Here's our collection of parts, let's build it!
Feather to Crickit
First, solder the male header pins onto the Feather as shown here, then connect it to the Crickit.
Standoffs
We'll use four brass standoffs and seven of the provided M3 screws to connect the Crickit to the chassis.
First, fasten one brass standoff to the indicated mounting hole next to the Crickit's reset button. This one won't go through a chassis hole, it will just provide support.
Fasten the remaining three standoffs to the chassis as shown, screwing them in from the bottom. You can leave them a little bit loose for now to get the proper spacing when we connect the Crickit on top, then tighten them.
Roller Bearing
The roller bearing will allow the rover to turn without the need for a complicated differential or steering mechanism.
You will need to remove the bearing from the housing to get to the screw heads.
Screw it into place as shown, using the nuts to secure from the underside.
Motor Wiring
The standard, yellow TT motors come pre-wired, but if you use the blue metal or bi-metal motors for lower speed/higher torque, you'll need to solder on your own wires as shown here.
You don't need to worry too much about which wire is connected to which tab, as everything can be adjusted in software. These motors can be driven in either direction by telling the Crickit motor drivers to flip the polarity in software.
NeoPixel Prep
While you've got the soldering iron out, you'll also want to connect three wires to the NeoPixel ring's DATA IN, PWR, and GND pads.
Motor Mounts
It's very easy to mount the motors, as the chassis is designed for their exact dimensions!
Place each motor into its spot and secure with one or two of the long screws and nuts.
Connect Motor Wires to Crickit
Now, push the motor wires through an opening in the chassis so they can be connected to the Crickit.
The pair of wires from one motor will go into the two positions marked '1' and the pair of wires from the other motor will go into the the two positions marked '2'.
Push each wire into place and then screw down the terminal securely.
Underbody Lighting Effects
Next we'll connect the NeoPixel ring under the chassis for sweet lighting effects, especially at night, in the rain, on the wet asphalt at an illegal street race!
Push the three NeoPixel wires from the bottom through a hole in the chassis so they emerge up top near the Crickit NeoPixel port.
Use four zip ties to connect the ring to the chassis as shown.
Screw the DATA IN, PWR, and GND wires into their respective ports on the Crickit NeoPixel terminal block.
First, connect the battery pack's jumper wires to the plug adapter. Red to +, Black to -
Feed a zip tie through the two screw holes on the back of the chassis as shown, from out to in and back out.
If your zip tie is too short to make it all the way around the battery pack, extend its length with a second zip tie as shown.
Form a loose ring with the zip ties, then repeat these steps for the second position.
Place four NiMH batteries (not Alkaline, they have too high a voltage and won't work with the Crickit!) into the holder, then slide the plug through one side and secure the pack in place.
Now, tighten the zip ties, but not too tight. You want to still be able to remove the pack to change batteries.
Plug in the power plug into the Crickit's power jack and now we're ready to program it!
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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