This article is about how I assemble my robot vacuum cleaner. There are a lot of photos and videos here for those who are also on fire with such an idea.
December 19, 2014. I started to be interested in robotic vacuum cleaners five years ago in 2009, probably after I got acquainted with the Roboforum. All these years there have been attempts to start something, but nothing has been done. A couple of months ago, I actively read articles about a robot vacuum cleaner and finally decided that I would buy a Karcher RC 4.000. Time passed, my wife often began to clean the kitchen and the corridor, it began to annoy me, the thought of a robot grew stronger. I spent a couple of evenings again in pictures and forums about robot vacuum cleaners. I finally decided that I would make a robot myself!
The goal is to create a robot vacuum cleaner that is no worse than an industrially manufactured one and get rid of a layer of dust and small debris in the house. In the process of studying the structure of robots, it turned out that they are very noisy, about 60 dB, while a stationary home washing vacuum cleaner makes about 80 dB. My self-made robot should work as quietly as possible, its dimensions should not exceed the dimensions of factory robots, and it should clean quickly and efficiently.
The first step was to resolve the issue with the suction turbine. I already had experience in building turbines, but they all worked poorly. For the garage I made homemade vacuum cleaner from a turbine from an old Raketa vacuum cleaner. The robot needs a small turbine, so I started looking again. Quite by accident I found messages from the user Vovan on the Roboforum, he shared a drawing of his turbine. Without hesitation, I redrawn the drawing and glued my turbine.
I cut out the turbine and glued it from thick cardboard with super glue in 20 minutes. The first tests were successful!
December 20, 2014. I bought body peeling today :) in general, I only need a transparent jar with a screw cap, I gave the contents to my wife. I also bought a brush for clothes with a hard bristle, disassembled it, tomorrow I will make a brush out of it for my robot.
In AutoCAD, I made sketches of the location of elements in the body. I settled on the dimensions of the basin with a diameter of 25 cm and a height of about 9 cm. It is not yet clear whether all the elements will fit in, there is really little space, but I don’t want to make the case anymore. I set my own frame :)
Yesterday on the Internet I wrote out the dimensions of factory robotic vacuum cleaners:
diameter * height (cm)
36 * 9
32 * 8
32 * 10
30 * 5
22 * 8
I thought about making my vacuum cleaner with cyclone filter, so you can’t make the height small, it is determined by the garbage can, but you can win in diameter. Of course, thanks to Dyson for the cyclone, I have been reviewing his inventions for a long time and even made a garage vacuum cleaner on the principle of a cyclone. My filter will be simple, without any cones and crazy suction power, for the first time it will do.
December 21, 2014. I sawed off a 15 cm round handle from a floor brush in the garage and made a round brush out of it. The diameter turned out to be about 70 mm. The size is unrealistically large and the bristles are very stiff, I don’t know how it will behave, but I’ll probably have to either redo or make the vacuum cleaner heavier, because the bristles will throw it up. The bristles were simply inserted into the holes without glue, it turned out reliably. I fixed the entire structure on a stud with a diameter of 6 mm and two bearings along the edges.
I found two wheels in the garage, you won’t believe it, from a vacuum cleaner! The same handheld vacuum cleaner in which there was nothing electric, only 4 wheels and two brushes driven by these wheels. The wheels have been waiting in the wings for about 15 years :)
Now in AutoCAD I will make another drawing for several parts, tomorrow I will cut everything out of plywood and try to assemble something already on the basis.
December 22, 2014. I really want to make a robot vacuum cleaner with my own hands and finish it before the new year 2015. Last night I watched several videos about robot vacuum cleaners again on YouTube, and in particular two videos about Dyson 360 Eye and Fluffy:
After the first video with the Dyson robot, I realized that when making my robot with a diameter of 25 cm and a brush 15 cm long, I would leave dirty places along the plinth to a width of 5 cm. I don’t know what I will do next, the tests will show.
So, today I bought a new dustpan and two brushes with softer bristles. I bought the scoop because of the rubber band that is glued around the edge, it is perfect for my design.
