I-Cybie Cartridge Programmer using an Arduino

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As of this writing, a video is in the works but not yet complete, relating to the process of getting data onto a 20+ year old toy robot. The project itself is complete, however, so I’m sharing what I have. Archive of the original YICT project / programming tools for the I-Cybie are included in the Tools folder, along with a new Powershell script to interface my new Arduino based cartridge programmer.

I now offer a programming service as well: I-Cybie Cartridge Programming

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Ride the Roughest Roads on an Engwe – Dual Battery M20 E-Bike Review

As Moped style E-bikes grow in popularity, there have been many copies of the “Super73” style of bike, and while most are quite expensive, Engwe has stepped into the game with their new affordable M20 Fat Tire E-Bike. Featuring 20x4” fat tires, a 1000w motor, dual suspension, and a massive 26AH battery, does the M20 hold its own in comparison to the competition?

Rather watch a video? Check out the video version of this review! Pilotgeek's Bike Reviews

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ScoutXL! A Double-Sized Scout32!

While my original Scout32 design is gets over large obstacles remarkably well for its size, it’s still a bit limited by being so small, especially outdoors. So, I decided to build a bigger one! How did I do this? Well, I basically just scaled the entire thing up by exactly two.

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GeoBook – The Failed Budget 386sx Laptop in an era of Pentiums

The GeoBook NB60 – A unique little laptop introduced in the late 1990’s to provide a low-cost alternative to the rising popularity in laptop computers. During this time, an average laptop computer would set you back anywhere from $2-$5k, far too much for the average home user or student to justify. This left a space in the market for ultra budget laptop computers, for those consumers who were not sure how useful a more expensive laptop would be, or for those who simply needed a cheap word-processor for school or personal use.

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Pilot Trak 3.0 – Final Design Update

Well, it all fits together! Just add receiver and a battery, and it could be up and running, though I still want to try making my ESP32 wifi fpv control unit work. Chassis / Cab / Rails print in 3 pieces and snap together, wheels screw on.

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PilotTrak V3

So I think one of the biggest challenges in getting into a Tiny Trak is cost and complexity. I previously used N20 gearmotors, but the cost of them plus an ESC is a little overwhelming. Not to mention, having to buy hardware / screw kit to assemble. I'm working on a TinyTrak design which will be 100% 3D printable including TPU tracks, without use of screws or tools for assembly. All axles clip into the frame, and all frame parts are designed to snap together.

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TrakBot

Autonomous Tiny Trak, a quick and dirty project adding simple autonomous function to one of my PilotTrak platforms. As always, no microcontrollers here, just a simple digital circuit. Sorry to disappoint, there's absolutely no tracking or mapping going on here, he's honestly got the intelligence of a rather bright potato. Easy to make though, all off-the-shelf circuits.

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Pathfinder Mini – Logic Gate Robot, no CPU!

Based off my larger walker, the Pathfinder Mini is a cost-reduced version which requires far fewer parts, much less plastic, and is a bit more simple to build. I will be releasing the plans for it as soon as I can, and considering the reduced part count, I may be able to sell complete kits instead of my usual plans or plastic-only kits.

If it were economically feasible, I would also like to make a batch of circuit boards to include with the kit. As of right now, it's too complex to build in point-to-point wiring, but a PCB with proper traces would be nice. I'd have to ditch the LEDs as a cost saving measure though as well. Or, you know, I could just use a microcontroller like a sane person.

This circuit was really just a fun project to prove I could build this idea from my head into an actual working robot. It does work quite well, and schematics and an explanation of the design is listed below.

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PilotTrak V2 Mini

While the PilotTrak V2 is a huge improvement over the original PilotTrak, it is quite a bit bigger. There’s something about the cuteness of an absolutely tiny tank-like vehicle, and it’s nice to be able to pocket it and go anywhere. Solution? PilotTrak V2 Mini.Continue reading