Robot Building for Beginners, Third Edition [Paperback]

I wrote this book because I love building robots. I want you to love building robots, too. It took me a while to learn about many of the tools and parts in amateur robotics. Perhaps by writing about my experiences, I can give you a head start. --David Cook

Robot Building for Beginners, Third Edition provides basic, practical knowledge on getting started in amateur robotics. There is a mix of content: from serious reference tables and descriptions to personal stories and humorous bits.

The robot described and built in this book is battery powered and about the size of a lunch box. It is autonomous; that is, it isn't remote controlled.

The book is broken up into small chapters, suitable for bedtime (or bathroom) reading.

The characteristics and purposes of each major component (resistor, transistor, wire, and motor) are described, followed by a hands-on experiment to demonstrate. Not only does this help the reader to understand a particular piece, but it also prepares them with processes to learn new parts on their own. An appendix offers an introduction to 3D printing and parts of the robot can, as an alternative, be printed using a 3D printer.

The master project of the book is a simple, entertaining, line-following robot.

Chapter 1. Welcome Robot Inventor!

Chapter 2. Where to Obtain Tools and Parts

Chapter 3. Safety

Chapter 4. Digital Multimeter

Chapter 5. Numbers and Units

Chapter 6. Robot Line-Following

Chapter 7. Nine-Volt Batteries

Chapter 8. Clips and Test Leads

Chapter 9. Resistors

Chapter 10. LEDs

Chapter 11. Power On!

Chapter 12. Solderless Prototyping

Chapter 13. Solderless Breadboardl³3