Hardware

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Hardware includes the physical parts of a robowaifu, such as her body, central processing unit (CPU), input and display devices, data storage, graphics card, sound card, speakers, motherboard, single-board computer, or microcontrollers.

For now this page lists various parts and components that go into building a robowaifu.

Physical parts

• Microcontrollers, such as AVR microcontrollers, are brains for robots. They contain the overall logic of the robot and allow the designer to interface sensors and specialized control electronics together.
• Printed circuit boards mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components or electrical components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from one or more sheet layers.
• Single-board microcontrollers, such as the Arduino, are microcontrollers built onto single printed circuit boards. This board provides all of the circuitry necessary for a useful control task: a microprocessor, I/O circuits, a clock generator, RAM, stored program memory and any necessary support ICs. The intention is that the board is immediately useful to an application developer, without requiring them to spend time and effort to develop controller hardware.
• Single-board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi, are complete computers built on a single circuit board, with a microprocessor, memory, input/output and other features required of a functional computer.
• Data storage keeps data directly on a robot, such as SD cards, flash and EEPROM modules, and also smart cards.
• Interface adapters & converters are parts needed to connect different types of electric components to each other. They include serial, SD adapters, and analog-digital adapters and also USB, Ethernet, and wireless data acquisition modules.
• Cables, wires & connectors are the parts you need to connect electric components to each other.
• Power systems and batteries are needed to power robots and range from wall adapters to batteries to solar panels.
• Electronic components are general purpose parts for electronics projects. They include resistors, capacitors, switches, transistors, and other electronic parts.
• Mechanical parts make the body of robots. They include brackets, tubes and screws for the chassis, wheels, gears and tracks to make your drive train and other actuators for robots like pan and tilt systems.
• Motors and actuators make robots move. Some actuators are better suited for specific tasks, others can be adapted to create the rotation or motion needed.
• Motor controllers are useful for offloading the control of speed and direction from the main logic controller. There are different types of motor controllers depending on the type of motor that needs to be used.
• Sensors are what robots need to know the world around them. They include cameras, microphones, ultrasonic, infra-red, temperature & humidity, force, radio-frequency, and a lot more.
• Display components are used to give visual feedback and display text, images, and videos. There are simple LED bar gauges, 7-segment, and matrix displays and also LCD modules that interface with microcontrollers or with computers.
• Data communication and human input devices help control your robots from a distance by receiving and sending information via radio-frequency, infra-red, voice, or wire.
• Relay & LED controllers are interfaces that help drive higher current applications out of a microcontroller.
• Lighting components are used to navigate dark environments and make nice visual effects, such as addressable RGB LED strips, electro-luminescent wire, laser points, 7-segment modules, and LED matrix displays.