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BEAM Robot
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Skill Level

The BEAM ScoutWalker 1.1 ©

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The ScoutWalker 1.1 uses the patented Microcore to control
it's walking processes, without a microprocessor or
programming! This kit lets you explore the adaptive behaviour
of the Microcore on a sturdy, simple to construct frame!
(Soldering and mechanical skill required)
®
A Complete BEAM Walking Robot
Kit Inside!
Produced by
 ScoutWalker 1.1 BEAM Walking Robot
Parts List
Mechanical Stuff:
(2) Servos (to be modified)

(1) Servo Separator Wedge

(2) Legs

(2) Battery Holders

(4) AA batteries

(1) Book

(1) Printed Circuit Board

(2) Leg mounting pads

(6) Mounting pad screws

Printed Circuit Board Stuff:

Chips:

(2) U1, U3 74C14 “Brain” and startup

(1) U2 4030B - backup

(1) U4 L298N - “make-it-go”

Resistors:

(4) R1R4 2.2MS (Red, Red, Green) MicroCore

(6) R59,12 2.2kS (Red, Red, Red) LED current limiters

(2) R10,R13 360kS (Orange, Blue, Yellow) Reverse time activation

(2) R11,R14 6.2MS (Blue, Red, Green) Reverse time duration

(1) R15 1.0MS (Brown, Black, Green) Microcore stabilization

Capacitors:

(4) C1C4 0.1FF Microcore

(3) C5-C7 1.0FF Reverse timing & Microcore Starter timing

(3) C8C10 0.1FF Chip decoupling

Miscellaneous:

(3) D1D2 1N914 Diodes

(6) LED16 90° Light-emitting diodes

(1) SW1 Power Switch

(3) J1J3 Option Jumper Pin and Shunt pairs

(2) S1-2 Sensor Springs & Pins pairs

(1) 12" length of paired hookup wire

(1) 2" length of heat-shrink

Before starting, identify and inventory the parts included with this package. If any are
missing or damaged, contact Solarbotics Ltd. For a replacement. Use a small (~25 Watt)
soldering iron to solder the components to the ScoutWalker printed circuit board. Use a
large (pistol type) only for mechanical (legs) connections.
 ScoutWalker 1.1 BEAM Walking Robot
Parts List
Tools:
To successfully build your ScoutWalker 1.1, you will require the following tools:

< An electronics soldering iron (and/or..)

< A reasonably powerful soldering iron (35 Watts or more, for leg attachments) or
butane torch
< Water-soluble solder or good solder-flux remover (don’t underestimate this point)
< Strong wire cutters
< A sharp knife/razor
< A small phillips screwdriver (has the “+” shaped tip)
< A small slot screwdriver
< A Glue Gun
< Needle-nose pliers (never hurt to have a pair around to yank/persuade parts)
< Wire Strippers

And most importantly, some electronics experience, as this is not a beginner’s kit by any
stretch of the imagination. You have to have exceptionally clean and proper soldering
skills. There. You’ve been warned. Cold and messy solder joints are a proven killer to this
type of electronics, so if there is any doubt about your soldering skills, practice getting
clean and shiny solder joints on another project first.

Disclaimer of Liability (ie: stuff to keep the Lawyer happy)

Solarbotics Ltd. is not responsible for any special, incidental, or consequential damages
resulting from any breach of warranty, or under any legal theory, including lost profits,
downtime, goodwill, damage to or replacment of equipment or property, and any costs or
recovering of any material or goods associated with the assembly or use of this product.
Solarbotics Ltd. reserves the right to make component changes and substitutions as
required.

In other words - be careful! We will help you any way we can to assure the successful
completion of your kit, but can’t be responsible for putting band-aids on any burns and
other ouchies you get while soldering.
 ScoutWalker 1.1 BEAM Walking Robot

Introduction:
Welcome to the wunnerful, wunnerful world of BEAM walking robots! If you are at all
familiar with BEAM robots in general, you’re probably aware that they’re unorthodox in
design and function. Most BEAM robots are solar-powered, removing the need for
replacing batteries or hooking up a charger, but walkers are different in that they require
a much larger power “surge” to work successfully. This is not saying that there aren’t
solar-powered walker, there are several out there, it is just for simplicity of design and for
improved capability that batteries are a must in this application.

