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Circuitmess Wheelson Build Manual

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Wheelson build guide
Introduction
The beginning
Welcome to CircuitMess Wheelson build
guide!
By following this build guide, you'll learn how to assemble your very own AI self-
driving car. Autonomous cars are the future and we'll show you how they work. With
Wheelson you'll learn about microcomputers, autonomous driving, computer
vision, and much more. 
Check out the anatomy guide before you start to learn
more about the components you're about to
assemble.
Wheelson's anatomy guide is a great addition to this guide that will explain all the
components on Wheelson's main board in more depth.
You can check it out here!

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Summary of Contents for Circuitmess Wheelson

  • Page 1 Check out the anatomy guide before you start to learn more about the components you're about to assemble. Wheelson's anatomy guide is a great addition to this guide that will explain all the components on Wheelson's main board in more depth. You can check it out here!

  • Page 2: Assembly Time

    Age group Like it says on the box, Wheelson is designed for anyone who's at least 11 years old.  Some of the assembly steps should be approached carefully, so make sure to have an adult jump in if you need some help with soldering or tightening the bolts later in the process.

  • Page 3: What's In The Box

    So hold on tight, read all the instructions, and get ready to have fun! This is a great opportunity and your first step in your big engineering career. Learning with Wheelson As previously mentioned, Wheelson will teach you a few useful things along the way. Here's what you will learn:...
  • Page 4 Open your Wheelson box and check if you have all the components. Make sure to lay it all on a clean surface where you can inspect if everything is there according to the photo and the list below. In case something is missing, please contact us at contact@circuitmess.com.
  • Page 5 soon as possible to resolve the issue! Here's the list of components:  1. Main circuit board – connects everything together, has a dual-core processor with Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, and a battery charging circuit 2. Camera and headlights board 3. Display board – 128*160 TFT color display 4.
  • Page 6 1. Male pin header 2. Black nylon spacers (x2) 3. Switch button 4. White LEDs (x2) 5. JST connector (x6) 6. Small black pushbuttons (x7) 7. Small black button caps (x7) 8. Brass spacers (x3) 9. Resistors (x2)

  • Page 7: Mandatory Tools

    If you have your CircuitMess Tools pack in front of you, you should be all set. In case you got the Wheelson kit without the Tools pack, this is a good time to borrow some of the tools or purchase them.

  • Page 8: Soldering Iron

    1. Soldering iron 2. Desoldering vacuum tool (solder sucker) 3. Soldering iron stand 4. A small reel of rosin-cored solder 5. Cleaning sponge 6. Phillips screwdriver 7. Diagonal cutter pliers 8. Needle-nose pliers Soldering iron A soldering iron is the most important tool in a maker’s arsenal. For Wheelsons assembly, any entry-level soldering iron will suffice.
  • Page 9 The soldering iron from the Tools pack Soldering sponge This small piece doesn't seem like much until you soak it in some water. It then  turns into a super solder-cleaning sponge! Use it after soldering a couple of joints to remove the excess solder from the tip of your iron. Make sure that the sponge isn't dripping wet or bone dry - it should be damp.

  • Page 10: Needle-Nose Pliers

    Needle-nose pliers You’re going to need pliers like these when assembling the casing, or when plugging in some tricky connectors! Diagonal cutter pliers They’re generally useful when doing some fine mechanical work.
  • Page 11 Needle-nose pliers Standard cross screwdriver You’ll need this cross (Phillips) screwdriver to assemble the casing together. A standard 2.0mm cross screwdriver should do the trick. Standard cross screwdriver Desoldering vacuum tool (solder sucker) This tool is useful when cleaning up soldering mistakes, but it isn’t necessary for assembly.
  • Page 12 Desoldering vacuum tool Additional useful tools Helping third hand with magnifier This could make your soldering experience a little more enjoyable, especially when doing some more complicated projects.
  • Page 13 Multimeter A multimeter can be used for many things: testing tricky connections, measuring battery voltage, testing resistors & capacitors, measuring the current consumption, and more. Helping hand with a lot of additional tools It’s a useful tool when you’re trying to figure out what went wrong with any electronics kit.
  • Page 14 Useful for fixing solder joints when they cannot be easily reached with a solder sucker. Solder wick Assembly Soldering introduction The first thing that you'll do as a part of the Wheelson assembly process is soldering!
  • Page 15 Have you ever done that before? If your answer is no, we suggest you look at the following few links where you'll find useful tutorials and blogs about soldering. It will only take you 10 minutes to get into the zone and understand how it's done. Here are the links: Adafruit’s video tutorial featuring Collin Cunningham –...
  • Page 16 Using the soldering iron The soldering iron is very easy to use but only when used properly. If you have purchased the CircuitMess tools pack with your Wheelson kit, you have a white soldering iron with a temperature regulator. Remember the rules mentioned previously? Good! Let's go over the instructions on how to use the soldering iron now...
  • Page 17 Soldering iron instructions Step 1 Set up your soldering iron so it stands on the stand - as shown in the photo. After that, plug it into a power outlet.
  • Page 18 Step 2 Set the temperature to 350° by turning the regulator. There is a small black arrow next to the regulator wheel, so make sure that it points to the right temperature, like in the photo. Your soldering iron is now ready to use, but give it a minute or two, so it can heat up.

