Ramsey Electronics Robotics WEB1 User Guide

Walking Electronic  
Bug  
Ramsey Electronics Model No. WEB1  
Watch the little bug scoot across the table and turn to avoid  
obstacles in this fun and very unique kit! Buy two bug kits and  
have your own “bug wars”!  
Easy to build and fun to play with.  
Runs for a long time.  
Runs on 2 ‘N” batteries.  
Avoids obstacles or runs away from a flashlight.  
Adjustable sensitivity and speed.  
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Ramsey Publication No. WEB1  
Manual Price Only $5.00  
KIT ASSEMBLY  
AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR  
Walking Electronic Bug  
TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Introduction to the WEB1.................................. 4  
WEB1 Circuit Description.................................. 4  
“Learn-As-You-Build” Kit Assembly ................... 5  
Parts List........................................................... 6  
Assembly Steps ................................................. 7  
WEB1 Parts Layout Diagram........................... 10  
WEB1 Schematic............................................. 11  
Setup and Testing ........................................... 14  
Troubleshooting Guide..................................... 16  
Ramsey Kit Warranty....................................... 19  
RAMSEY ELECTRONICS, INC.  
590 Fishers Station Drive  
Victor, New York 14564  
Phone (585) 924-4560  
Fax (585) 924-4555  
WEB13  
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INTRODUCTION  
Here is a very unique little kit that’s great for kids. The WEB1 is a little robot  
made completely out of electronic parts and wire. It’s pretty easy to build, and  
once it’s adjusted properly, it will entertain for hours. It has little pager motors  
in it that vibrate and propel it on its little wire feet. How fast it goes is  
adjustable by bending its feet and also by a pot that controls motor speed.  
When it approaches an obstacle such as a wall, it turns to avoid it. It does  
this with a second little pager motor.  
WEB1 CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION  
This is a fairly simple circuit, and easy to follow even for a beginning kit  
builder. The kit uses a 555 timer U1 to pulse the two pager motors. The 555  
timer does not directly drive the motors, but instead turns them on through  
transistors Q1 and Q3. This is done because although the motors don’t draw  
much current on average, they do when they initially start spinning. The 555  
objects to these big current spikes, so the transistors take the beating  
instead. Normally only one motor is running and the WEB1 moves in a  
straight line. In this state, U1 is pulsing Q3 which drives the motor attached to  
pad P1. This motor’s speed is adjustable via R2. When the WEB1 gets close  
to an obstacle, infrared light emitted from D1 bounces off the object and into  
the infrared phototransistor Q2. Then Q2 switches on and turns on transistor  
Q1 which drives the motor attached to pad P4. This motor causes the WEB1  
to turn aside from the obstacle. The sensitivity of phototransistor Q2 is  
adjustable through R5. Without this adjustment, sometimes room lights would  
turn Q2 on and make the WEB1 turn all the time. Okay, let’s get building.  
WEB14  
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RAMSEY Learn-As-You-Build KIT ASSEMBLY  
There aren’t that many solder connections on the WEB1 printed circuit  
board, but you should still practice good soldering techniques.  
Use a 25-watt soldering pencil with a clean, sharp tip.  
Use only rosin-core solder intended for electronics use.  
Use bright lighting; a magnifying lamp or bench-style magnifier may  
be helpful.  
Do your work in stages, taking breaks to check your work. Carefully  
brush away wire cuttings so they don't lodge between solder  
connections.  
We have a two-fold "strategy" for the order of the following kit assembly  
steps. First, we install parts in physical relationship to each other, so there's  
minimal chance of inserting wires into wrong holes. Second, whenever  
possible, we install in an order that fits our "Learn-As-You Build" Kit building  
philosophy. This entails describing the circuit that you are building instead of  
just blindly installing components. We hope that this will not only make  
assembly of our kits easier, but help you to understand the circuit you’re  
constructing.  
