--- product_id: 3641648 title: "Robot Builder's Bonanza, 4th Edition" price: "£38.78" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3641648-robot-builders-bonanza-4th-edition store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Robot Builder's Bonanza, 4th Edition **Price:** £38.78 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Robot Builder's Bonanza, 4th Edition - **How much does it cost?** £38.78 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3641648-robot-builders-bonanza-4th-edition) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. The Bestselling Robotics Book--Now with New Projects and Online Tools! "Amazing...should be required reading for any budding robot builder!" -GeekDad, Wired.com Have fun while learning how to design, construct, and use small robots! This richly illustrated guide offers everything you need to know to construct sophisticated, fully autonomous robots that can be programmed from your computer. Fully updated with the latest technologies and techniques, Robot Builder's Bonanza , Fourth Edition includes step-by-step plans that take you from building basic motorized platforms to giving the machine a brain--and teaching it to walk, talk, and obey commands. This robot builder's paradise is packed with more than 100 affordable projects, including 10 completely new robot designs. The projects are modular and can be combined to create a variety of highly intelligent and workable robots of all shapes and sizes. Mix and match the projects to develop your own unique creations. The only limit is your imagination! Robot Builder's Bonanza , Fourth Edition covers: Parts, materials, and tools Building motorized wooden, plastic, and metal platforms Rapid prototyping methods Drafting bots with computer-aided design Constructing high-tech robots from toys Building bots from found parts Power, motors, and locomotion Robots with wheels, tracks, and legs Constructing robotic arms and grippers Robot electronics and circuit making Computers and electronic control Microcontrollers--Arduino, PICAXE, and the BASIC stamp Remote control systems Sensors, navigation, and visual feedback Robot vision via proximity, light, and distance New! FREE online content at: www.robotoid.com My First Robot tutorial lessons Project parts finder Animated, interactive learning tools How-to videos, robot e-plans, bonus articles, links, and more Plus, go to: www.mhprofessional.com/rbb4 for: Downloadable programs RBB app notes Bonus chapters Make Great Stuff! TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists. Review: Amazing technical practitioner book - that is also about robots! - This book is amazing! It's like taking a set of mechanical, electrical, and software "practitioner-level" courses focused on robotics at your local community college, but only costs you what's equivalent to a modest dinner for one person. Gordon McComb's writing style is incredibly easy to read, and is jammed packed with loads of practical knowledge of the above topics. Even if you never intend on building a robot, but want to learn about "things" and "being handy" you will finish this book with dozens of practical technical skills that you never had before. This book is unquestionably one of my best non-fiction book purchases, and gets a prime spot on my bookshelf because I will refer back to it often. Review: A lot of good stuff for someone like me - My experience working through the book (sort of). A lot of good stuff for someone like me, who is new to robots, but not so new to programming. Here's my experience as far as I got, chapter by chapter. 1. I tried but failed with ubuntu. The install went fine but the system just froze all the time. So I just stuck with the debian install that was there, doing the appropriate upgrades. For the most part, I don't think it's worth it to switch. I did create a partitioned SD card, and mounted it on /home (after a mv /home /home1). This was probably unnecessary, since my BBB came with 4GB, which is certainly enough for the stuff in this book. 2. I just stuck to the Python part, which worked fine. 3. I never managed to get a microphone that worked properly (I tried 3 different ones and 2 difference usb-to-audio adapters). I'm planning to solve this with bluetooth. In the meanwhile, the speaker stuff worked fine with one of those cheap keychain models. 4. worked as per book, with a Logitech HD 720p. 5. I did get the Magician Chassis, just for the wheels and motors. It seemed too small to get all the stuff on there, so I went for a couple of 8x10 Lexan sheets. The hard part was making angle brackets with the right hole spacing to accommodate the holes in the motor gearboxes. I used 1.5x1.5 aluminum angle bars cut pretty small. I got the Pololu simple motor controllers. Their software didn't install, in fact some of the dependencies didn't install, but I was able to get the Python program working. The instability he refers to in the book was really due to bugs in the code. I'll post my version later. That's as far as I went in the book. I'm planning add an arm and do some more advanced image processing, so most of the rest of the book is not for me. I do appreciate that he wrote this - it helped me ramp up very quickly. After two weeks (including waiting time for parts!) I have something is untethered and will walk around the room based on my commands as typed from a Mac ssh session into that rcrobot.py, slightly modified. