Introduction

At 6ix-Pac Robotics, our goal is to dominate the real-life PacMan competition at Harvard annually, facing off against top North American universities. Custom PCBs are crucial for our competitive edge, enhancing electronics efficiency and cleanliness. With a second-place rank at the UIUC mid-season PacBot competition, we prove our podium potential. 

Our current goal is to build a Custom PCB for our Harvard competition in April 2024. We have a very promising designs that allow us to extract the maximum potential from the sensors and navigate the maze efficiently.

Robot description:

The PCB serves to interface 8 TOF sensors with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module. Utilizing a multiplexer enables the segregation of values obtained from the TOF sensors. Each TOF sensor connects via 4 breakaway header pins (for SDA, SCL, 5V, and GND). Powering the PCB involves a 3S LiPO battery, with voltage reduction facilitated by a buck transformer, stepping down from 11.1V to 5V for operational efficiency.

With the implementation of mecanum wheels, our robot achieves omnidirectional movement across all four directions. However, rotational motion, such as clockwise and counterclockwise maneuvers, is constrained due to wheel design. To realign the robot, we employ single-wheel adjustments to recenter its orientation. Equipped with 8 TOF sensors, each side features 2 TOF sensors. By analyzing TOF sensor measurements corresponding to the same direction, we determine if the robot is tilted within the grid box. Relying on the game engine to determine our current grid box, our robot employs recursive algorithmic calls for subsequent movements.

Here is a video from our mid-season competition where we used a per board instead of a custom PCB