you go for motors big enough
for your robot you need to go with purpose built designs. Visit
surpluscenter.com for a couple useful drivetrains.