The Build (Robot)

To build the frame of the robot I used hobby plates and brackets that I got from Lowe's. Figure 0 shows three of the style parts used to build the frame. There were various designs that I came up with but the best one is the one that can be seen in Figure 1.

Figure 0; Parts used for frame

• 1 3x3 plate
• 2 8x8 plate
• 4 1x6 brace
• 1 L-bracket
• 4 half inch spacers
• standard hardware

Figure 1: Final Frame Design

With this design the robot is very easy to break down. The two platforms that hold the BeagleBone Black and the Anker battery are free floating. When I remove the battery I can easily remove the wheels and servos. I did this so I could do a quick field dis-assembly in case I needed the servos for another project.


The platform that holds the BeagleBone Black is a perfect size for holding a mini-breadboard. I will need the breadboard to add components such as resistors and buttons. It also will make connecting the servos and the IR distance sensor a lot easier. See Figure 2.

Figure 2: Mini-Breadboard

To mount the micro-servo on the front of the robot I used a hot glue gun. I also used hot glue to hold the BeagleBone Black case. With everything solid I was then able to wire the various components.

For the IR distance sensor I had to make a voltage divider circuit because the analog pins on the BBB can only handle up to 1.8 V. To make sure I was not going to brick my BBB I connected the IR sensor to a multimeter to check the voltage divider circuit in Figure 3. The voltage divider never went over 1.6 V on the multimeter so it should work.

Figure 3; Voltage divider

With everything ready I wired up the servos, IR sensor, and two push buttons. It looks like a mess but everything connected to the BBB can be seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figure 4; Everything wired and mounted

Figure 5; Wired Breadboard