CheapBot-08

The CheapBot-08 is an exercise in minimalist robotics. Just how much can a robot do that only has three I/O pins for driving motors and an additional two for sensors (the remaining two I/Os consists of one true I/O and one input).

Features of the CheapBot-08

  1. Inexpensive, flexible, and challenging
  2. Two motor ports, just plug the motors in
  3. No cabling, the expansion boards snap onto the robot controller's I/O ports
  4. Simple to program in BASIC

The price for the CheapBot-08 1.0 (CheapBot-08) is yet to be determined. The kit will contain PCBs for the robot controller, a line follower, and a proximity detector. Future expansion boards will probably include an inexpensive two-way radio. The wheels of the CheapBot-08 robot above are juice lids and the robot is sporting the test line follower and proximity detector.

Sample Robot Code
Instructions for making a progamming cable
Datasheet for the TA8080K motor driver used in the controller

To program the CheapBot-08's PICAXE-08M, you'll need to download the PICAXE Programmer. It's free at this link