Build a Real Robot - Episode 14 - Sensor Bus

I’m wiring up a bus to connect the sensors and the setup includes a new circuit board. I’ll show you how it’s all getting hooked together. We’ll also discuss connectors for robot wiring.

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Last time we go together we discussed some of the issues and concerns regarding the running of long I2C connections around the robot. I had said that I had decided to use chips to buffer the I2C lines, and I also showed you the shielded cable and aviation connectors I planned to use.

Well, I’ve gone forward with that and have started wiring up the Sensor Bus, which I have divided into four sections:

Front
Rear
Tower 1
Tower 2

I’ll show you how the bus will be hooked up using some new circuit boards - a master wiring hub and four nodes.

I’m laying out the parts for the master hub right now so we can take a look at the layout I have come up with.

I also want to discuss the best types of connectors to use in the robot design, while Dupont connectors are the easiest and cheapest to use I’m concerned about them coming loose due to vibrations. I have some other ideas to run past you.

And I just had to show off my new 4GB Raspberry Pi 4, which will be replacing the Raspberry Pi 3B that I currently have on the base!

BTW, I’m going to start a thread for this episode (and all future ones) on the DroneBot Workshop Forum, so we can discuss everything I cover here. If you aren’t on the forum yet you’re missing out on a lot of robot activity! Fix that problem right now by signing up at https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com.

Hope you enjoy the video!