For each part, our word "Install" always means these steps:  
1. Pick the correct part value to start with.  
2. Insert it into the correct PC board location.  
3. Orient it correctly, follow the PC board drawing and the written  
directions for all parts - especially when there's a right way  
and a wrong way to solder it in. (Diode bands, electrolytic  
capacitor polarity, transistor shapes, dotted or notched ends  
of IC's, and so forth.)  
4. Solder all connections unless directed otherwise. Use enough heat  
and solder flow for clean, shiny, completed connections.  
WEB15  
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WEB1 PARTS LIST  
Sort and “check off” the components in the boxes provided. We do our best to  
pack all our kits correctly but it is possible that a mistake has occurred and we  
missed a part. Please note that physical descriptions of parts are for those  
currently being shipped. Sometimes the parts in your kit may have a different  
appearance but still have the same values.  
RESISTORS  
ˆ 1 1K ohm resistor [brown-black-red] (R4)  
ˆ 1 68 ohm resistor [blue-gray-black] (R3)  
ˆ 1 330 ohm resistor [orange-orange-brown] (R1)  
ˆ 2 10K ohm potentiometer (R2,R5)  
CAPACITORS  
ˆ 1 1 uF electrolytic capacitor (C2)  
ˆ 1 10 uF electrolytic capacitor (C1)  
SEMICONDUCTORS  
ˆ 1 555 Timer IC [marked TS555CN] (U1)  
ˆ 2 2N3904 transistor [marked 2N3904] (Q1,Q3)  
ˆ 1 infrared phototransistor [black T1 case] (Q2)  
ˆ 1 infrared light emitting diode (D1)  
ˆ 2 blinking light emitting diodes (D2,D3)  
MISCELLANEOUS  
ˆ 1 red/black twisted wire, 5 inches  
ˆ 1 20AWG tinned wire, 18 inches  
ˆ 2 “N” cell battery holders  
ˆ 1 length of double stickey foam tape  
ˆ 2 little motors  
ˆ 1 slide switch (S1)  
WEB16  
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WEB1 PC BOARD ASSEMBLY STEPS  
ˆ 1. Let’s start with U1, the TS555 timer. The TS555 sits on the left side of  
the PC board, in the middle. Be sure the notch at one end lines up with  
the notch in the board diagram.  
ˆ 2. Next, install R4, 1K ohm resistor [brown-black-red], below U1.  
ˆ 3. Install switch S1 to the right of R4. It goes in either way.  
ˆ 4. Install R3, 68 ohm resistor [blue-gray-black].  
ˆ 5. Install C2, 1 uF electrolytic capacitor, right above S1. Electrolytic caps  
have a polarity and must be installed in the correct orientation. Make sure  
the band on the cap lines up with the right hole on the board. Only “+” is  
marked on the board; the band or stripe down the side of the cap is nor-  
mally negative or “-”.Be sure to observe polarity. The “-” side goes in the  
hole that is NOT marked “+”. To help you a bit, the positive lead is usually  
longer than the negative lead.  
ˆ 6. Install C1, 10 uF electrolytic capacitor, next to C2. Watch that polarity!  
ˆ 7. Install R2, 10K ohm potentiometer, next to C2.  
ˆ 8. Install R1, 330 ohm resistor [orange-orange-brown], next to R2.  
ˆ 9. Install R5, 10K ohm potentiometer, above R2.  
ˆ 10. Install Q1, 2N3904 transistor [marked 2N3904], above C2. Make sure  
the flat side lines up with the flat side on the board drawing.  
ˆ 11. Install Q3, the other 2N3904 transistor [marked 2N3904], in the upper  
right hand corner of the board. Watch the orientation of the flat spot again.  
ˆ 12. Install D1, infrared light emitting diode [clear T1-3/4 package], above  
Q3. Line up the flat edge with the flat edge on the PC board drawing. This  
flat side should be toward the outside of the PC board when oriented cor-  
rectly. Let the LED stick up about 3/8” above the board.  