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,237,306 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #380 in Scientific Experiments & Projects #606 in Robotics (Books) #612 in Physics of Mechanics | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 113 Reviews | ## Images ![Robot Builder's Bonanza, 4th Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61YIccLa2pL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing technical practitioner book - that is also about robots! *by J***R on October 8, 2017* This book is amazing! It's like taking a set of mechanical, electrical, and software "practitioner-level" courses focused on robotics at your local community college, but only costs you what's equivalent to a modest dinner for one person. Gordon McComb's writing style is incredibly easy to read, and is jammed packed with loads of practical knowledge of the above topics. Even if you never intend on building a robot, but want to learn about "things" and "being handy" you will finish this book with dozens of practical technical skills that you never had before. This book is unquestionably one of my best non-fiction book purchases, and gets a prime spot on my bookshelf because I will refer back to it often. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A lot of good stuff for someone like me *by R***K on December 17, 2014* My experience working through the book (sort of). A lot of good stuff for someone like me, who is new to robots, but not so new to programming. Here's my experience as far as I got, chapter by chapter. 1. I tried but failed with ubuntu. The install went fine but the system just froze all the time. So I just stuck with the debian install that was there, doing the appropriate upgrades. For the most part, I don't think it's worth it to switch. I did create a partitioned SD card, and mounted it on /home (after a mv /home /home1). This was probably unnecessary, since my BBB came with 4GB, which is certainly enough for the stuff in this book. 2. I just stuck to the Python part, which worked fine. 3. I never managed to get a microphone that worked properly (I tried 3 different ones and 2 difference usb-to-audio adapters). I'm planning to solve this with bluetooth. In the meanwhile, the speaker stuff worked fine with one of those cheap keychain models. 4. worked as per book, with a Logitech HD 720p. 5. I did get the Magician Chassis, just for the wheels and motors. It seemed too small to get all the stuff on there, so I went for a couple of 8x10 Lexan sheets. The hard part was making angle brackets with the right hole spacing to accommodate the holes in the motor gearboxes. I used 1.5x1.5 aluminum angle bars cut pretty small. I got the Pololu simple motor controllers. Their software didn't install, in fact some of the dependencies didn't install, but I was able to get the Python program working. The instability he refers to in the book was really due to bugs in the code. I'll post my version later. That's as far as I went in the book. I'm planning add an arm and do some more advanced image processing, so most of the rest of the book is not for me. I do appreciate that he wrote this - it helped me ramp up very quickly. After two weeks (including waiting time for parts!) I have something is untethered and will walk around the room based on my commands as typed from a Mac ssh session into that rcrobot.py, slightly modified. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good Read and the Instructions Work *by O***H on June 28, 2011* This book accomplishes something rare: It's straight-forward for beginners and yet detail-rich for experts. I really liked the pace and depth. The material is organized in a way that makes it easy to jump to a topic of interest, which makes it a useful reference book. With plenty of new information, it's worth a read from the beginning. The thing that surprised me is that when I built one the projects (the Arduino robot), the instructions were actually complete and correct! (I didn't have to make the usual leaps or go through frustrating trials typical for most hardware/software/builder instructions.) As a bonus, the jokes and personal asides are pretty entertaining. You can tell the author has really lived with his subject. I highly recommend it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3641648-robot-builders-bonanza-4th-edition](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3641648-robot-builders-bonanza-4th-edition) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-24*