  • Page 19: Chapter One - Soldering The Components

    Chapter One - Soldering the components Now you know how to solder, let's put it to the test. Ready? Part one - Soldering the components Let's begin! Here are the parts necessary for this step - the main board with the connected Li-Po battery.
  • Page 20 The first thing you have to do is unplug the Li-Po battery from the board. You do that by pulling on the white plastic connector at the end of the RED and BLACK cable until the battery disconnects. Make sure you don't pull on the wire itself but rather the white connector.
  • Page 21 Unplug the battery from the board  Do not skip this step, you must unplug the battery before beginning the soldering process.  You'll see that the main board has a cable with a camera on the end of it. This cable is very delicate so please be careful when you are soldering and handling the board to not damage it! Be gentle with this cable!
  • Page 22 Flip over the board, while being careful not to make sudden movements with the camera cable hanging from the board, and position the 5 JST connectors on the board like so Insert the JST connectors all the way in...
  • Page 23  Next, turn over the board - making sure none of the connectors falls out - and check the pins. You'll see where the connectors' pins are sticking out of the board next to the CircuitMess Wheelson logo. There are ten soldering connections in total you have to make here. ...
  • Page 24 Turn over the board and get ready to solder the first pin It's time to solder the first pin! First, carefully place the soldering iron on the first pin so that it’s touching both the pin and the little plated area around the hole that the pin is going through. Leave it like that for about 5 to 10 seconds, so it heats up, and then apply the tip of the solder to pin/pad.
  • Page 25 Make the first connection Repeat this process nine more times until all ten pins are soldered to the board. This is how your soldering connections should look...
  • Page 26 Part two - Soldering the switch button In this step, you'll solder the switch button to the board. This button will be used to turn Wheelson on or off. Here are the components you'll need:  Main circuit board Switch button...
  • Page 27 Circuit board and the switch button A quick side note: you can get one of the two versions of the switch button. One version has the switch on the top, and the other has the switch on its side. Regardless of which version of the switch button you get, they will both work completely fine. ...
  • Page 28 Now we need to find its place on the board. First, find the CircuitMess Wheelson logo on the board. On the left of the logo, right near the bottom of the board, there should be five holes. This is where you should...
  • Page 29 Push the switch button into the holes on the board This is how the switch button should look after it's inserted...
  • Page 30 After inserting the switch it's time to connect it to the board. Get ready to make some more soldering connections! Turn the board over and start by soldering the first pin. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the pins.  Soldering the switch button to the board Check if all five pins have been soldered to the board correctly. ...
  • Page 31 This is what the soldering connections should look like Awesome! Another component is now soldered to the board. Pretty cool, right? Part three - Soldering the buttons Let's move on to soldering the buttons to the board. Here are the components you'll need for this step: The main board ...
  • Page 32 The circuit board and six pushbuttons It's time to find where the pushbuttons go. Let's use the CircuitMess Wheelson logo as an orientation point once again. You'll see six white circles on the right side of the logo - this is where the pushbuttons go. ...
  • Page 33 Insert the pushbuttons Insert all six pushbuttons...
  • Page 34 Let's do some more soldering! Turn the board over and solder the pushbuttons to the board.  There are quite a few soldering connections to be made here so take your time. Make sure that all the buttons sit flat, you may have to press the buttons a couple of times to make sure they are fitted securely in place.
  • Page 35 Pushbuttons soldered to the board  Part three - Putting on the button caps The pushbuttons are rather small and aren't the most comfortable thing to press. So, we included some more comfortable button caps that will solve this issue. It's time to add them on.
  • Page 36 The main board and six button caps   Just like in the photo below, place the button caps on the pushbutton and push until they  click  into place.  ...
  • Page 37 Push the button cap until it clicks into place Repeat this process for the remaining five buttons/caps. This is how your board should look with all the button caps on: You're doing great! Ready for the next step? Step five - Soldering the screen Soldering the screen is a pretty big step, so you should treat it with care. ...
  • Page 38 Insert the pins into the board with the screen.  Be careful in how you insert the header pins since the top and bottom parts are slightly different. The part you want to insert into the screen is the shorter side (in the picture above, it will be the top part of the header pins). ...
  • Page 39 1) Solder just the first pin of one row of headers Solder the first pin 2) When the first pin is soldered, check if the header pin is perpendicular to the board...
  • Page 40 3) If the header is slightly skewed and needs adjusting, melt the solder and tilt the headers with your fingers. (Watch out not to burn yourself! When you are doing this, make sure you do not touch the pin that you soldered/are heating up as this will be hot!) When you're confident that the pin header is perpendicular, continue soldering all the remaining pins, just like in the photo below.