ˆ 13. Install D3, blinking LED to the left of D1. These LEDs have a flat side  
or corner. Line this up with the flat side on the PC board drawing. The cut-  
off corner should be toward the front of the board and to the right if you’re  
looking at the board with the battery pack at the bottom toward you and  
the power switch toward the right side of the board. Let the LED stick up  
5/8” above the board.  
ˆ 14. Install D2, the other blinking LED, next to D3. Line it up just like the  
other one and let it stick up 5/8” above the board.  
WEB17  
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ˆ 15. Install Q2, infrared phototransistor [black T1 case], to the left of D2.  
Make sure the flat spot faces the inside of the board. Let Q2 stick up 3/8”  
above the board.  
Total Length: 2 1/4"  
Total Length: 2 1/4"  
Feet  
Feet  
Runner  
Runner  
Top of Board  
Runner  
Total Length 1 3/4"  
ˆ 16. Now we need to cut up little pieces of wire that will be the WEB1’s  
feet. Use the tinned 20AWG wire. Cut 20, 3/4 inch pieces.  
ˆ 17. Solder the feet in the holes on the sides of the board using the picture  
as a guide. They should stick out the BOTTOM of the PC board, the side  
opposite the one that all the components are already soldered to. Be sure  
to snip off the ends of the leads on the TOP side of the board as flush as  
you can. These feet are pretty much decorative and you can bend them in  
any way that you think looks good. I bent mine a little out to the side.  
Back  
1/4"  
Front  
1/2"  
(Side View)  
WEB18  
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ˆ Cut three pieces of wire that will be the runners that the WEB1 slides on.  
The two side runners are 2 1/4” long. The back runner is 1 3/4” long. The  
side runners need to be bent into a “U” shape with the front part about 1/2”  
long and the back part should be about 1/4” long. These act kind of like a  
sled that the WEB1 slides across the floor on. The back runner is sort of  
like a big foot that pushes the WEB1 from behind. It should be bent into a  
square shape and soldered into the holes as shown in the picture.  
ˆ 18. Now you need to install the little motors on the circuit board. The mo-  
tors come with a silicone thingy on them. This will help keep the motor in  
place when it is running.  
ˆ 19. Now you need to determine where you’re attaching the motors to the  
PC board. To do this, take one of the motors and hold it under the BOT-  
TOM of the board so that it roughly lines up with the rectangular outline on  
the TOP of the board. This is just to help you place the motor in the right  
spot. Take a look at the picture below or the parts layout diagram and note  
that one pattern is at an angle while one is straight. The one at an angle is  
for steering the bug when it approaches an obstacle, the straight one pro-  
pels your electronic friend forward. It isn’t critical that the steering motor  
be angled, but this may improve the steering performance. There are  
many holes on the board for you to solder the hold-down wire into. Just  
pick ones that are conveniently close to the motor so that the wire has a  
snug hold on it. Now, cut 2, 3/4” pieces of tinned wire and place one end  
of each piece in a hole that you intend to use to mount the motor. Solder  
this end in place on each of the wires. Now wrap each piece of wire one  
by one around the motor making sure that the pads on the motor are fac-  
ing out where you can solder the wires to them and run each wire back up  
through the board. Solder each wire on the top of the circuit board so that  
Wire  
Motor Under Board  
Top of Board  
WEB19  
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WEB1 BOARD PARTS LAYOUT DIAGRAM  
WEB110  
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WEB111  
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the motor is tightly held in place. I found that pulling the wire taut with my  
needle nose pliers helped me snug it up into its proper position. Repeat  
this procedure for the other motor using the other outline on the top of the  
board as a guide.  
ˆ 20. It’s time to solder the wires to the little pads at the end of the motor.  