Now that we’ve established that this walking robot kit is different from other BEAM robots,
we also have to point out that it is also different from other “regular” walking robots in
that there isn’t a microprocessor or programming involved. This means there isn’t any
code-writing, code-debugging, code-loading or host computers involved. This is a
microprocessor-less robot. Bereft of microprocessor. You have more transistors in your
wrist-watch than you will on the robot. Get the point? This may sound contrary in a world
gone microprocessor-crazy, but the Microcore © controller provides the walking
mechanism with robust, adaptive behaviour that can outperform the code in a computer
EEPROM.

The Microcore is a patented electronic circuit developed by Mark W. Tilden, which is a

very adaptable, configurable, and expandable controller for (among other things) walking
robots of various complexity. After the initial setup of the circuit, the Microcore is able to
respond to loads and inputs to itself in a very adept manner.

The ScoutWalker 1.1 is one of the most basic walking robots that can be built. Positioning
the front motor at an inclined angle, and leaving the rear motor at a relatively shallow
angle, we get a thrust/climb action from the front, and a thrust action from the rear.
Playing with this geometry arrangement immediately leads to some clear conclusions:

1) Shallow climb angles of attack (the “AOA”) on the front motor are good for an
efficient flat terrain gait. Conversely, steep climb angles make for effective climbing
actions, but leaves much to be desired when it comes to overall distance travelled.

2) Balance becomes an important factor, where if the centre of gravity (the “CG”) is
too far forward, the ScoutWalker will not be able to lift it’s front legs off the ground.
Conversely, if the CG is too far rearward, the rear legs will not lift off the ground
either.

A good overall starting point is to have the ScoutWalker start moving forward by having
it’s front leg lift up (and over any potential obstacle), and then tip forward onto this leg
which will bring the rear leg up and over any obstacles. There are more optimal
configurations for purely flat surfaces, or for very rough terrain, but what fun is it if we
don’t leave you some answers to find for yourself?
 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Servo Modifications
The servos are obviously the business end of the walker. Unfortunately for the servos, you'll be performing a
little "open-heart" surgery on them (insert maniacal laughter here). Why? well, to be honest, we simply
cannot find gearmotors near as strong and inexpensive as modified servos, but their internal electronics
simply aren't compatible with the Microcore controller. So fish out your Phillips head screwdriver, the 12"
length of paired wire, and the two servos - we're going to go hacking!

1 2
Start by removing the bottom plate from the servo, and Gently pry the servos electronic guts out with a
be careful not to lose the screws (sorry to sound like electronic-guts puller tool (if that's not handy, use a
your mom, but these are dang-near impossible to screwdriver). The PCB is connected to the servo
replace) motor and feedback pot, so expect to see these as you
pull the whole assembly out.

Desolder here

3 4
Remove the motor from the PCB by desoldering it from Gently push the motor back into place. Then solder the
the solder mounting pads indicated. As for the leftover full length of wire onto the motor and put the bottom
PCB and pot, you can feed it to your cat or dog, but not plate back on. Then measure only 2" from where the
your hampster - that would be silly... wire leaves the servo and clip off the extra wire.

Repeat the whole thing over again on the other servo,

but keep all the remaining wire connected to the servo.

Servo Modifications - Page 1

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Framing up the Walker Chassis
Now that you have the two servos modified, we're going to assemble the basic chassis. This is really quite a
simple process, as long as you don't get the servos mixed up (long lead vs. short lead, remember?). When
we're done with this, we'll have an amputee walker waiting for it's legs, so hurry up and let's get to work!

Servo with long lead

goes up front

Short-lead servo
is rearward

1 Front is thisaway
2
Start by laying out the long-tail servo, the wood spacer, Glue the servos to the spacer block by using liberal (ie:
and the short tail servo in the arrangement shown. If lotsa) amounts of hot-glue or other suitable glue (no
you get the servos mixed up, you won't be able to denture adhesive, ok?). Make sure that the block is snug
connect them to the PCB later on! Note that the up into the corners of the servo mounting tangs.
servos are positioned so the wires come out from the
far left and far right sides.

3 4
Here's what the mount should look like when you're Step 4 - there isn't one on this page. We're going to
finished. It's your option to add proper screws and start work on preparing the legs and attaching them
washers to the servo mounting holes. If you wish to next, and that's best done on a page by itself. Instead,
do this use the screws from the servo accessory pack. here's a picture of our shop dog, "Glue". Why "Glue"?
Our experiments have shown the hot-glue to be quite Let's just say that she's, oh, just a little bit affectionate...
adequate, except in <ahem> warmer environments
("HELP ME! I'm mellllting.....")

