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Desktop Robotic Companion

 What’s up Tinker gang. I’m back with another update to my robotic experiments.  I’ve already created a pretty stable robotic companion, but now that this companion can travel, I don’t like it super close to me because of dust and dirt. I now want something near me as I’m working on my computer, and have found a pretty cool opensource project to start from.  You may know the project as Emo on YouTube, this humanoid desktop robot rotates its body and arms , as well as displays facial animations thanks to its tiny face screen. I liked the concept and wanted to play with the designs. First, I wanted to add a way for the device to have extra gpio hats. The original design tucks the computer inside the body shell but I needed room for a microphone and any other thing I wanted to add. I thought about a few possibilities, including some kind of backpack (which I still may use later) on the bot but I didn’t like my mental designs. Instead, I decided to increase the height of the base and add
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Batteries





Warning: be careful with batteries as they have the ability to explode.


The last year or so, I’ve spent a bit of time starting to learn electrical circuits and mechanical engineering in an attempt to build a robot ðŸ¤– friend. One of the most interesting circuit related things that popped out for me first was battery tech. I needed to learn what they were made of and just the overall deal. 


I remembered that as a kid I would put batteries in the freezer to help them recharge for my game boy. Now that I’m older I understand some things work others do not. 


So I’ll just leave my notes on the subject as I’ve learned it. 


  1. Most batteries ðŸ”‹ are rechargeable. You can use a full battery to charge your low powered ones by aligning them in a certain way. Check video here for details. https://youtu.be/brdmnUBAS00
  2. Aligning batteries changes the output voltage or the capacity of the battery system. There are two types of alignment within the realm of batteries. The batteries can be connected in parallel or in series, or both.
  3. Measuring battery voltage- in order to measure a battery you’ll need a tool called a multimeter. With the multimeter you can connect wires to both poles of battery and get a reading on its current output etc.
  4. Calculating Voltage and amperage from series or parallel configuration(setup).  Batteries wired in series will have their voltages added together. 



         Batteries in parallel configuration: To wire multiple batteries in parallel, you connect all of the positive terminals together and all of the negative terminals together. Connecting batteries in parallel increases the battery system ah (amp hours) capacity. For example if the parallel batteries each were 2ah 1.5v batteries, once in parallel the new system is 1.5v 4ah.


5. Proper disposal of batteries -  In most communities, alkaline and zinc carbon batteries can be safely put in your household trash. EPA recommendation: send used alkaline and zinc carbon batteries to battery recyclers or check with your local or state solid waste authority


6. Proper storage of batteries -store batteries in a cool dry space.


In conclusion, I hope these notes clear up a little mystery around batteries. I have way more to discuss but I think this is enough for now. 

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