My favorite startup books

[HarryBotter]

I came into this hobby years ago pretty green and read a lot of books to get to point where I could follow some of what was happening in the hobby. Although most of the books I read provided some good insights, three stand out as being particularly helpful in my case.

In no particular order:

1. The Robot Builder's Bonanza - Gordon McComb
2. Mobile Robots - Jones, Flynn & Seiger
3. Embedded Robotics - Thomas Braunl

[hgordon]

I'd add "Junkbots, Bugbots & Bots on Wheels" by Hrynkiw and Tilden to the list - lots of practical ideas on circuits and mechanics for small robots.

Also, "Vehicles" by Braitenberg is a classic that's worth revisiting.

[JonHylands]

An excellent (and freely downloadable) classic book on robot positioning is:

"Where am I?" -- Systems and Methods for Mobile Robot Positioning"

http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~johannb/position.htm

Some of the information is dated, because of course sensor technology is getting pretty incredible, especially in the last 2-3 years, but many of the concepts and issues brought up in this book are as valid now as they were then.

- Jon

[HarryBotter]

I've read all three and agree that they are definitely worth reading.

Jon's post brings up another good idea, perhaps people can post PDF's that have intructed or inspired them.

Harry

[HarryBotter]

This thesis is considered by some to be an important piece in understanding how to develop a humanoid gait.

Harry

[HarryBotter]

A paper describing balancing a humanoid using a gyro.

[dporter]

I'd add "Junkbots, Bugbots & Bots on Wheels" by Hrynkiw and Tilden to the list - lots of practical ideas on circuits and mechanics for small robots.



I agree with several of the others and like the "Junkbots, Bugbots & Bots on Wheels" book also. I reviewed it for Robot and it's pending for a future issue as well as an article on a solarbotics BEAM symet project, that goes with it.

Another book that I like that really does a good job on teaching the basics, is Robot Building For Beginners by David Cook. It covers basic tools you will need like multimeters, as well as how to solder, use breadboards, and other important skills.

What I would like to see is a good book for beginners on PIC's and MUC's.

[HarryBotter]

Hi Doug,

I'd also recommend Dave's second book on intermediate robots, especially if you like getting into the details.

I've found a lot of information on PIC's through the internet, here are some samples. There is lots more so keep looking.

http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/may97/picchip.html
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~kws23/tutorials/PICTutorial/PICTutorial.html
http://www.winpicprog.co.uk/pic_tutorial.htm
http://www.mstracey.btinternet.co.uk/pictutorial/picmain.htm

I also bought a couple of books on the PIC by Myke Predko that were quite good .

I'm not sure what you mean by MUC's, do you mean MCU's? If so, I'd still recommend just going with one family initially and trying to learn about MCU's that way. Unless you're really committed to the PIC I'd also consider looking at the AVR family of chips.

Oh, and don't forget about the data sheet for the various chips, all the info you need about them is included there.

Harry

[dporter]

Thanks Harry, I'll take a look at each of them.

One more stepping stone on the robotics trail. So much to learn. Robotics takes time, but it sure is fun learning while doing.