These are very common questions that we have encounter through email, comments in other platforms and our Facebook group community. We put all of them together in one place, so new Otto Builders can have an "intro" of common doubts people have
What is Otto DIY?
Otto is your own affordable personal robot that you have to build, program and design. Since is DIY (Do It yourself) you are own your own in terms of what path you want to take, do you want buy one of our kits and just quickly build a robot or outsource parts by your own and 3d print the parts in your machine?
It is up to you really, in this way beginners but also advanced makers have options of were to start.
Is Otto DIY open source what does it mean?
Yes! We provide all open source materials on Github (for code, libraries, software, App and hardware) and Printables (for 3D print .stl files) for free, you can find new remix mods re-designs to coding functions that other community members have made!
✖ | Sharing without ATTRIBUTION
✔ | Remix Culture allowed
✔ | Commercial Use
✔ | Free Cultural Works
✔ | Meets Open Definition
Basically make sure to include ottodiy.com in the credits of the new robot or thing you do and also share it to others in the community openly so that the project can keep growing.
What’s the difference between "maker kit" and "builder kit"?
Maker kit comes with all the electronic components without the toy shell allowing anyone with a 3D printer to make their own Otto design in any color or even material. You can also use our open source designs made by our community of builders that use the same more or less parts.
Builder kit like you see in the video above it comes with the "plastic shell" parts alerady including all the electronic components of the maker it. This is popular for people who don’t have a 3D printer at home. This is all you need to get started, just the kit and your computer to begin programming it.
I have never coded before. Is Otto right for me?
Of course it is! Otto is compatible with Blockly and Arduino. Both utilizes block based coding which is for ages 7 +.
Just simply download Blockly or Arduino on your computer. Simple instructions to integrate Blockly with Otto in our Youtube channel
What languages is Otto compatible with?
Otto DIY is mainly compatible with C++ / C# . We recommend using Arduino IDE to create and upload your code. The new HP Otto is compatible with Micropython too!
How teach STEM with Otto?
Comes down to how many students you have. We recommend having each student with their own Otto to be more interactive as individuals. We also recommend using our curriculum plan to help fill your lesson plans.
What Otto should I build first?
The most common Otto robot people start with is the
But there is a catch is not the easiest to build! after years of iterations we created
Otto DIY Wheels robot which uses less motors and does not require alignment nor calibrate the motors but is still DIY so the best starting point for beginners is actually HP Robots | Otto starter builder kit.
From there you can have fun and challenge yourself to build others or even create a new one! The main official ones suggested are:
Otto Ninja Starter robot uses a different board or you can try different remix
How to install the Arduino libraries for Otto?
If you use our visual programming blocks software Otto Blockly you do not need to do this. If you wanna use Arduino IDE software for learning advanced coding then there are multiple ways to add libraries to your Arduino IDE, after the software is installed the most easy for me, is to just Download all the libraries from the files tab and the unzip them to C:\user\Documents\Arduino\libraries (or wherever your libraries folder was installed)
You can also use the .zip installation through menu or even automatic updates online (i wish i knew how to do this for Otto) but we never did it this way, is a very general topic that all new Arduino users face.
More details here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries
We know there are many Otto Remix out there that created a challenge that we will be always working. To make them all compatible it does not seems possible with the current limitations fo the Arduino Nano flash memory, we tried... but that will requiere lots of libraries that would not fit into one micro-controller like the Atmega 328p, Then the solution was too separate them into different pages, projects, remixes etc.
To avoid complicated installations just use our Otto Blockly! that does not need any further setup.
Error when upload a code, what is this?
The microcontroller most Otto have is and Arduino Nano which has limited memory is only 32KB of flash some codes specially the APP one for Otto DIY+ and Humanoid will show you an alert, you do not need to worry, if is just an alert saying that the memory is ALMOST full 90% so just play with the APP.
Another common error is the "avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding" well is because you have the Bluetooth module connected while uploading a code, if is that the case you can´t because the module is occupying the communication ports.
Why my Otto does not walk straight?
We have a blog post for this question that comes in different forms, even do the terms should be treated independently, First there is no such a super perfect never error straight walk even for million dollar biped robots, but we can get close to that only with low cost Otto by centering properly the motors; that is done in a mechanical way and MUST be done while building Otto, calibration instead is made electronically with code and is mostly optional, to achieve very precise movements. Please read this post that we have created to cover it all:
Part 1: How to calibrate your own robot?
Where to find list of parts (BOM)?
Now in Printables.com we have decide to put all together since is were most people land to replicate our robots, there you will find everything you need in detail.
We know Otto is spread out in the entire web with old oudated versions still around; it does helps to promote the project in multiple sites but it creates lots of condfusion, don't bother yourself to collect info here and there, to avoid issues follow always the official documentation.
If you do not find something or you have problems, just post a comment directly on the robot you are trying to make.
What battery can I use to power Otto?
There are at least many ways to power your Otto, read more about it in this blog post:
It is a very detail analysis of how to power your Otto so just pick the one you prefer. Our official original kits always include the battery so you do not have to worry about it.
That is all for now we are keeping updated this post.
Do you think there is something missing? or we might need to expand to more questions? Please comment bellow.
