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The Robot Builder's Bonanza : 99 Inexpensive Robotics Projects

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A collection of tested and proven projects that can be mixed and matched to create a wide range of highly intelligent and workable robot creatures.

326 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

23 people are currently reading
276 people want to read

About the author

Gordon McComb

95 books6 followers

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for خالد بيومي.
Author 6 books501 followers
November 27, 2012
This is the first book that I read in robot assembly and building , it's somehow like a cute friend who guide your steps through the amusing world of Microcontrollers , Sensors , Mechanics , electronics , programming and Remote controlling to build your first robot , loved it ,I bought this book 10 years ago , still in good case ,I open it from time to time to remember my adventures in both electronics and programming world.
Profile Image for William Schram.
2,378 reviews99 followers
February 13, 2022
Robots contain a romance within them, a promise of the future that could be. They are a staple of science fiction and pop up in many television shows and movies. I don't remember my first encounter with robots, but I was a nineties kid; I grew up during the 1990s. So I watched Power Rangers, Gundam, Voltron, and other shows with giant robots in them. When I was slightly older, I watched movies like Forbidden Planet. Star Wars has its droids, and they have robot butlers in shows like The Jetsons. Yeah, I know Rosie was a maid; I don't care. Finally, who could forget Bender from Futurama?

Anyway, as far as hobbies go, learning to build a robot can be quite involved. Around the new millennium, they had a television program called Battle Bots. I remember that show fondly, but I only remember one battle contestant, Grendel. It had a sledgehammer or a variety of pickax that it used to attack other robots. I digress, though.

Robot Builder's Bonanza covers all aspects of building a robot. It talks about the chassis or base of the robot, soldering, wiring, circuit design, programming, and more. Gordon McComb and Myke Predko write with a sense of humor and fun. This book is still helpful, but I don't know if the programming section is up to snuff. Don't people use Arduino or Raspberry Pi now? It might still be rewarding to program in BASIC.

Either way, the book is good. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Profile Image for Alex.
49 reviews7 followers
December 30, 2021
Nothing is better than re-discovering a book bought 10 years ago that answers questions one has today.

I suppose the journey from aspirational beginner to beginner in robotics can now be considered concluded and i am looking forward to start the "intermediate" track in 2032.

A friend suggested to buy the edition that came out 4 years ago, to cut the research time in half - and i think the math checks out.
Maybe the author transitioned to metric in the mean time - one can hope.
Profile Image for Foxtower.
515 reviews8 followers
January 25, 2013
Ok, so I never did get around to building a robot, but with this book if I had had wanted to I could! It's full of really cool projects, from power suplies to motor control, as well as resources foor the person who does wnat to build a killer robot!
Profile Image for Osama Shokry.
1 review
August 12, 2013
Amazing book !
Although it doesn't go deeply in every aspect, it give you a very good general understanding and knowledge.
Wonderful mechanical introduction. Basic electronic knowledge. Good microcontrollers info.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for M.
73 reviews1 follower
Read
January 13, 2013
The kids and I are working on a small robotics project this summer. I do not know much about robotics, so this book is helping. We'll see!
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