The geometry of the case was slightly changed based on new thoughts and a new brush. The size of the robot is still 25 cm, but now it is half a circle and half a square. The width of the brush is 21 cm, the diameter is about 6 cm. I sawed out the base from 8 mm plywood, attached wheels and a brush, tomorrow I will make a gearbox and try to sweep something :)
December 23, 2014. I screwed a gear to the brush and attached a gearbox nearby, used an elastic band for money as a belt, screwed the motor with a screw for the test. Below is a video test at 6 and 9 volts.
Most likely I will redo the brush again, the pile is too short and too hard. The pile must be without gaps, because there are streaks of dirt. In general, it turned out spectacular :)
Figured out if I have enough space for three motors in the case. Two motors will turn two wheels and one brush. Plus, gearboxes take up a lot of space. The idea came to replace the gear reducers with a worm gear, maybe I'll do a couple of tests.
The suction turbine was coated twice with a layer epoxy resin became like plastic. The cardboard no longer bends and if water gets in, everything will be fine. I didn't have to center it, it spins perfectly. In the meantime, I am preparing the basis for the garbage can. I made a fine filter from the neck and cap of a kefir bottle. As a filter cloth, I took a disposable bag from a vacuum cleaner. While everything is glued, in a couple of days I will screw it onto the base and test everything again.
While working on the robot, the idea to get a 3D printer constantly comes to mind. With a 3D printer, it would be much easier to create such details as I need and with high accuracy. When you drill plywood with a drill, the drill can lead away or the slope is not exactly 90 degrees, here one can only dream of high accuracy. In addition, plywood parts are very bulky, everything would be neat on a 3D printer.
December 24, 2014. In the morning I tested the turbine and the garbage can, in the afternoon I repeated the experiment with a higher voltage. The results are not impressive. The fine filter had to be unscrewed for the time being, because the power drops sharply through it. In the bank, the garbage is spinning very effectively, but in reality there is not enough suction power.
High voltage turbine test.
At these moments, there was a desire to score everything, why did I take it at all. Now it's very easy to drop everything and forget - that's the easiest way.
In the evening, I took a brushless motor and began to glue a new turbine for it according to the same drawings.
December 25, 2014. I glued the second turbine for a brushless motor, I wanted to test it, it turned out that the motor rotates in the wrong direction. Tomorrow I'll go to the garage to solder the wires, but for now I put everything aside.
December 26, 2014. Soldered the wires between the controller and the motor, got the rotation in the right direction. The turbine started to work, but a couple of tests on the knee turned out to be sad again. Maybe even redesign the turbine, adding a little taper, but more on that later.
The last two days I spent very little time on development, I will try to allocate 4-5 hours tomorrow.
December 27, 2014. I decided to try to assemble a worm gear for the undercarriage of a robot vacuum cleaner. In the pictures earlier, I showed that you can make a worm from a nail and a piece copper wire. The problem turned out to be in the process of soldering the wire to the nail. My soldering iron is not very powerful, so I additionally warmed up the nail for gas burner. However, it did not work out to solder the wire with high quality, so I took a round piece of wood and wound the wire around it, spilled the turns with super-glue. The worm turned out quite tolerable. Ignoring the ovality of the wooden base and, in general, the entire block of plywood, the mechanism worked normally, but the pancake was very slow.
It would be nice to get ready-made plastic worm gears, but for now we will put this aside.
Regarding the future energy consumption of my robot. Now there is a snag with the turbine, something does not want it to suck as it should, even when removed filter fine cleaning. If you use a conventional collector motor for the turbine and feed it with a voltage of 12 volts, then it will consume about 0.6 amperes. If you use a brushless motor, it will consume about one ampere. Plus, two collector motors will be used to move the robot and another one for the brush, each will consume about 0.3 amperes. Electronics will also consume something. In total, the robot will "eat" from about 1.6 to 2 amperes, in peaks probably up to 2.5 amperes. I don't know if it's a lot or not industrial robots consume three or more amperes.
