Robot Builder's Bonanza, Third Edition [Paperback]

Gordon McComb (Author), Myke Predko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071468935 | ISBN-13: 978-0071468930 | Publication Date: February 21, 2006 | Edition: 3

#1 ROBOTICS BOOK OF ALL TIME SUPER-CHARGED BY A FAMOUS NEW CO-AUTHOR AND UPDATED TO REFLECT STATE-OF-THE-ART ADVANCES

Everybody's favorite amateur robotics book is bolder and better than ever -- and now features the field's "grand master" Myke Predko as the new author! Author duo McComb and Predko bring their expertise to this fully-illustrated robotics "bible" to enhance the already incomparable content on how to build -- and have a universe of fun -- with robots. Projects vary in complexity so everyone from novices to advanced hobbyists will find something of interest.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• 30 completely new projects
• All projects have been revamped to be more customizable
• More visual -- illustrations of the final product are right at the beginning of the chapter

Everything you need to build from plans provided or create your own designs:
* Robot Basics * Construction Techniques * Computer and Electronic Control * Power, Motors, and Locomotion * Practical Robotics Projects * Sensors and Navigation * Robot Programming * Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

THE BEST AND BIGGEST ROBOTICS BOOK ON THE BLOCK—NOW BETTER THAN EVER—SUPERCHARGED WITH TWO TOP ROBOTICS AUTHORS!

Thousands of robot hobbyists -- and robots -- grew up on the first two editions on this book. Now Gordon McComb has partnered with fellow robotics enthusiast Myke Predko -- and together they've made this classic guide to building your very own robot more awesome than ever. Inside Robot Builder's Bonanza you'll find detailed plans for constructing robots that walk, see, feel, talk, listen, think -- and more!

Best of all, this book will make you want to build a robot -- and show you how you can! Packed with enthusiasm, fascinating science tidbits, field-tested projects, and modular organization to make it easy to invent and build your own designs, this best-seller puts it all together for anyone with the slightest curiosity about this fascinating hobby. Projects vary in complexity so everyone from novices to advanced hobbyists will find something to inspire and advance robot plans.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BUILD A ROBOT!
Follow a plan or create your own design

• Robot Basics
• Parts and Tools
• Practical Robotics Projects
• Money-Saving Hacks
• Construction Techniques: Plastic, Wood, & Metal
• Computer and Electronic Control
• Power, Motors, and Locomotion
• Sensors and Navigation
• Robot Programming
• Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits
• Avoiding Common Mistakes
• List of Sources for Parts and Ideas

FULLY ILLUSTRATED PLANS FOR 99 AMAZING ROBOTS
NEW to the Third Edition:

• 30 Completely New Projects!
• Hundreds of Helpful New Illustrations
• Customizability Added to Every Project
• More Materials and Tools You Can Use to Build Your Robots
• State-of-the-Art Advances
• More Help with Microcontrollers for the Beginner
• Developments in Remote Control
• Advanced Locomotion
• Information to Turn Toys into Automatons
• High-Tech Sensors
• Suggestions for Robotics Competitions and Competing
• 75% Fewer Bad Jokes

About the Author

Gordon McComb is an avid electronics hobbyist who has written for TAB Books for a number of years. He wrote the best-selling Troubleshooting and Repairing VCRs (now in its third edition), Gordon McComb's Gadgeteer's Goldmine, and Lasers, Ray Guns, and Light Cannons.

Myke Predko has 20 years experience in the design, manufacturing, and testing of electronic circuits. An experienced author, Myke wrote McGraw-Hill's best-selling 123 Robotics Projects for the Evil Genius; 123 PIC Microcontroller Experiments for the Evil Genius, PIC Microcontroller Pocket Reference; Programming and Customizing PIC Microcontrollers, Second Edition; Programming Robot Controllers; and other books, and is the principal designer of both TAB Electronics Build Your Own Robot Kits.

Product Details

• Paperback: 733 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 3 edition (February 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071468935
• ISBN-13: 978-0071468930
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon McComb has written more than 60 books and thousands of magazine articles--more than a million copies of his books are in print, in more than a dozen languages. He's has been called "The father of hobby robotics" by MAKE Magazine.

For 13 years, Gordon wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column on computers, which reached several million readers worldwide. He's still a regular contributor to SERVO Magazine, and most recently completed seven years as writer of their popular Robotics Resources column.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just About Everything You Need to Know, March 30, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robot Builder's Bonanza, Third Edition (Paperback)

This is the big book on robots. In its third edition, it is more than seven hundred pages of information. This information basically includes virtually everything there is to know about modern robotics from converting a toy into a working robot to fairly fancy electronics that handle functions like speech (systhesis and recognition) eyes, collision detection and avoidance through the computer programming that will be required to tie everything together and make it work.

The book is aimed at the robot experimenter. This could be at any level from the individual working in his basement to the student wanting a neat project for the science fair, and even up to the more advanced experimenter who may have great knowledge in one area but needs to know about other areas to be more complete in his knowledge.

If you're going to buy one Robot book, this is the one.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget roboreptile, buy this book and build your own robot!, December 9, 2006

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Robot Builder's Bonanza, Third Edition (Paperback)

Why spend a lot of money on this year's big thing in robots - Roboreptile - and wind up with something that can only do a few basic commands and then falls over? Instead, buy this book, and you and your child can bond while building your own robots.

This is a very healthy update to the 2nd edition, and makes it well worth your while to purchase, read, and use as a reference book. The third edition has been updated to show most of the latest technologies that robot builders have been using. Gordon has done a very good job at organizing a wide variety of current information into his book, and Myke Predko is a welcome addition to the authoring team, bringing with him is vast knowledge of microcontrollers.

This book covers much of the basics of building robots, such as electronics, motors and motor control. There are plenty of diagrams, schematics, and details on the basics of building robots. There is even quite a bit of source code, and instructions on where to find and buy supplies for the projects outlined in the book. There are experiments with range finding, sound, ultrasonics, infrared, and a host of other popular technologies.

The first four parts of the book are on the technologies and skills needed to build robots, but part five gives you some sample robots to build where you can apply your knowledge. This includes a roverbot, a walking robot, and robots with arms that have gripping capabilities. The final sections of the book cover more advanced topics such as navigation, sensor integration, object detection, speech synthesis, and even computer vision. It's a great source for complete instructions unlike many other hastily constructed books on the subject that omit individual robot construction steps or get them wrong entirely. I highly recommend it for the budding robot building enthusiast.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars too advanced for me, November 27, 2006

By 

jkl song - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robot Builder's Bonanza, Third Edition (Paperback)

I read the first 80 pages of this book at B&N, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of information. This book is not for beginners who are only somewhat interested in robotics. You have to make an effort with this book. But if you're looking to make science-fair quality projects or impress MIT, this book can't be beat.