Servo Modifications - Page 2

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Framing up the Walker Chassis - continued
Done looking at the dog picture? Good. Time to get back to work. Go find your sharp knife, the thick copper
leg wires, high-power soldering iron, and what there is of the walker chassis. When we're done, you'll have a
bare-bones walker awaiting it's brains.

29cm
(11-3/4")
29cm
(11-3/4")

5 6
Take one of your thick 60cm (2 foot) long leg wires, Solder the leg wire to the strip on the leg mounting
and measure in from one end 29 cm (11-3/4"). Cut PCB as show. As you may (or may not) know, both the
through the insulation all the way around by rolling the leg pad and copper leg wire are excellent conductors of
wire between the knife and the tabletop. Measure the heat, so this is where you need the extra "OOMPH" of
same distance in from the other side and cut through a high-wattage soldering iron or butane torch.
the insulation again. Then split the center portion
insulation down the middle and peel it off.

7 8
After checking that the servo is about 1/2 way through You have a choice to put the legs on the "inside" (as
it's full travel (1/2 one "Zzzworrp"), unscrew the servo shown) or "outside" (180° around) of the servo wheel. We
output wheel screw and reposition the output wheel recommend you start with the legs "inside" for the front,
so that is inline with the servo. Then screw the wheel and "outside" on the rear. Screw the leg/mounting pad
back in. assembly to the servo output wheel using the 3 included
#2-1/4 sheet metal screws. Do the process again (steps
5-8) for the rear legs. When finished, you'll have a splayed-
legged walker waiting for it's controller!

Servo Modifications - Page 3

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Constructing the "Nervous Net" Microcore Controller
Now that you've got the body done, let's progress to the Microcore controller. The Microcore is patented
circuit that provides very effective, expandable, control without the need of a microprocessor and pro-
gramming.

(c) Solarbotics Ltd. 1997

ScoutWalker 1.1
R13

R10
J1

J2
1
R11
R14
74C14

C6

C5

This is what you're aiming for - a

fully populated (assembled)
microcore controller to strap onto
R5 R7 your ScoutWalker mechanics.
U1
R12

R3
J3

R9

R1
R15
D2

C1 C3
U2 U3
C2 C4
D1

R2 R4
C7

C10

R6 R8

Batt Conn 3
SW1
2 U4
74C14
4030

The 4030

controls the M1 M2
reverse behaviour C8 C9
of the Scoutwalker

4
The L298N is the "muscle" chip that

actually drives the motors. It's

We're going to start by installing the chips. Why? clearer to show it's position with a

Because everybody wants to start with the chips. Just picture than on the graphic. Just

human nature to want to start with the "big'n'important" make sure that the large metal tab

stuff. From there, we'll continue with the smaller discrete side faces towards the top of the

board. (Ignore the other parts in the

components, like the resistors, capacitors, and LEDs. picture - you'll install those later.
Just follow the numbered boxes (check them off as you
go so you don't miss anything), and all will be fine.
PCB Construction - Page 4
 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Constructing the "Nervous Net" Microcore Controller - Cont'd
The "main brains" are in place - now let's install the supporting discrete components and state-establishment
indicators (translation: the little bits'n'pieces and blinky lights). Just make sure to make reference to Parts
List page to find out how to read the proper component values (but I'm sure you know how to already,
right?).

Follow the step numbers, and check them off as you

go. When you're finished make sure you CLEAN 4
Resistor R13
YOUR BOARD. This cannot be understated. The W

(c) Solarbotics Ltd. 1997

ScoutWalker 1.1
360k

flux (which makes soldering easier) can cause unreli-

R13

R10
able/strange performance so you can see how valuable 6
solder with water-soluable flux is at this stage. If you're 5 Capacitor C6

not sure, use alcohol or other commercial flux-

J1

J2
1.0µF
Resistor R14

removing agent to make your board flux-free. 6.2M W 1µF

R11
R14

C6
7

C5
Resistors R5 to R9

9 & R12 - 2.2k W

LED1, LED2
R5 R7

U1

R12
R3

J3

R9
R1
(c) Solarbotics Ltd. 1997
ScoutWalker 1.1

R15
74C14

D2
C1 C3
R13

R10

U2 U3
C2 C4

D1
R2 R4

74C14
4030
J1

J2

C7
C10

10 R6 R8
R11
R14

Capacitor C1-C4
C6 1µF

C5

0.1µF
Batt Conn
104

8 SW1
U4
Resistors R1 to R4

R5 R7 2.2M W
M1 M2
U1 C8 C9
R12

R3
J3

11
R9

R1 Resistor R15

W
R15
74C14

1.0M
D2

C1 C3
U2 U3
C2 C4
D1

R2 R4
12 Diode D1, D2 (note orientation
74C14
4030

by where the band is)

