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hmartiro / project-thesis

xJüs, the hexapodal robot with a passive-backbone to improve behavior over harsh terrain.
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Install custom circuitboard and finalize wiring #90

Closed hmartiro closed 11 years ago

hmartiro commented 11 years ago

We need to have the new fusebox, circuitboard, and computer power installed asap, ideally monday. I'd like to be able to test wireless operation a good amount before the Wednesday meeting w/ Holmes and Koditschek. The hot swap can wait if needed.

PayneTrain commented 11 years ago

I will do the fusebox (According to UPS, the new fuses arrived Friday night so this should be fine), ground terminal and clean up the wiring on Sunday night when I return from VT. While the computer power cannot be permanently installed until the circuit board comes in (Company says it will be here Tue/Wed), the 22V to 12VDC regulator is here and I will solder it to a PCB board so that we can still run the computer off of it w/o the circuit board.

The fit-pc doesn't have a (+) and (-) terminal right, just a 12V barrel plug? I need to track down a barrel plug that then has two leads on it that I would then attach to a plug (just like the white ones I used for the CAN network). Worst case, I could cut apart the Beagle Boards 5V power and use that barrel plug and strip the leads.

PayneTrain commented 11 years ago

Check that both impedance ends are at 120 ohm

hmartiro commented 11 years ago

Also we will probably need a separate switch for the computer and motors, idk if we have that currently. There will be lots of times where we want the computer on but the motors off.

The plug for the PC is really small, seems unique. Maybe just cutting it's power cord at a few inches in length and making a connector there, which can either plug into the rest of the power cable or into the battery circuit?

On Sun, Mar 31, 2013 at 12:10 PM, PayneTrain notifications@github.comwrote:

Check that both impedance ends are at 120 ohm

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/hmartiro/project-thesis/issues/90#issuecomment-15693409 .

hmartiro commented 11 years ago

this is kind of useful about heatsinks and regulators

http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,14966.0.html

PayneTrain commented 11 years ago

Everything is complete now. I tested running full system for ~20 minutes, no issues with overheating etc. If you do get one of those "No device connection errors" I think it is because a plug on the CAN network has come loose so just check using the continuity function on the ammeter to see which wire (blue, white, etc) is not connected.

The switch controls only the power for the motors. The computer must be turned on and off via plugging it into the circuit board.

The battery will need to be charged in the AM before you do all your testing, the battery alarm is strapped to the side of the battery case. The second battery should be here this week.

I also ordered a different kind of regulator that will be more efficient but more noisy so we'll see how that works this week as well