I finally got a single motor and the distance sensor working with (1) an android-based tablet (4.2.2) and (2) a 9v DC (center positive!!!) wall-wart. I recommend people get the Orion working first with individual components (one at a time) before attempting to build the robot. Like others, I found the plastic rivets came undone easily; also, the way the manual shows the build (under the battery pack level), the Orion is not very accessible.
Here is what I did which I think got it working:
From a PC using the Arduino IDE (1.6.1), I compiled/uploaded the mbot_firmware as a normal sketch from here: https://github.com/Makeblock-official/Makeblock-Firmware/blob/master/resources/firmware/mbot_firmware.zip . I am not sure that this really helped, but it seems that afterwards I no longer had the problems I described above.
At the point where I needed to press reset when the tablet app said to, the sketch actually loaded from the android-based tablet via BlueTooth! It was a delight to see it go from 0% to 100%! (Yes, I said sketch.) So I am not sure if the mbot_firmware updates the firmware in the Orion, or if it is just an ordinary sketch that really didn’t change anything to make my setup work.
In either case, I can now use the micro-to-usb cable to upload the Arduino’s blink sketch to the Orion, or the makeblock test buzzer sketch, or the DC Motor Test sketch, etc. However, with the BT module plugged into the Orion, the Arduino IDE produces an error mesage:
avrdude: stk500_recv():
programmer is not respondingProblem uploading to board.
See http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting#upload
Important: The sketches did load successfully via the usb connection, but afterwards something triggered the avrdude error message. Once the BT module was physically disconnected, I was able to load one sketch (blink, buzzer, motor) after another without the error message.However, it might not be the fact that the BT module is or isn’t wired to the Orion; it might be more of a matter of whether it is bonded/paired/connected to another BT device.
I am in the process of replicating the steps I followed to see if I get the results consistently. I have found a number of odd behaviors–such as needing to move my hand in from of the distance sensor (if its turned on with the tablet button) before the motor would engage. However, since those are more related to other topics, I will probably share them in another thread (assuming I can achieve consistent results).
Nevertheless, I hope my experiences and findings help others who are having problems getting sketches to successfully upload to the Orion board.
By the way, the issue of the motors being underpowered that people have mentioned is not 100% accurate. A selectable wall-wart (3v DC to 12v DC 1 Amp) will power the motor directly at any of the voltage settings. So the problem (correct me if I am wrong) is that the motors require too much current. Six volts of fully charged basic AA rechargeable batteries will run a single motor for a few seconds or more, but will drain them rather quickly.
But who wants to run a remote controlled robot connected to a wall-wart?
And yes, the right-angle connector on the motor is not pictured like the instruction booklet. When I tried to build the tank robot initially, the center frame bar blocked the connector.
I hope this helps.
Steve
) and a seeed studio motor shield to drive the other one.