PHOTOVORES (LIGHT SEEKERS)

New : FREDANT

Why FREDANT ?

Just look at the the pictures.....

workes like FRED but looks like an ant !

Build in the same way as FRED, just a little different.

FRED is the latest photovore I've build.

The design is from Ben Hitchcock.

He has also made a great tutorial on how to build this little guy.

Just believe me when I tell you this bot is more active then all the other photovores !

Looks something strange, because it is moving to the other side as all of my other photovores, but because of this it even makes sound. Every time one of the motors is "fired" the capasitor is tilted from the floor and falls back with a "pock-pock" sound !

BEN's great tutorial can be found here !

Another tutorial on the same bot but with a different appearance can be found here ! It's from Andy....

Thanks guys that you want to share your designs with us.

FRED is a very small photovore, but not so difficult to built .

This is the first photovore I’ve build.
Basically it’s the same circuit as used in the symets, but now there are two off them on a PCB. I have also attached two feelers to avoid obstacles.
It uses two LDR’s to make it light seeking.
When bumping into an obstacle with the left feeler, the left solar engine doesn’t trigger, so the right motor doesn’t turn. "FLO 1" moves around the obstacle and then "goes for the light" again.

R= 2K2 , C= 4700 uF

Flo 1 printed circuit

This one works better then FLO 1. It needs less light to trigger.
Instead off LDR’s it uses 2 phototransistors.

R=68K , C = 4700 uF , BPW 40 (phototransistor)

Flo 2 printed circuit

This one is my first "free formed" bot.
It really works fine, and in direct sunlight it just runs off, turning to where the brightest light is coming from. The speed is nearly 1 feet/ second.
In fact this bot is build by "gluing" two solar engines together.
To get a higher trigger point, I even put a 4148 is series with the FLED’s.
The left solarcell is connected to the right solar engine, and this bot finds it ways to the light thanks to the two solarcells.

R=68K , C=2200 uF, red FLED (eyes) + 4148.

MOT is a little bigger than "FLO 1 and FLO 2"
The circuit I used is still the same, just other solarcells.

R=2k2, C=4700 uF, BPW 40

MOT printed circuit