C7

C10
13
1µF
Capacitor C7

R6 R8 1.0µF

Batt Conn
14
LED3-LED6
SW1
U4

16 M1 M2
SW-1 Switch
C8 C9 15
Capacitor C8-C10

0.1µF
104

PCB Construction - Page 5

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Constructing the "Nervous Net" Microcore Controller - Cont'd
Now that the board is essentially done, we'll now add one touch sensor. The PCB accomodates two, but
only one is necessary at this point. It will be your option to add the other later.
Heat-Shrink Tubing Brass Rod

Brass Rod
Leave Long enough to
Sensor Spring
be able to turn 90 ° and Contact to be soldered to
attach to rear mounting pad forward mounting pad To Reverse Probe

Leave the Probe

wire long

The heat-shrink There's not too much rocket (or robot..) science here. Simply put, we're
keeps the spring from
accidently contacting
building a sensor that activates the reverse circuit when bumped from any
the pin too soon.
Solder the end
direction. When the spring deflects enough to contact the brass rod in the
of the spring center of the spring, the circuit activates. Start by building one and mount-
to one of the
pads on the
ing it on the LEFT fork. You can add another to the right side later.
forward mount

Bend the end

(c) Solarbotics Ltd. 1997
ScoutWalker 1.1

of the brass rod

down into this
R13

R10

hole and solder

into place

17 18
J1

J2

First stretch the spring out to

about 1cm (3/8"). Also bend Bend 7mm (1/4") the end of
R11
R14

the long end of the wire so it the brass rod down, then
C6 1µF

C5

point straight out from the shrink a 1cm (3/8") length of

sensor. tubing onto the end up to the
bend.
R5 R7

U1 19
R12

R3
J3

R9

R1
R15

104 104
74C14

D2

C1 C3
U2 104 104
U3
C2 C4
D1

R2 R4
104
74C14
4030

1µF
C7

C10

R6 R8
Loosely assemble the parts, insert the rod end into the rear pad
Batt Conn
hole, the spring end into the front pad hole, then solder the ends
SW1
into place. Your sensor is now complete, minus future tuning. This
U4 means if it activates too often, slide the inner sleeve forward to
reduce the "activation contact area" on the sensor pin. If this still
104

104

M1 M2 isn't enough, you may have to trim the sensor's length down, or
C8 C9
even better to cover the outside of the spring portion with some
suitable diameter heat-shrink to dampen it's motion.
PCB Construction - Page 6
 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Final Assembly
You've finished the brains; you've finished the body; time to combine the two!

Final assembly requires you take your finished PCB and mount it onto the ScoutWalker body. Follow this with adding
the battery packs, wiring them together, installing the batteries, and bending the legs. It really isn't that hard - except for
the bending the legs. There is no "best leg" shape, so you'll have to experiment with what works best for the terrain you
have in mind for your ScoutWalker.

1
It's important to tape over the rear servo's
screws before you attach the PCB to the body
- you don't want to cause any accidental
smoke, do you?
2
You have the option to glue or screw (or both) the PCB
down to the frame. If you screw it down apply the
screws through the slots indicated into the underlying
wood or plastic.

R5 R7

U1
R12

R3
J3

R9
R1

R15
D2

C1 C3
U2 U3
C2 C4
D1
R2 R4
C7

C10

R6 R8

Batt Conn

SW1
U4

M1 M2
C8 C9

3
Glue the battery holders in place, one each side. Orient 4
these so that the wires are facing rearward. There are Wire the battery packs
mounting holes in the holders, so if you have a few Black Lead together as shown. Black Lead
spare screws, feel free to screw them on as well. Red Lead Red Lead

Final Assembly - Page 7

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Final Assembly - LEGS! (cont'd)
You're soooo close to finishing your ScoutWalker it probably hurts. Well, perhaps aches...Ah - just finish
this page, and switch it on!
Now that you've got the "brains" on the body and the batteries hooked up, all that is left is hooking up the servo motors
and positioning the legs. It sounds simple enough, but finding an optimal leg layout will probably take you as much time
as building the whole walker. What we'll give you here is a good place to start, and then you can start experimenting
with your own shapes.
R5 R7

U1
R12

R3
J3

R9
R1 R15
D2

C1 C3
U2 U3
C2 C4
D1

R2 R4 ~40cm (16")
C7

C10

R6 R8

Batt Conn

SW1
U4

Front Servo
M1 M2
Wires C8 C9 ~40cm (16")
Rear Servo
5 Wires 6
Solder front servo wires to the pads labled Next, find a big piece of paper, like a newspaper or from a
"M1", and the rear servo wires to the pads roll. Draw a square that measures around 40cm a side, and
labled "M2". Don't worry about which wire then draw lines that connect the diagonal corners. We'll use
goes where - if it starts walking in reverse this to set up the basic leg shapes.
when you power it up, simply swap the
wire connections on the "M1" or the "M2"
pad.

