Top Deck

See the Platforms page for detailed diagrams and deck specifications.

The top deck has a flat front to act as a pusher. The large hole on the right is for the power switch, and the smaller hole is for all the wires from below. This is Stupid.

Power Switch

The power switch is between the battery and the Brainstem. The connection to the Brainstem is a two pin crimp and hosing, and the attachment to the battery is a Female Standard-Size Tamaya Connector. The ground wires should run through the switch.

Brainstem GP 1.0

Our microcontroller is the Brainstem GP 1.0 from Acroname.

Bottom of the Brainstem

Top Deck

Using the nylon screws, attach the top deck to the risers. Use nylon nuts or washers to space the Brainstem off the upper deck so that the power wires can run underneath.

Finalize Brainstem

Feed all the wires through the wire hole, and attach appropriately.

Brainstem Serial Connector

You can access the Brainstem via a serial port and this connector. While the final bot does not use the connector, it does make troubleshooting easier via the provided Acroname software.

Front Bump Sensor

Another bump sensor is attached to the front of the top deck. Wired the same as before, the wire is bent as shown to form a line parallel to the front of the bot. The screw and the bend at the end prevent it from snagging. The front bump sensor is attached the same way as the bump sensor in the gripper well with metal tension pins.

Front Bump Sensor

The Brainstem only has five digital ins; so the front bump sensor can plug into either an analog in on the Brainstem or a digital in on the CMUCam.

CMUCam Assembly

The CMUCam attaches to a micro-servo to handle up and down motion. We constructed an aluminum L-shaped bracket to attach the camera to a standard servo horn. See the CMUCam Modification section for more details.

CMUCam Assembly

Another view of the CMUCam assembly.

Attach the CMUCam

The micro-servo holding the CMUCam is attached using 3M Dual Lock. This is strong stuff so not much is needed. However it has some play, so you might augment this by drilling small holes in the top platform on both sides of the servo and wire-tying the servo to the platform through holes. Alternatively (as we've done later, you could bolster the servo on both sides with Gusseted plastic angle brackets (the same ones used to attach the servos to the bottom platform) attached to the servo via dual-lock. That's what we've done in our final version (not shown).

The camera is pointing straight ahead, and is recessed far enough that the bot can run into a wall without hitting the camera. Also, the lens is approximately in the center of the bot. The camera is powered via the Servo Power from the Brainstem. Why does the camera have bizarre orange and purple wires for power and ground? We have no idea.