TreadBot

[dragons_fire]

to be honest, i really dont know that much about electronics in general.. i learn by seeing what other people have done, and putting stuff together and trying it till it works..

that switch mode regulator, cost almost 20 times as much, and i dont really have much room on my board for it, (it looks like its about 5 times the size).

we have lots of floor area that gets sun most of the day, so its not entirely out of the question for solar panels.

[skimask]

that switch mode regulator, cost almost 20 times as much, and i dont really have much room on my board for it, (it looks like its about 5 times the size).

Guess I should've checked the price before I mentioned it. Digikey is getting $30USD for them nowadays. Back when I bought them, they were only about $8USD. There's got to be a better option out there.

[dragons_fire]

so here it is... power board is done, and works great... the main board underneath, is the old one thats not working.. i havent made a new one yet..

batteries are duracell AAA 1.2V 1000mAh. i havent measured current draw on the motors, but the datasheet says 50mA no load...

[dragons_fire]

new board is made, it turned out a hole lot nicer. everything powers up ok except for when i put the chip in.. i did find a short in the old board, so maybe my PIC is destroyed and thats why its not working now..

i measure "open" across vss and vdd with no PIC, and 1M ohm with PIC.

i dont know what im doing wrong, ive been over the pin-outs a million times, and everything seems right..