  • Page 41 All the pins are soldered You have now successfully soldered the header pins that will connect the screen with the main board. Great job! We'll move on now to connecting the screen to the main board. Here's what you need for this step: The main board The display board Three brass spacers...
  • Page 42 The components you need Take the display board (screen) and turn it so that the display is facing you. Start by inserting medium metal bolts into the top left hole of the display board.  Take one golden brass spacer and place it on the opposite side of the display board and screw the bolt in at the same time so that the spacer and bolt are secured tightly! You can do this with your hand but don't be afraid to ask for help from an adult to make sure the bolt is tightened correctly.
  • Page 43 Twist on the brass spacer onto the end of the metal bolt We don't want the screen to move or slide so let's double-check that the bolt is tightened to the brass spacer! Using a small Phillips screwdriver, twist the metal bolt until it is securely connected to the display board...
  • Page 44 Tighten the bolt Repeat the same steps on the bottom left and right corners. secure one big metal bolt and one golden spacer per corner, making sure they are secured tight enough. When looking at the display board from the back, the upper left corner should remain empty. ...
  • Page 45 Let's tighten and secure the screen to the board. Turn the main board upside down while holding the screen so it doesn't fall out. Take one metal nut and place it on the bottom of the bolt poking through. Tighten it with your fingers, so it holds the screen in place.
  • Page 46 Tighten the nut so that it holds the screen in place Repeat until all three bolts are tightened...
  • Page 47 Alright, everyone, it's time to solder the screen to the board! Making sure the board is upside down, find the pins that will connect the screen. They're located between the two bottom spacers that you were just tightening in the previous step. Solder the pins to connect the screen Solder all 8 pins in place until they look like this:...
  • Page 48 All the pins soldered Step six - Soldering the electromotors How are you holding up? If you need it, feel free to take a little break - you deserve When you're ready, let's move on to connecting the electromotors to the board. Here are the components you'll need for this: Four electromotors Four JST cables...
  • Page 49 Pick up one of the electromotors. Here you'll see that each motor has two small metal pieces with a hole on the bottom. We need to put some solder in the hole to fill it in. Use your soldering iron and some solder, melt a generous amount of solder into the hole.
  • Page 50 Put a generous amout of solder into the hole Holes filled with solder Let's connect the JST cables to the electromotors now. You'll notice that one cable is coloured red (positive) and the other black (negative). This is so that you know which cable goes onto which side.
  • Page 51 You'll solder these wires into the holes you just filled with solder. Using your soldering iron, melt the solder and simply stick the tip of the wire in.
  • Page 52 Connect the red wire to the left side of the electromotor and the black to the right side. Repeat this step for the remaining three motors.  Step seven - Soldering the camera and headlights board Awesome work so far! It's time to solder components to the camera and headlights board.
  • Page 53 First, turn the board upside down and fit the JST connector into the two holes on the back. Again, look for the part of the connector that has holes in it, and make sure to turn it so that it's facing away from the angled part of the top of the board. Use the below photo as a reference: ...
  • Page 54 Turn the board back around - making sure the connector doesn't fall out - and solder the two pins to the board.  Pins soldered to the board...
  • Page 55 Now, pick up one of the resistors and bend it to fit into the two holes on the front of the board. There's a quick way of doing this: 1. Pinch the resistors with your thumb and index finger. 2. Using your other hand, bend the two pins down in the same direction.  3.
  • Page 56 Fit the resistor to the board Repeat the same process for the second resistor. Both resistors inserted through the board...
  • Page 57 Okay, let's solder the resistors to the board now! Here's a pro tip for you: bend the resistors' pins outwards, as shown below, so that they don't fall out or move around when you're soldering. Bend the resistors' pins outwards Solder both resistors to the board. ...
  • Page 58 Once the resistors have been soldered to the board, it's time to cut off the excess pins. Grab your diagonal cutters and cut off the excess.  Turn the board around so that the wires are facing away from your face and eyes. ...
  • Page 59 Turn the board away from your face and eyes and cut off the excess. We'll now connect the two white LEDs to the board. First, take one of the white LEDs. It's important to note how you insert the LED into the board. So take some time to inspect the LED first!.
  • Page 60 White LED Now take a look at your board. You'll see that the circle illustration on the board has followed this same principle. One side of the circle is round while the other has a straight edge. This should give you an idea on how to correctly place your LED. The straight edge of the LED should line up with the straight edge drawn on the board.
  • Page 61 Insert the LEDs You can use the same trick from before and bend the LED's pins so that it doesn't fall out while you're placing the second LED in. Alright, everyone, this is the last time you're going to use your soldering iron in this project.
  • Page 62 Once the LEDs are soldered, cut away the excess wires with diagonal cutters. Be careful to cut away from your face and eyes.  You have now successfully soldered the LEDs to the circuit board. ...

