How to mount mouse underneath tracked robot

Thread Starter

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
I am making a small tracked robot. It has sensors on the motors to measure distance travelled but the problem is if the robot gets stuck and isn't moving but the tracks are still going round. My possible solution to this is to mount a PS2 mouse board underneath the robot which can also keep track of distance travelled and is easy to read with a uC.

The mounting method needs to keep the mouse in a fixed X/Y position but allow vertical movement to cope with uneven surfaces. There should be no gap between the mouse and the surface it is running on so some slight downward pressure is required.

Mechanics (designing or making) is not my strong point so i would appreciate your ideas.
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
How uneven is the surface? My mouse doesn't respond if it's more than about 2mm from the surface it's scanning.
 

Thread Starter

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
Yes, that's similar to the one I have. It is for use indoors so there are the transitions between carpet and hard floor and the threshold strips at doorways.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Are you using the whole mouse or are you just going to used the optical parts of it? Putting the optics in a tube with a lip to rest on the surface, telescoping in another tube and a low pressure spring to keep it against the floor could work. The tube would just then need to telescope into another tub to allow it to move up and down to conform to the surface
 

Thread Starter

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
Are you using the whole mouse or are you just going to used the optical parts of it? Putting the optics in a tube with a lip to rest on the surface, telescoping in another tube and a low pressure spring to keep it against the floor could work. The tube would just then need to telescope into another tub to allow it to move up and down to conform to the surface
I was planning on just using the bottom part of the mouse with the innards attached.
When the robot is moving there would be a sideways force between those two tubes and I would worry about them jammimg.
 
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