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how to build a BEAM symet

by simplebotics on February 3, 2011

Table of Contents

how to build a BEAM symet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: How to build a BEAM symet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: BEAM symet parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Preparing the motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Making the solar engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4: Applying the solar engine to the motor body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 5: The ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 6: Wiring it all up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 7: Your finished with you BEAM symet! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-build-a-BEAM-symet/
 Author:simplebotics www.simplebotics.blogspot.com
Were a new small business or "company" that will start to sell robots!

Intro: How to build a BEAM symet

A symet is a BEAM robot that stores electricity from a solar cell until it has enough energy to make the motor twitch. In this instructable i will show you how to build your
very own BEAM symet! If you would like to see videos and read more about it then please visti my blog at, http://simplebotics.blogspot.com/ ! Thanks and hope you enjoy
:) ! CREDITS: "junkbots,bugbots, and bots on wheels"

Step 1: BEAM symet parts

To build this robot you need the following parts.

1x resistor between 1k and 10k ohm

1x 2n3906 transistor
1x 2n3904 transistor
1x motor (the fatter and flatter the better!)
1x solar cell (volts vary depending on motor)
1x aluminum wire
3x identical capacitors between 470 - 4700 micro-farads
1x flashing LED or blinking LED (no exception!s)

tools:

hotgluegun
soldering iron
needle-nose plyers
wire cutter

optional:

heat-shrink tubing (to get traction by adding to the motor shaft)

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-build-a-BEAM-symet/
Step 2: Preparing the motor
The second step is to get your plyers, sandpaper, etc... and stratch the motor body until you see a different shine of metal appear. This allows the solder to stick to the
motor body so we can solder on our capacitors. after you have stratched the motor enough then solder the (-) capacitor leads to the motor body.

Image Notes
1. solder the capacitors to the motor body as shown

Step 3: Making the solar engine

Just look at the diagram below and create the solar engine that will give power to the symet. After you make the solar engine wrap electrical tape around the LED so it
doesnt latch (stopworking) in the light.

Step 4: Applying the solar engine to the motor body

This step is fairly easy, and all you have to do is connect the left lead on the 3906 transistor to a scratched part on the motor body. See the image below.

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-build-a-BEAM-symet/
Step 5: The ring
The purpose of the ring is to connect all the positive (+) leads from the capacitors. the circumference of the ring will vary depending on the motor size and shape.

Step 6: Wiring it all up

Now its time to wire it all up! First off we will connect the right lead from the 3906 transistor to the ring. now get the positive leads from all the capacitors and solder them
to the ring. Then we will connect one of the motor wires (doesn't matter which one) to the right transistor lead on the 3904 transistor (the lead where the resistor is
connected to the 3904 transistor), and the other motor wire will go to the ring. Now its the solar cells turn! now get the positive wire from the solar cell (dont mix the pos.
and neg. up!) and solder it to the ring. Now the neg. solar cell wire will get soldered to the motor body (the scratched part)

Step 7: Your finished with you BEAM symet!

After you hotglue the solar cell to the symet you are done with your symet, and all you have to do now is take it outside in the sun or a under a bright light. If your symet is
not working please leave a comment below and i will be glad to help you :) ! If you would like to see more simple robots and BEAM robots then please visit my blog at,
www.simplebotics.blogspot.com and thanks for reading and feel free to comment below :) !

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-build-a-BEAM-symet/
Related Instructables

How to freeform Floor Cleaning

the bicore ( Solar powered Beam Symet The FLED Solar CAMLU 2010 by Robot with Vex
BEAM robotics ) Symet (video) by (Photos) by Engine by ftking_83702 Robotics
by robomaniac porkisgreat pagosapig TXTCLA55 System by
TechnoInnovator

Comments
6 comments Add Comment

TXTCLA55 says: Mar 4, 2011. 6:27 AM REPLY

Oh also, its a good idea if you post what color bands are on the resistor you used, i find it helps people to find the right one. Just a tip!

simplebotics says: Mar 4, 2011. 1:24 PM REPLY

thanks for the advice ill be sure to use it next time on another robot instructable :)

TXTCLA55 says: Feb 4, 2011. 9:29 AM REPLY

Interesting, you capacitors connect to the base of the motor, not the negative contact of the solar panel....this orientation works? thats pretty cool.

simplebotics says: Feb 4, 2011. 2:46 PM REPLY

ya, the capacitors connecting to the base of the motor idea came from a beam bot book called, "junkbots, bug bots, and bots on wheels" and later on this
week i will make an instructable on how to build a BEAM bicore one motor walker. thanks for commenting :) !

pagosapig says: Mar 1, 2011. 5:53 PM REPLY

I would really like to see the BEAM bicore one motor walker, I'm looking forward to seeing that :)

simplebotics says: Mar 1, 2011. 8:34 PM REPLY

going to radio shack this weekend and i will build the walker and post an instructable and have you seen my robotics blog,
www.simplebotics.blogspot.com? thanks for commenting too!

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-build-a-BEAM-symet/