The motor should be held still by the hold-down wires you just installed so  
it shouldn’t roll while you solder the power wires on. Cut 2 pieces of the  
red/black twisted wire, each about 2 inches long. Strip back one end of  
each wire about 1/16”. Now soldering the ends onto a motor is a little  
tricky. Once you’re sure that the motor is secured, tin a red wire end really  
well so that you have a good amount of solder on it. Next, hold the tinned  
end on the right side pad and heat it with your iron until the solder flows  
onto the pad. It doesn’t take much heat. Be careful when heating the pads  
up. The motors are a little sensitive to the heat and can’t be baked to  
death like most other components. Solder the black wire to the other pad,  
and then repeat this whole process for the other motor.  
ˆ 21. Let’s solder the other end of the motor wires to the PC board. Each  
has a red and a black wire that you just soldered correctly to the motor in  
the last step. We’ll start with the motor closest to the bottom edge of the  
board. Solder its red wire up through the bottom of the board into pad P4.  
Solder its black wire up through the bottom of the board into pad P3. The  
other motor’s red wire goes into pad P1. Its black wire goes into pad P2.  
As a last step it’s best to snug up the motor closest to the back of the bug  
by putting a little piece of snipped off component lead  
ˆ 22. Solder in the battery pack wires into pads BAT1. If you place the board  
so you can read the BAT1 rightside up, the left hand hole of the two holes  
is the negative. Solder the black wire here. The right hand hole is positive;  
WEB112  
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the red wire goes here. Now tape the battery pack to the top of the board  
using the double-sided foam tape provided.  
WEB113  
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SETUP AND TESTING  
If you would like, you can go ahead and put the batteries in their holders and  
flip on the switch. The little flashing LEDs should blink, and at least one of the  
motors should be buzzing away. At this point you can bend the flashing LEDs  
in a way that you think is cute. I bent mine kind of off to the side, so they look  
like eyeball stalks or something. It is possible that you have skillz and your  
WEB1 will not need any adjustment. Go ahead and place it on a hard smooth  
surface like a wooden desktop. It’s best that it is not completely smooth like  
glass; the wire feet need a little texture to push against. If it zooms straight  
ahead, then all three runners are perfectly adjusted and nothing else is neces-  
sary. But, more likely it turns in a circle or just buzzes. In this case, the adjust-  
ment procedure is necessary.  
ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE  
1. Forward motion adjust:  
A. If the bug does not move forward at all, bend the back runner to  
make it a little more straight or a little more angled. When you get  
the angle right, your bug will move.  
B. Once the bug moves forward you can make it move straight by  
tweaking the side runners. They should be roughly straight about  
the same height, so that the bug isn’t leaning to one side. If the  
bug veers to one side, try twisting the back runner a bit in either  
direction. It kind of acts like a rudder on a boat. IF you still can’t  
get the bug to go straight, you may have to bend the side runners  
a little differently. Try making one a little taller than the other, or  
change the shape a bit. Don’t be discouraged if your bug isn’t per-  
fect right away. Some adjustment is normal.  
C. The last adjustment you can make is the motor speed adjust R2.  
It will make your bug go faster or slower. It’s also useful because  
usually the bug performs differently on different types of surfaces.  
It’s best to adjust the speed to get the results you like for whatever  
surface you’re running on.  
WEB114  
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2. Steering adjust:  
A. The first step in adjusting the steering is to get the steering motor,  
(the one that’s mounted at an angle) to come on when the bug  
approaches an obstacle, or when someone shines a flashlight at  
it. The first thing is to bend the Infrared phototransistor Q2, and  
Infrared LED D3 as shown in the picture. Bend them down and  
inward towards each other so they kind of look like the bug’s man-  
dibles or something, ha ha. These two components are how the  
WEB1 detects an object. The infrared LED emits infrared light,  
and the infrared phototransistor detects infrared light. Hmm, how  
could these two be used as an obstacle detector? Well, normally  
the LED is shining out into the room and Q2 is off. When the bug  
gets close to a wall (important note: not a BLACK wall), some of  
the infrared light from the LED bounces off of the obstacle and  
hits Q2. Then Q2 turns on, and the angled motor turns on and  
makes the bug turn. A black or very dark obstacle may not cause  
the bug to turn because it absorbs the infrared light instead of re-  
flecting it.  
