beam

Ok it looks a mess but it dose Work .... So why am i posting this .... couple of reasons ... first off its my first proper working circuit and i have a few questions about it.

As i have  very little to work with im delighted to get this to work (hopefully that will be changing shortly .... just have to get paypal sorted with my bank and ready to order a few bits and pieces.)

i a ma a complete beginner and i am reading a book about beam bots (mostly) and i had an idea for a beam bot which probably wont work and i might not build but i decided to try and draw a schematic anyway. the idea is it goes towards light and when there is lot of light it starts to charge a very large capacitor before going back to following light. when it detects vibration(can you get vibration sensors?) it uses the power from the large capacitor  to run until there is a lot less light ( ie it is under something) and stay until the vibration has gone.

Using an Arduino, I guess I would modulate (PWM) the laser module and have the photocell light sensor pick up the frequency. Would this work?

This is a forum where you can comment about BEAM robotics!

I bought a solar cell from Solarbotics.com that has a standard Miller engine etched onto it ( http://solarbotics.com/products/scc2433b-mse/ ), then I got my hands on some transistors and capacitors to use. I soldered everything up onto the board, hooked up my power capacitor and a motor. I have my multimeter connected to the leads of the power capacitor and I can watch the voltage climb up to 2.6V and then stop.

So I've decided to build my first robot which not the LMR "start here" one (that one is going to be my second one) and im using this circuit- http://costaricabeam.solarbotics.net/Circuits/Vores/555%20Photovore.png . I've tried about 10 different designs for the body but its just not working. When i cover the left photocell with my hand and the other one is exposed to light the speed of the motors is the same and same with the right photocell. has anyone tried the circuit? did it work?