Again I reviewed a bunch of videos and photos on the request "the principle of operation of a robot vacuum cleaner." I found a cool photo of a turbine from an ordinary household vacuum cleaner. I read on some forum that the longer the blades of the turbine, the greater the vacuum it can create due to centrifugal force.
December 28, 2014. Today I glued two more turbines, they differ only in thickness. Blades made as long as possible. In the photo below, the first thin (5mm blade height) turbine, it is very quiet in operation, but it doesn’t suck :)
The second turbine is thicker (15mm blade height).
Once again in the garage I tried to drag the brush across the floor, the motor often shuts up from the load, the bristles still turned out to be very stiff, and it would not hurt to reduce the diameter of the brush. Tomorrow, in any weather, I’m going to buy a brush with the softest bristles, I’ll also go to the toy store and look for cars with a worm gear for the robot’s chassis.
In the garage I tested a new turbine with a voltage of 12 volts, I thought that 9 blades might not be enough. At home, I glued the third turbine in a day with long blades and a quantity of 15 pieces, I am attaching a photo:
Another day has ended. Before the new year, I won’t have time to make a vacuum cleaner as planned, but I want to believe that everything will be fine :)
December 29, 2014 Went to the toy store today looking for a worm gear. On the way, I remembered my daughter's toy - a horse. My daughter didn’t really like this horse, and in general, I don’t really like it either :) But on the other hand, he has two whole worms and 4 + 4 gears inside.
I still looked into the toy store, then into the second one and bought a shifting machine there. I bought the car not so much for the mechanism as for its wheels, they climb any surface. There was no worm gear inside the machine. The wheels are quite possible I use for homemade robot in the meantime, I gave the machine to my daughter - she is delighted :)
In the afternoon, the idea came to mind to make a robot-electric broom, i.e. the design is the same as now, only there is no turbine, the garbage is simply collected in the compartment. When I was looking for a new brush with a softer bristle in the store (I never bought it), I accidentally saw this:
I immediately bought this cover. This is a ready-made body of the robot, modern transparent and even without unnecessary elements. But in fact it is a "Cover for microwave oven"(diameter 24.5 cm), I don’t know what to cover and why, but the robot should turn out beautiful :) But more on that in another article.
In the evening I broke the conic, took out the gears and screwed it to my robot, it turned out great! The mechanism takes up minimal space and is strong enough to move the platform. While collected not everything, so the pictures will be later. In the meantime, I'm nurturing the idea of how to make a new brush, reduce its diameter to 3-4 cm and replace the gearbox with gears with a worm gear.
By the way, note that the worm can be removed from other toys. So we had a broken elephant lying around, but in principle it doesn’t matter, the main thing is the mechanism, which is the same in many toys (cars, tanks and others), see the pictures:
Oh yes, I forgot to write about the new turbine, it turned out to be noticeably more productive than all the others. For better air flow, I also added a cone to the middle of the turbine.
January 05, 2015. Despite the New Year holidays, all the previous days I tried to somehow move forward in my work. I read a lot of information about 3D printers, if there was such a printer in my arsenal, I would have printed it a long time ago most details. While in my head I am making plans for the future how to assemble a 3D printer with my own hands.
Today I made a new brush. Took wooden stick with a diameter of 10 mm and drilled holes in a spiral. I inserted bristles into the holes and soldered them with reverse side wood burner.
I assembled the chassis, until I tested it, the glue dries. I also put a new brush in place, it turned out a lot of jambs, without them there is no way, after all, this is my first robot. By the way, I abandoned the rectangular back and made a base for a round case. My decision is connected with the rethinking of the movement of the robot, if we imagine that the robot is moving along the wall and rests against something, then in order to turn it will have to do a maneuver with a backward movement, because the square ass will skid onto the wall.
I spent a lot of time looking for a solution for the "vision" of the robot. The mechanical bumper does not suit me very much, it spoils the external one, although it is the simplest obstacle detection scheme. I stopped at infrared sensor. It is not yet possible to assemble the sensor due to the lack of infrared phototransistors.