B. The next step is to bring your hand or other everyday object near  
the front of the bug when it is switched on. What should happen is  
that the turning motor (the angled one) should come on when the  
object gets close. If it’s on already, that means that Q2 and D3 are  
too close. Just move them apart a little. If the turning motor is on  
no matter what you do, THEN ALL IS LOST!!!!!!!!!! Well, actually  
no, just turn down the sensitivity (adjust R5 counterclockwise).  
Then adjust the distance between Q2 and D3 until the motor turns  
on only when an obstacle is in front of the WEB1. An important  
note here is that adjusting the sensitivity will be more critical if  
there is bright incandescent light or a lot of sunlight at your loca-  
tion. This is because they give off infrared light that Q2 picks up.  
Fluorescent lights give off very little if any infrared light and hardly  
affect the WEB1 at all. Further, a HeNe laser doesn’t give off any  
infrared light, so if your school or home is lit with laser light you’re  
all set!  
WEB115  
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D3  
Q2  
Top of Board  
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE  
If your WEB1 isn’t working correctly just refer to the steps below:  
Problem  
Solution  
No blinking, no buzzing  
Check parts placement, specifically  
U1 and transistor orientation.  
Motor buzzes, but bug just sits there  
or drifts  
Readjust wire runners, especially the  
back one. See page 14.  
Bug keeps turning even though only  
one motor is on.  
Readjust the side runners. See page  
13.  
Both motors are always on  
Turn R5 counter-clockwise and/or  
move Q2 and D3 farther apart.  
WEB116  
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Bug moves forward, turning motor  
Some tweaking of the side runners  
comes on at obstacle, but bug does is needed. Adjust R2 up and down.  
not turn  
Try a different surface  
Bug jumps up and attacks  
Unforeseen emergent property. Call  
tech support immediately!  
WEB117  
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CONCLUSION  
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy the use of this Ramsey product. As al-  
ways, we have tried to compose our manual in the easiest, most “user  
friendly” format that is possible. As our customers, we value your opinions,  
comments, and additions that you would like to see in future publications.  
Please submit comments or ideas to:  
Ramsey Electronics Inc.  
Attn. Hobby Kit Department  
590 Fishers Station Drive  
Victor, NY 14564  
or email us at: [email protected]  
And once again, thanks from the folks at Ramsey!  
WEB118  
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The Ramsey Kit Warranty  
Please read carefully BEFORE calling or writing in about your kit. Most  
problems can be solved without contacting the factory.  
Notice that this is not a "fine print" warranty. We want you to understand your rights and ours too! All  
Ramsey kits will work if assembled properly. The very fact that your kit includes this new manual is your  
assurance that a team of knowledgeable people have field-tested several "copies" of this kit straight  
from the Ramsey Inventory. If you need help, please read through your manual carefully, all information  
required to properly build and test your kit is contained within the pages! However, customer  
satisfaction is our goal, so in the event that you do have a problem, take note of the following.  
1. DEFECTIVE PARTS: It's always easy to blame a part for a problem in your kit, Before you conclude  
that a part may be bad, thoroughly check your work. Today's semiconductors and passive components  
have reached incredibly high reliability levels, and its sad to say that our human construction skills have  
not! But on rare occasions a sour component can slip through. All our kit parts carry the Ramsey  
Electronics Warranty that they are free from defects for a full ninety (90) days from the date of  
purchase. Defective parts will be replaced promptly at our expense. If you suspect any part to be  
defective, please mail it to our factory for testing and replacement. Please send only the defective part  
(s), not the entire kit. The part(s) MUST be returned to us in suitable condition for testing. Please be  
aware that testing can usually determine if the part was truly defective or damaged by assembly or  
usage. Don't be afraid of telling us that you 'blew-it', we're all human and in most cases, replacement  
parts are very reasonably priced.  
