Micromouse 296
Final Presentation
Fall 2008
Group: Rabbitwagon
The Team
 Richard Ordonez- Project Leader
 Bob Barfield- Software Manager
 Lance Lavarias- Mechanical Architect
 Micheal Pascual- Hardware
Overview
To create, a small autonomous robotic mouse that will:
1.Navigate it’s way safely to a central point of a maze
2.Map the maze
3.Find the shortest route from the start point to central point of the
maze.
Contest rules must be followed
UH Micromouse Maze
Initial Goals

Build a light and fast mouse

Implement top-down sensor technology

Build an Intelligent mouse
1. Wall hugger
2. Follow flood fill algorithm
3. Map and solve maze

FINISH
Design
 Chassis
 Stepper Motors
 Top-down sensors
 Wall hugger with
good tracking
Block Diagram of system
Chassis Design
A good chassis design should have the the following features:
1.Made of robust material
2.Narrow enough to fit in a cell with plenty room for correction
on either side.
3.Able to rotate 180 degree turns without hitting walls
4.Shouldn’t have problems riding over cracks
Previous Semester Designs
First Chassis Design
Fossil Watch Box
Too big for 18x18 cm cell
Flimsy Aluminum
Second Chassis Design
Robust and light-weight
Aluminum chassis
Narrow-fit to
easily maneuver
in any cell
Sled-shaped bottom to go over bumps
Final Chassis
Too Long
Cut down sled
For better fit in
Cells.
Chassis Components
1) Jameco Stepper Motors
2) Aluminum Wheels
3) 8 Metal Hydride
Batteries
Chassis Components layout
Circuit Design
Tower-like design
 Bottom level:
1. Top-down sensors
2. Voltage regulator
 Second Level:
1. Mosfets
2. Rabbit
3. Power
First Level
Graphical Representation of Sensor Design
Ideal Sensor layout
Actual graphical Sensor layout with two
Protoboards
Alignment Strategy
•Sensors lay out is clock face
•Crossed sensors give best alignment
Actual Sensor Layout
Bottom view
Top View
Major Sensor Problem
All sensor connected
12 volts. (Red wires)
DUMB!
Reconnected to 5 volts
(Yellow wires)
SMART!
Second Level
1. Rabbit Microcontroller
2
2. Power/Ground
4
3. Switch
4. Mosfets
3
1
Programming
RabbitWagon Program Overview
•Series of states
•Used CoState functions in Dynamic C
Strategy
•Wander as right wall hugger while mapping
•Flood fill to solve
•Speed up stepper motors for timed run
Summary Of Problems
 Chassis
1. Body too big
2. Sled too long (not able to rotate)
 Sensors
1. Burned out sensors due to too much voltage
2. Sensor board too close together
3. Too high
 Motor Circuit
1. Step sequence
 Rabbit microcontroller
1. Programming
2. DEAD Ports
 Code/Programming
1. Co-states
Completed Goals
 Completed Hardware
 Got mouse to move
 Rabbit read sensors
 Tracking
Improvements
 More compact with fewer wires
 Stability
 Side sensors
 Tracking
 Possibly use a pic
microcontroller
Lessons Learned
•More scheduled meetings
•More design time
•More coders
•Put everything possible in a socket
•Use patch panel between controller and rest of
mouse
•Simulate mouse with breadboard/LEDs while
developing software
Gant Chart
ANY QUESTIONS?