Move this foot up...

...and this one too.

Balance point

Move this foot in... ...and this one down

to the left.

7 8
Find the balance point of your walker by lifting Place your ScoutWalker so that it's balance point sits directly
off the surface by two fingertips. Find the point over the "X". Bend your legs so that the feet touch the lines
where it just balances horizontally - keep that of the "X", and are directly across from each other. This
point in mind for the next step! assures that your ScoutWalker will have sufficient balance to
give you at least a reasonable walking gait when you power it
up. Experiment with placing the foot points further up and
down the "X" and see what kind of results you get!

Final Assembly - Page 8

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Final Assembly - LEGS! (cont'd)
If you haven't already turned it on, do so now! Chances are your ScoutWalker will thrash about a bit,
but follow these basic instructions and it should start striding away!
As previously stated, there is no single optimal leg design. What is pictured here is what we found to work on the one
we built for this manual. If you want to borrow the geometry, here it is - but make sure you follow the balancing
procedure as described in step 8. There are two design points that should alwasy be followed - 1) bend the "feet"
under, so there aren't any pointy toes to catch on rough surfaces. 2) The rear legs should have limit stops to keep them
from falling too far out of sync. In this layout, the rear legs are bent so they limit out on the sides of the rear servo.
Another method is to bend the rear-leg "knees" high enough so they limit out on the edges of the PCB. Have fun
expermenting with your walker!

Movement limiting
"knees"

Front Legs
Rear Legs (about 30° from
(about vertical) vertical)

Rear Leg Knees

Rear View - note how small rear leg

"knees" are positioned so the strike the
servo sides.

Final Assembly - Page 9

 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Options - Additional Touch Sensors and Shunts
You can add on another touch sensor to your ScoutWalker to increase it's ability to detect its environment.
You can also use the included optional jumper pins and shunts to disable them whenever you want. This
capability was added so multiple ScoutWalkers could engage in WalkerSumo contests.

Option 1 - The Second Sensor

Prepare the second sensor just like as you did in steps 17
and 18, and install it on the right-side fork's mounting
pads. Then add the additional sensor electronic compo-

Option 2 - The Shunts & Pins

To make use of the shunts, you will have to solder in the
(c) Solarbotics Ltd. 1997
ScoutWalker 1.1

pin pairs and cut the narrow trace that connects the two
R13

R10

pads on the underside of the PCB.

S
Solder the jumper pin pairs into

locations J1 and J2 and slide the

shunts onto the pins

J1

J2

S
:
R11
R14

1µF

1µF
C6

C5

On the underside of the PCB, you will have to

cut the connection between the jumper pins.

Use a razor blade to slice through the metal

trace. Don't forget to do it on each fork!

Addendum - Options!
 ScoutWalker 1.1 Walking Robot Instructions:
Technical Operation Background

The Motor Driver (U4)

The motor driver chip provides the proper voltages to run the motors. It also has internal
protection against things like overheating and short circuits. The rest of the circuit controls the motor
driver by way of motor direction signals and an on/off command.

The Start-up Circuit (U3, D1, D2, C7, R15)

The start-up circuit gets the system ready to walk by sending signals to the motor driver and
the Microcore. The motor driver is held in the off state while the system starts to that the motors
are not activated until the full system is ready to go. The Microcore starts up in a two-process, or
saturated state. This kit only uses the one process state for walking, so the start-up circuit ats as a
pulse neutralizer to get the circuit ready to go.

The Microcore (U1, C1-C4, R1-R4)

The Microcore is the heart of the ScoutWalker kit. It maintains the sequence of commads that
allow the robot to walk. Initially, the system is set to walk forward by commanding the motor driver
to move the servos in sequence.

The Reverse Circuit (U2, R13-R14, C6, Touch Sensor)

The reverse circuit sites between the Microcore and the motor driver and redirects
commands from the Microcore to allow the ScoutWalker to backup.

Theory of Operation