RF based Robotic Vehicle

Published on 19 Apr 2022. Written by Athulya Menon

Robots have evolved from being a figment of our imagination to a reality we possess and enjoy. Automation is one of the leading fields in science due to the large-scale impact it has had. Robots now play essential roles in our daily lives and have replaced several mundane and repetitive jobs.

They are finding uses in everything from large scale manufacturing to the health-care industry. That is why this time around, we are going to take a look at a significant mechatronics project that will be based on robotics.

Project Description

In this article, we will be looking at an RF-Based robotic vehicle using an RF Decoder and motor driver circuit. The transmitter side will consist of a remote which has four push buttons on it to control the device. The remote has both a Radio Frequency Transmitter and Encoder. The transmitter sends out commands to the robot as and when required. The four buttons will help the device move forward, reverse, and turn either left or right.

RF Transmitter and Receiver:

Transmitter Features:

Range: 433 Mhz
Power: 16dBm
Supply: DC: 3 to 12 volts
Maximum range: 100 meters
Range at 5 Volt: 50-60 meters
Antenna Length: 17-20 cm

Receiver Features:

Sensitivity: -105dBm
Frequency: 1MHz
Input Voltage: 5 Volt
Current Supply: 3.5 mA

Transmitter Pins:

GND - Ground Pin
Input - To receive data from the encoder
Vcc - Power supply connection of +5 Volt
Antenna connector pin

Receiver Pins:

3 GND - Ground Pin
2 Input- Provides output to the decoder
2 Vcc- Power supply connection of +5 Volt
Antenna Pin

Project Implementation

The L293D is an IC with two different channels, capable of driving two separate motors.
It houses a Transistor Darlington pair which allows current amplification.
It also has a separate pin which allows the IC chip to be powered externally via a power supply.
The ASK Hybrid Transmitter/Receiver module runs at a frequency range of 433Mhz.
It has a sustained crystal oscillator which regulates the frequency range for best range and flexibility.
As it utilizes such a modulator, we require only one external antenna.
The two 9-volt batteries power both the motor driver circuit and the receiver module.
A separate 9-volt battery powers the transmitter circuit.
The four pushbuttons are connected to both the Encoder and the ground.
Every time a button is pushed, a low signal is passed to the RF transmitter.
The IC HT12E acts as an encoder and encodes the signal by turning it into a serial form.
At the other end, we utilize a receiver module to receive this data and then process it using an IC HT12D which works as a decoder.
This decoder transforms the data and sends it to the L293D IC.
This data is then used to power the required motors to move the device as and when required.
The same system can also be implemented by utilizing the 8051-microcontroller series.
Integration of DTMF technology will allow you to control the robot via a cell phone.

Concepts Used

Basic Automobile Design
Kinematics of Machinery
Circuit Design
Basic Electronics
Signal Analysis
RF Transmission

Components Required

2 DC Motors
HT12D and HT12E
RF Transmitter/Receiver Pair
Motor Driver IC L293D
3 Nine Volt Batteries
3 Battery Connectors
Jumper wires
Chassis for the vehicle
Various resistors of different magnitudes
PCB

Kit required to develop RF based Robotic Vehicle:

Technologies you will learn by working on RF based Robotic Vehicle:

RF based Robotic Vehicle

Any Questions?

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