Line Following Buggy for the BBC micro:bit

Is there a warranty on this product?

Hi Dan,

Thank you for your question, we offer a guarantee on all our products that we will repair or replace damage within a year. 

We would cover you if the "defect has not been caused by normal wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, misuse, neglect, method of storage, faulty installation, faulty handling, testing or repair (without Kitronik approval), using the Goods in a manner which could not reasonably be expected during normal use or outside of the manufacturer's operating instructions."

If you want the full details on the guarantee we have the details on the link below section 5. 

https://kitronik.co.uk/pages/terms-and-conditions

Best Regards

Cullen

Dear Sir or Madam,
First, do you sell this kit with your new board (the one with all the pins connections at the front?
Second, do the microbit really connect with Bluetooth and could this kit be controlled by another microbit rather than light?
Kind regards
Vincent
PS, is there a discount for 10 kits?

 

 

Hi Vincent, The motor driver board which is being supplied with the kits is the new version and as such has the pin breakout section. It is also possible to control the buggy via another micro:bit by using the ‘on radio’ function within the MakeCode editor, we will be doing a blog about this in the next couple of weeks. With regards to a price break, unfortunately currently we are unable to offer a price break on the product and we will continue to review this to see if it is possible in the future.

The line following code is not working for me. The display changes from a forward arrow on the first time there is a change of input from one of the LDRs. Any subsequent changes have no effect. The red leds show there is a signal change and the voltages measured on p1 and pw show a change, but the microbit display does not update until i press the reset button. Its almost like the input states are latched and then never refreshed.

Hi Chris, I’m sorry to hear that you are having some issues with the line following code, especially as this code has been tested and used multiple times on the buggies we have built here. It is possible that there could be a solder issue on the line following board or an issue elsewhere in the built. If you go to page 8 of the following document it provides some areas to check 5604_Line_Following_Buggy_for_the_BBC_microbit_V1_0.pdf. If you are still having difficulties after this please email our support email.

I have ordered the Micro Bit Line Following Buggy Kit 5604K and the online build instructions link shown on bag label (www.kitronik.co.uk/microbitbuggy) does not work. Furthermore a search on your website comes up with an alternative link "BBC micro:bit Line Following Buggy Build Instructions" and this displays buggy parts and no instructions. Where will I find the instructions needed please? Thank you.

Hi Anthony, I apologise that the link didn’t appear to work, I believe this was an issue with the website which has now been fixed. As such the link you stated should work, alternatively this link will direct you to the correct page, bbc-microbit-line-following-buggy

Hi, is it possible to add other components to the buggy instead of the line following circuit board?

Shay,

 

As the line follower board connects to the bottom of the buggy base, it could be left off and the inputs used for other items such as micro switches or range sensors and so on. You would of course need to make your own holes for fixing anything different on to the base.

 

Do you have any code for the robot written in python

Thank you for your question

I am afraid we do not currently have any pre written python code for this kit.

I would like a copy of the python code you used to run the line following buggy please.I am just learning micropython so a copy of the code would be a great help in that process. Thanks

Hi David, I have double checked and we don't appear to have any python code for the line following buggy.

Please can you send me a copy of your line following python code. My club is more into Python that block based code so it would be really useful. Thanks.

Hi Jenny, I have double checked and we don't appear to have any python code for the line following buggy.

Do you have any code for the robot written in python

Hi Jack, We didn't have any example code for the line following buggy in python already done, however I will email over a copy that we have just produced.

Any chance of incorporating a pen to turn it into a plotter? (Takes me back to Logo

Hi Will, You could always add some additional Perspex your 3D printed parts to create a pen holder. Alternatively we are in the process of bringing out a new buggy which already has the option to hold a pen. This should be available in the summer, a demo of the buggy can be seen here, https://twitter.com/Kitronik/status/860034717978066944. 

Is there a more elegant way to do PWM control for variable speeds on the buggy?

Here is what I did:
https://pxt.microbit.org/49737-83543-89564-17605

It is a manual on for a few milliseconds then off for a few milliseconds. Do we have access to the enable line of the H-bridge or have any way to make a PWM output? Thanks!

Hi David, With regards to using PWM with the buggy it is possible to analogue write to any of the pins, however you can only analogue write to a maximum of three at a time. As such you would alter the code so that you write the value between 0 (stopped) and 1023 (full speed) to two of the four pins depending on which direction you want to move in, and then the remaining two pins would be set to zero via a digital write. This would mean you could remove the block of code ‘blockingPWMtrick’. 

Hi, I have most of the parts for the buggy such as the motors and wheels, is it possible to supply only the chassis plate?

Hi Pete, Unfortunately it isn’t possible to send just the plate, this forms part of the kit and as such would need to be supplied as part of the kit.

Just placed an order for a couple of these even though they are currently out of stock. Looking to use with my Code Club after half-term so can you give me an estimate of when these will be back in stock?

Hi Andy, Currently we are awaiting a part used within the buggy to be received from our supplier, we current expect this to received early next week. As such dispatch should take place early to mid-next week.

Can the buggy be dismantled and rebuilt?

Hi Rosie, The mechanical parts of the buggy could be dismantled and rebuilt. However it wouldn’t be recommended to keep desoldering and resolding the line following PCB as eventually the PCB might become damaged. As such this item isn’t designed to be built multiple times.

I was wondering what the size of the chassis is ? Also could the code be multiplied to add another motor in order to stop using tank steer and instead control a Remote controlled car ?

Hi Matt, The black chassis is approximately 14.5x11mm and is 3mm thick. Each motor driver board can only drive 2 motor’s, however if you had a second motor driver board and turned the BBC micro:bit round so the edge pins were activated you could use one micro:bit to power both boards.

Does this kit include the V2 of the Motor Driver Board? (The contents link still points to the old one hence my question). Thanks

Hi Shirley, Yes the buggy is now supplied with the new motor driver, I will let our web team now about the link. Thank you for letting us know.

Hi, my kits cam with a pair of longer screws of the same diameter as those included with the caster. I didn't seem to need these... or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks
Andrew

Hi Andrew, The screws that should be used for the caster are 6mm M3 Machine Screws. There are 2 M3 30mm Pozi Pan Machine Screw which should be used for securing the motors into place. 

The Line Following Circuit Board drags on the floor when the buggy is moving. I am a bit worried the LEDs will break! What should I do to stop it from doing so?

The most likely cause of this will be the fitting of the spacers that are supplied with the ball roller. These are not required in this application as they lift the end of the buggy up and as a result the opposite end with the line follower PCB is tipped in to the surface it is running on.

Please let me know if this is not the issue and we can have another look at it.

I have bought the buggy. If I want to play with coding to learn more I need to know what the inputs from the BBC microbit do to the buggy. Is there a spec or a circuit diagram?

We don’t have a circuit diagram for the buggy, however we do have a datasheet for the motor driver board. This explains what pins drive the motor forward and backwards, 5602_bbc_microbit_motor_driver_v1.1.pdf

Hi, What size Pololu Castor is used in the kit?

Thanks,

Ian.

The caster that is used in this kit is ½ inch in size.