Workshops planned

    • Building your PIC board and getting it working with your laptop - "hello world"
    • Driving motors & reading sensors
    • more....

Technical resources provided

    • Participants will be provided with machine shop training and have access to the shop
    • Participants will have access to the Ford B100 mechatronics design lab
    • Workshops will teach how to program PICs and how to run motors and so on
    • Each team will be provided with
      • a PIC microcontroller,  USB interface device, and compiler for it
      • four small gearmotors and wheels, and 2 h-bridges for driving them
      • selected optical sensors
      • voltmeter and other prototyping supplies
    • Construction stipends.  In addition to the materials supplied after milestone 1, or available in the Mechatronics lab, each team that qualifies at the end of Winter quarter will be reimbursed up to $100 for robot parts. Save your receipts.  Reimbursements will be done after competition day.

These will be links to resource pages:

Details of track construction; parts list and sources

Workshop schedule

Shop training schedule & signup

What's in and what to do with the quickstart kit

How to assemble your PIC board; circuit diagram and PCB layout for it

PIC programming resources (general and DC-specific on NU mechatronics wiki)

Electronic design resources (general and DC-specific on NU mechatronics wiki)

Recommended electronic & electromechanical parts

PFD: Peshkin's favorite datasheets

DC2008 e-group discussion archive