January 07, 2015. Yesterday, until 1 a.m., I assembled a robot to somehow test it, play around :) It is used as a "brain" arduino board Pro Mini + motorshield on L293E chips with strapping (I used this board in my first online motor control project via the Internet). The control is carried out from the remote control from the TV. Short video:
The design looks liquid, in fact it is, almost all mechanisms barely breathe. Today I realized how much a seemingly simple robot is so difficult to make. At the moment, I have problems in almost all nodes, a global rework of almost everything is required.
The wheel drive on the worm gear turned out to be what we need in terms of speed, but its execution leaves much to be desired. Part of the drive is placed in a compartment where there will be air movement with debris, this will not work for a long time. On the wheels, I wanted to drill holes that would serve as an additional motion sensor. On one side of the wheel there will be an IR LED, on the other side an IR phototransistor. This circuit will pulsate when the robot moves, if there are no pulses, then the robot has rested against something and is not moving.
For proximity sensors, I bought IR LEDs and IR phototransistors, but after testing such an IR bumper, it became clear that the idea was bad. The sensor responds to sunlight, and does not see black objects at all. The design has the right to life, but in more simple homemade. Who is interested in the scheme I share:
If you bring your hand close to the sensor, then breadboard the LED lights up.
I also tried the ultrasonic sensor. It perfectly measures the distance, but only by the "head-on" method, if the plane of the object is at an angle, then the readings are distorted. In general, even with such a sensor, the bumper of the robot will not work normally.
To control from the remote control, I used the TSOP IR receiver, I don’t know what marking, in principle, you can use any one that comes across. You can control it from any remote control, even with mobile phone, but before that you need to know the codes of the buttons to be pressed on the remote control. In the sketch simple circuit, which sends the button code to the port monitor when pressed on the remote. Connection example and sketch below:
As for the sweeping brush, it turned out great, almost 21 cm wide, with a body of 25 cm. There are nuances: the villi do not recover if they are crushed. The drive mechanism is not closed by anything, winds the hair in 3 minutes of operation and stops. The brush is not removable. The motor is very weak, but the number of revolutions is very suitable, it sweeps very effectively on the table.
Now this robot vacuum cleaner will be disassembled and rethought. Most likely, the body diameter will increase by 3 cm. Initially, I thought to make the wheels on an independent suspension, so that they would hide if suddenly someone stepped on the robot. All the same, I will do the wheel drive on gears, instead of a worm. The pile for the brush needs to be looked for another, more elastic and to keep its shape. The bumper will probably have to be done mechanically. Lots of questions about the suction turbine.
Despite all the shortcomings, the wife liked the robot, and the daughter is generally delighted :)
To be continued. I will no longer write about the robot so often, but I will try to publish photo and video reports at least once a month.
March 2015. I bought an electric broom.
The robot vacuum cleaner is still in the project!
Most likely your vacuum cleaner has already been sold with one or more additional attachments. It is possible that there was an instruction with detailed description, but the problem is that the vast majority of buyers do not read the instructions. We understand this perfectly, and decided to tell you how to use the most common nozzles correctly. By the way, if you like some special one, you can always buy an additional nozzle. Sold, both special, for certain models, and universal, which are suitable for almost everyone. The cost, depending on the type of nozzle, is from 800-1700 rubles.
For tall objects and ceilings
This is an extension tube for the hose, and its purpose is quite clear. It can be used in conjunction with an additional nozzle that is attached to the end of the pipe. Needed to get to hard-to-reach high places. For example, before ceiling plinths, the top surface of the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets, and with the help of an additional pipe it is convenient to remove dust behind the furniture. You can choose a longer and shorter pipe depending on the height of your ceilings.
For upholstered furniture, mattresses and pillows
So that the dust does not spoil the furniture, does not make it dull and gray, do not forget about the nozzle for cleaning upholstered furniture. Do not look at the fact that she is so small and inconspicuous. It is great for extracting dust from sofa cushions, Roman blinds and even mattresses.