2. MISSING PARTS: Before assuming a part value is incorrect, check the parts listing carefully to see if  
it is a critical value such as a specific coil or IC, or whether a RANGE of values is suitable (such as  
"100 to 500 uF"). Often times, common sense will solve a mysterious missing part problem. If you're  
missing five 10K ohm resistors and received five extra 1K resistors, you can pretty much be assured  
that the '1K ohm' resistors are actually the 'missing' 10 K parts ("Hum-m-m, I guess the 'red' band really  
does look orange!") Ramsey Electronics project kits are packed with pride in the USA. If you believe  
we packed an incorrect part or omitted a part clearly indicated in your assembly manual as supplied  
with the basic kit by Ramsey, please write or call us with information on the part you need and proof of  
kit purchase.  
3. FACTORY REPAIR OF ASSEMBLED KITS:  
To qualify for Ramsey Electronics factory repair, kits MUST:  
1. NOT be assembled with acid core solder or flux.  
2. NOT be modified in any manner.  
3. BE returned in fully-assembled form, not partially assembled.  
4. BE accompanied by the proper repair fee. No repair will be undertaken until we have received the  
MINIMUM repair fee (1/2 hour labor) of $25.00, or authorization to charge it to your credit card account.  
5. INCLUDE a description of the problem and legible return address. DO NOT send a separate letter;  
include all correspondence with the unit. Please do not include your own hardware such as  
Ramsey cabinets, knobs, cables, external battery packs and the like. Ramsey Electronics, Inc.,  
non-  
reserves the right to refuse repair on ANY item in which we find excessive problems or damage due to  
construction methods. To assist customers in such situations, Ramsey Electronics, Inc., reserves the  
right to solve their needs on a case-by-case basis.  
The repair is $50.00 per hour, regardless of the cost of the kit. Please understand that our technicians  
are not volunteers and that set-up, testing, diagnosis, repair and repacking and paperwork can take  
nearly an hour of paid employee time on even a simple kit. Of course, if we find that a part was  
defective in manufacture, there will be no charge to repair your kit (But please realize that our  
technicians know the difference between a defective part and parts burned out or damaged through  
improper use or assembly).  
4. REFUNDS: You are given ten (10) days to examine our products. If you are not satisfied, you may  
return your unassembled kit with all the parts and instructions and proof of purchase to the factory for a  
full refund. The return package should be packed securely. Insurance is recommended. Please do not  
cause needless delays, read all information carefully.  
WEB119  
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TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Introduction to the WEB1................................... 4  
WEB1 Circuit Description .................................. 4  
“Learn-As-You-Build” Kit Assembly....................5  
Parts List............................................................ 6  
Assembly Steps..................................................7  
WEB1 Parts Layout Diagram............................10  
WEB1 Schematic..............................................11  
Setup and Testing ...........................................14  
Troubleshooting Guide .....................................16  
Ramsey Kit Warranty........................................19  
TOTAL SOLDER POINTS  
60  
ESTIMATED ASSEMBLY  
TIME  
Beginner...............2 hrs  
Intermediate.........1 hrs  
Advanced..............30 min  
REQUIRED TOOLS  
Soldering Iron (WLC100)  
Thin Rosin Core Solder (RTS12)  
Needle Nose Pliers (MPP4 or RTS05)  
Small Diagonal Cutters (RTS04)  
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED ITEMS  
Helping Hands Holder for PC Board/Parts  
(HH3)  
Technician’s Tool Kit (TK405)  
Desoldering Braid (RTS08)  
Manual Price Only: $5.00  
Ramsey Publication No. MSCN-1  
Assembly and Instruction manual for:  
RAMSEY MODEL NO. WEB1 WALKING  
ELECTRONIC BUG KIT  
RAMSEY ELECTRONICS, INC.  
590 Fishers Station Drive  
Victor, New York 14564  
Phone  
Fax  
(585) 924-4560  
(585) 924-4555  
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