Don't get confused about the title... It's a private joke. 
Maybe some of you remember this former TechVideo post, about Ricardo's Vending Machine v2.5.
Since then, Ricardo continued to work at an "improved" version of this, so called v3.0...
Not much different in terms of functions, but there was an intention to rebuild everything, now based in LEGO elements only or officially produced OEM elements, while replacing the old RCX also.
In the last months he has been in Gothenburg (Sweden) at an Erasmus, doing a very interesting graduation project at the industry in cooperation with TLG (but that's a topic for a later post). Short time before his last return to home base, Ricardo made a video featuring a kind of demo and explanation about the machine "features" to his mentor (Johan) from the graduation project.
It turned to be a quite genuine and funny video in raw format and without production, that he showed to me one night this summer. Hence I asked him for an YT upload to share here at TBs 
.
Ok!... Not everything working perfect at first try, but still more than enough to give us a good preview.
Maybe some time later Ricardo will produce a more formal presentation about the functions of his new vending machine, like he did for the previous version.
This new version includes:
- 1 NXT
- 7 Touch sensors (4 for the keypad)
- 1 Light sensor (NXT 1.0)
- 1 Color sensor (NXT 2.0)
- 1 Ultrasonic sensor
- 4 NXT servos
- 4 PF XL motors
- 1 PF M motor
- 1 RC motor (used in the air pump for the liquids dispenser)
- 6 PF lights
- 1 Touch sensor mux
- 1 Sensor mux
- 1 IRLink
The whole contraption is programed using NXC.
During his quest to finish the new VM version, Ricardo took the machine across several places (Lisbon, Billund, Stockholm, Zwölle, Gothenburg,...). It looks it hasn't been an easy task, regardless of the efforts put in applying proper cushioning to make it travel safe.
It's LEGO after all... It is made to be assembled and disassembled.
So it looks Ricardo had to rebuild it several times, while trying to improve the software functions further, at each new destination where the VM arrived. Always thinking it would be the last one and it would get ready...
But... Do you see the drops of one famous beverage, spread over the parts in the image at the right side?...
Yes, in one of its trips it looks there was an exploding can...
Posts
6 comments:
This was a very enjoayable video to watch and the end result is quite amazing...
7 touch sensors + 1 light sensor + 1 color sensor + 1 ultrasone sensor + 1 IR link
in total 11 sensors
on a (touch) sensor mux can combine 4 sensors to 1 nxt sensor port
two (touch) sensor muxes togeter can combine 8 sensors to 2 nxt ports
8-2=6
so 11-6= 5 sensor ports are needed
but a nxt only has 4
how did he that?
The unimog is featured on Top Gear website: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/lego-technic-unimog-2011-08-24
Thanks for the highlight Fernando! ;)
@niels
I connect directly to the NXT a color sensor, an IRLink and 2 muxes. One Tmux for 4 touch sensors in the keypad and a general sensor mux, holding a light sensor, an ultrasonic and 3 touch, where 2 of them are connected to the same port using 3 9V-NXT converter cable in a tree shape, you see? You get 3 NXT plugs all connected. Besides that, I even use a third connection on that port: an old 9v cable in parallel with those touch sensors to support the coin conductivity detection. When I propperly present the machine, I will better explain the coin detection part.
About the youtube questions, I'll get back to them later, because Im in the phone, in vacations. :-) Thanks a lot for whatching!
It should ask you for your ID if you're buying beer... :P
Ah, I missed "The Poisonator" (:D)! And I see it has some new yellow clothes, too... ;)
Finally I can see how this marvel works! I had seen in person the previous, black-and-red version, but it was always at occasions when there wasn't enough time to properly see its workings.
One thing that I still don't fully understand, and should become clear with a quick peek, is how the product ejector works: I don't remember if it has a single motor for connecting the X-Y "carriage" to the ejection conveyor belt and making it move (most likely hypothesis), or if there are two separate motors for the functions. Also, I don't remember exactly how the "carriage" and the conveyor engage: I think it involves wedge belt wheels and pins with ball joint.
Anyway, I can't wait for the opportunity to see this machine again!
Post a Comment