For flat floors
This flat, wide brush is best for flat floors. Its short bristles perfectly capture dirt, crumbs and hair, which are then sucked into the vacuum cleaner. As a rule, such brushes are equipped with wheels or a rotating head, which make it maneuverable and easy to use.
For lampshades, books and home appliances
The brush head is usually round or triangular in shape with long, soft bristles that do not scratch surfaces. She can remove dust from furniture, clean lampshades, blinds, cornices, household appliances and books.
For cracks and corners
This is one of the most familiar - a narrow crevice nozzle for hard-to-reach places, which with a conventional brush can not get close. It is convenient for her to vacuum along the baseboard and between ventilation holes and also in other narrow corners. For example, the crevice tool is useful for sofas and armchairs to remove dust between cushions.
To remove hair
Pet owners will appreciate this nozzle. A brush with rubber bristles, creating a static charge, lifts the hairs of the wool and thereby facilitates their suction. Therefore, cleaning is faster and better.
For carpets and rugs
The Turbo Brush is ideal when you need a boost in power. With this nozzle, you can thoroughly comb the carpet and effectively remove dirt from the pile.
When choosing a new vacuum cleaner without a bag, you should pay attention to the complete set of the device. number of brushes and accessories will greatly simplify your work with a vacuum cleaner (for example).
The set of cleaning equipment necessarily includes a crevice nozzle, a brush for the floor / carpet and upholstered furniture. Innovation in the world household appliances has become a turbo brush for a vacuum cleaner, which copes with stubborn dirt and stuck hair and wool.
2 Brownie brush
This versatile battery-powered brush vacuum cleaner has been specifically designed for the most comfortable cleaning in the house. With the help of the Brownie brush, you can easily clean not only upholstered furniture and clothing, but also the hair of domestic animals.
The small dimensions and light weight of the bagless vacuum cleaner provide maximum ease of use: the model is highly mobile. Vacuum cleaner "Domovenok" can serve as a crevice nozzle, penetrating into hard-to-reach corners of the apartment.
A universal brush-vacuum cleaner for furniture, carpets and animal hair is an indispensable assistant in the house for. Cleaning carpets from animal hair during shedding is always a lot of trouble. But the universal brush-vacuum cleaner "Domovenok" will cope with this task very simply. You can buy goods at a price of 750 rubles. Batteries are sold separately.
2.1 Application of nozzles
For high-quality cleaning of the house, a different combination of components is used, which are attached to the vacuum cleaner in the following order:
1. The electrostatic brush is used for cleaning household appliances and indoor plants.
2. Then the upholstery of sofas and armchairs is cleaned with a brush attachment. If it is necessary to remove animal hair, a nozzle with a turbo brush is used. A crevice nozzle is used to clean the corners.
3. Next, hard-to-reach places, skirting boards and corners are cleaned. To do this, a crevice nozzle is installed on the vacuum cleaner. If you use a combined model that has a crevice nozzle, simply switch the cleaning mode using the button.
4. Now you can carry out the final cleaning of the apartment with the main brush. If the carpets are heavily soiled, a turbo brush is used.
2.2 How much does it cost?
The range of prices for components is very large. The cheapest parts can be bought from LG and Samsung manufacturers:
2.3 How to choose?
1. What to buy?
Brand compatibility is important when choosing components, because major manufacturers produce special parts for their equipment. If there are no specialized parts specifically for your vacuum cleaner, you can buy universal nozzles. Universal models are compatible with any brand of bagless cleaning machines.
2. Consider the diameter of the tube of your vacuum cleaner so that the components can be easily attached: the diameter of the nozzles is indicated in the instructions.
3. If you are going to buy a powered turbo brush head, consider the power of your vacuum cleaner. When choosing an electrically powered turbo, be aware of the possibility of damage to delicate upholstery fabrics and carpet pile. Turbo is great for getting rid of animal hair, but it can simply pull all the pile out of the carpet and ruin expensive sofa upholstery.
Reading 4 min. Published on 02.06.2018
A beautiful high-quality carpet can change the interior beyond recognition. Fluffy flooring will make the room cozy and will become exactly the semantic accent that will successfully emphasize the design idea and taste of the owners of the house.
