Kitronik Line Following Buggy for the BBC micro:bit

This Line Following Buggy with :MOVE line following board for the BBC micro:bit is the latest version of our very popular line following buggy. We have swapped out the old wheels for a new set of injection moulded 5 spoke wheels that also come with a set of o-ring tyres. The buggy also features a more compact motor driving solution, allowing for a smaller chassis.

It also features the :MOVE line following board which has fewer parts than previous versions of this buggy. Not only does it provide far superior line following it also makes the kit much easier to assemble, making it a suitable activity for younger children. The line following board is supplied pre-assembled, so no soldering of components is required. The only soldering required for assembly is to attach the wires to the two motors.

The line following board design is such that the buggy can either follow a dark line on a light background or a light line on a dark background. For best results, ensure there is approx. 5mm clearance between the bottom of the board and the driving surface.

Also, the sensitivity of the line following can be adjusted via the two onboard pots, one for each detector. The same pots are also used to change the type of line that will be followed; to detect darker, turn the pot clockwise and to detect lighter, turn the pot anti-clockwise.

Features:

• Simple to build buggy.
• BBC micro:bit controlled.
• This version of the buggy features the Kitronik compact motor driver for BBC micro:bit which has resulted in a smaller chassis.
• The line following board can be configured to either follow a dark line on a light background or a light line on a dark background. And sensitivity can be adjusted to account for ambient lighting conditions.
• The line following sensitivity can be adjusted with a screwdriver.
• Example line following code is provided in the resources section below.

Contents:

• 2 x Right Angle Hobby Geared Motor.
• 2 x Injection moulded wheels for right-angled hobby motors.
• 1 x Kitronik compact motor driver for BBC micro:bit.
• 1 x Steel Ball Caster 16mm Metal Ball.
• 1 x 4xAA Battery Box with Switch.
• 1 x MOVE Line Following Board.
• 10 x Jumper Wires 20cm M/F.
• 1 x 15cm Multi-strand Cable, Black.
• 1 x 15cm Multi-strand Cable, White.
• 1 x 15cm Multi-strand Cable, Green.
• 1 x 15cm Multi-strand Cable, Blue.
• 4 x Plastic Spacer 20mm.
• 14 x Pan Head M3 6mm Machine Screw.
• 4 x M3 Hex Full-Width Nut.
• 2 x Plastic Spacer 12.7mm.
• 2 x Pan Head M3 30mm Machine Screw.
• Laser-cut Perspex Buggy Chassis.
• 1 x 1mm x 12mm x 25mm Foam Pad.

Requires:

• 4 x AA Batteries.
• 1 x BBC micro:bit.
• USB to micro USB cable.
• Pair of pliers.
• Wire strippers.
• Soldering iron and some solder.
• Small flat-head screwdriver.
• Phillips screwdriver.
• A computer with a spare USB port and Internet access.

Resources:

• Build Instructions V4 (Current Version).
• Build Instructions V3.
• Build Instructions V2.
• Line Following board Datasheet.
• Line following code.