Last week I began researching the different types of motors available. I was recommended to look into stepper motors. Stepper motors use magnets to ‘step’ through a rotation at some number of degrees. Therefore, it seems, stepper motors can be positioned well, but if you needed very accurate position, you could have problems. (The step degree could be more than the degree of rotation needed).
The other types of devices we could use to drive the wheels are DC motors and servos. I have no researched these as well, but I have learned that servos are mostly used for movement though only 180°, but are modified to go through 360°.
The small motor which came with the Sparkfun Arduino had very fine wire attached to it, rather than the sturdier wire of the other components. While trying to complete the motor circuit, the red wire snapped off. In my first attempt at using a soldering iron, it was decided it would be best to solder better wire to the motor rather than use the old wire. Once the motor was fixed, I began coding for it using Plumbing, and it works!
The rules for the fire fighting challenge should be posted by Monday. Once we know the exact rules, selecting our components may be easier.