But at improper care even the highest quality and delightfully beautiful carpet can become faded. And that's not all, without proper cleaning, this interior detail will accumulate dust in itself and can cause diseases of the respiratory system.
Carpet vacuum cleaners will help keep your home clean and comfortable, these useful household helpers will make cleaning quick and efficient. Of course, if all the subtleties are taken into account.
Which vacuum cleaner is right for you?
Taking care of the crystal cleanliness of the house, the brightness and freshness of the fluffy floor covering begins with the purchase of a high-quality vacuum cleaner. There are dozens of models on the home appliance market that differ in configuration, appearance and, of course, cost. How to choose the best one? The main thing is that the unit should be marked “for dry cleaning”.
The principle of operation of all vacuum cleaners for dry cleaning is the same. The unit draws in air, and with it the dust that has settled on the surface of objects and textile accessories. "Dirty cocktail" passes through a system of filters that trap dust. And the purified air is returned to the room.
When choosing a vacuum cleaner, first of all, you should focus on the amount of work with which the unit will have to cope. For houses with a minimum of textile accessories, a model with a garbage bag is suitable. Lovers of carpets with a long pile can not do without
.
Cleaning rules from professionals
Specialists of cleaning companies and experienced housewives are happy to share tips that will help you clean quickly and efficiently. And what is important, they allow you to save a dear or expensive carpet from damage.
So, how do you vacuum a carpet so that it retains its color and fluffiness for as long as possible?
- Cleaning should be done at least once a week. Carpets and rugs attract dust like magnets, it clogs between the fibers and will be much more difficult to remove later.
- It is necessary to clean the filters after they are 2/3 full. Do not wait for the unit's warning signal. An overfilled filter retains dust worse, and some of it will return to the house.
- Every 2-3 cleanings, you should move furniture and remove dust under it. Between such global cleanings, you can get by using a nozzle with a narrow nozzle.
Before cleaning, it is worth opening the windows and organizing a draft. Purified air must go to the treated part of the room. Otherwise, the air flow will raise a whole dust cloud.
Secrets of cleaning and caring for carpets
Usage powerful unit does not guarantee quality cleaning. To preserve the brightness of the flooring and the structure of the pile, techniques widely used by professionals will help:
- For carpet cleaning natural materials a brush with long bristles should be used. The carpet is best cleaned with a nozzle with short bristles. Carpets with long pile are cleaned with smooth nozzles without bristles.
- Before cleaning a carpet made of synthetic threads, it must be treated with an antistatic agent. This will make garbage collection easier.
No matter how good cleaning with a vacuum cleaner is, it is not enough. Twice a year, these fluffy interior details should be knocked out in the fresh air. In winter - in snowy weather, in the warm season - in dry weather. And 1 time in 2-3 years to give the carpet for professional cleaning to the dry cleaners. Specialists with the help suitable formulations will update the color of the coating and carry out the disinfection procedure.
Procedure
Almost every person at least once held a vacuum cleaner in his hands and cleaned the floor covering with it. But not everyone thought about how to properly vacuum the carpet so that the result of labor is immediately noticeable and lasts as long as possible.
After the household assistant is prepared for work and the necessary nozzle is attached to it, you can proceed:
- The room should be divided into conditional square zones. Start from the near right corner. Right-handed people are usually more comfortable moving from right to left.
- Consistently clearing square after square, you should move to the door.
- Constantly control that the purified air goes into the treated part of the room.
- Movements should be uniform, reciprocating.
- The brush attachment should move along the pile. This technique will avoid deformation of the textile item.
- Particular attention should be paid to areas with the greatest traffic: at the door, the entrance to the balcony, and upholstered furniture.
- After cleaning, you can wipe the dust from the surfaces and, if necessary, wash the floor.
If you still have doubts about whether the carpet can be vacuumed, you can contact the manufacturer for clarification. The bulk of textile floor coverings cleaning with household appliances can and should be done. The main thing is to do it regularly and carefully.
