Junkbot

Junkbot prodject For the past couple of weeks we have worked on learning about the parts that make up a CD drive. We found many different types of pieces such as jump wires and potentiometers which are a type of variable resistor. Using this knowledge we then built ourselves a bunch of junk bots scrounged from the CD drive parts. The bot I made is called Viberbot, and through this project we learned how to apply the parts in any project we are working on. What I built is called a Viberbot on account that it vibrates. The base of my bot is the plastic base that the laser sat on. I have 2 legs in the front of my made out of large paper clips. On the front of the Bot I have also attached a light that I salvaged from an old flash light. On the top of the base is the motor with a portion of a glue stick attached to create the wobbler. The motor on the bot use to open and close the CD tray. Coming out the back of the bot are the wires that lead to my controller. On the controller I have a potentiometer, this use to be the volume control for the CD but now it controls the speed at which the wobbler spins, thus controlling the amount of vibration. Finally I have a few switches. Through this project I learned a lot about the components I used. I learned that the DC motor (like the one I used) can run in both directions depending on the way I run the electricity through it. I also learned about how a potentiometer also known as a variable-resistor can slow the electrical current, by changing the resistance you change the speed at which the electrical current can flow. Unlike a standard resistor, not used in my project, this will supply a constant amount of current at a constant level. Another part I did not use was a light emitting diode or LED for short. The LED can only run electricity in one direction. The final part that we discovered but not used on my project is the stepper motor. Named for its mulit-steps which makes it more accurate but harder to use because it runs off of electrical pulses. These pulses have to be calculated in a sequential order to make it run. The skills that I gained through this project are how to solder and de-solder; and the knowledge of how an electrical circuit works. These skills can be used in real life. If I am ever in need of a light, I could put together and solder a circuit that runs through the light and then my problem will be solved. Finally the junkbot project taught me to use my imagination and I am only limited by time. Broken computers still have a lot of life left in them given a few scavenged pieces a new toy can emerge.