  • Page 63: Chapter Two - Putting It Together

    LEDs soldered to the board Remember We hope you had a great time soldering the components. Sadly, you'll have to turn off your soldering iron now! But there are fun steps ahead, and we're not  quite done yet! Please turn off your soldering iron by unplugging it from the power outlet.
  • Page 64 Each acrylic casing has a protective layer on both sides that needs to be peeled off; even the black casings have a protective layer on them. The transparent acrylic casing is not transparent yet but it will be once you peel off the blue protective layer.
  • Page 65 Peel off the protective layer from both sides of all the casing panels. Remember  Peel off the protective layer on both sides of the acrylic casing. Even the black casings have a protective layer on them! ...
  • Page 66 This is how your casings should look like after removing the protective layer. Step one - Attaching the electromotors Let's start by attaching the first two electromotors to Wheelson's casing. Here are the components you'll need for this: Two electromotors...
  • Page 67 You'll notice that the black acrylic casing has holes all over it. Look for the two biggest circular holes on each end of the casing. Then, grab one of your electromotors. Take a closer look at the electromotor and you'll see that one side of it has a yellow bulge on it.
  • Page 68 Align the electromotor with the casing. While holding the electromotor in place, grab one of the big metal bolts. There are two holes on the bottom of the electromotor so insert the metal bolt through one of those holes. These will secure the motors in place.
  • Page 69 Insert the metal bolt. Use a metal nut to secure the motor in place on the opposite side of the casing. You can use your finger to twist the nut on and tighten it. Twist the metal nut to the metal bolt. Repeat this step with the second metal bolt and nut.
  • Page 70 A view of the electromotor attached to the casing. Since the electromotor will be connected with Wheelson's wheels we have to ensure it is screwed on tightly. So, using a Phillips screwdriver and needle-nose pliers we will tighten the bolts to avoid any unwanted movement. ...
  • Page 71  Make sure that the bolt is tightened completely otherwise the wheels could move around unnecessarily. Repeat the same step for the second electromotor on the narrow side of the casing. This is how the side panel should look with two electromotors attached.
  • Page 72 Now grab the second black acrylic casing and repeat the same steps. Be careful to attach the electromotors to the correct, opposite, side of the acrylic casing. Here's a tip on how to do that. Align the two acrylic casings so that the wider top parts of the casings are facing each other, as seen below.
  • Page 73 All four electromotors attached and properly aligned. Step two - Attaching the battery to the casing Remember the battery we disconnected at the very beginning? It's now time to connect it to the casing. Here's what you'll need: The Battery we disconnected from earlier The front acrylic plate See the below photos to see what each part looks like.
  • Page 74 Small black acrylic casing and Li-Po battery Turn over the Li-po battery and peel off the protective layer from the sticker.
  • Page 75 Align the battery within the middle of the black acrylic casing and press it firmly in place. See the below photos if you're not sure. Align the battery with the middle of the casing.
  • Page 76 Make sure the battery is firmly attached by pressing it in place. Step three - Connecting the main board with the camera and headlights board Let's connect the main board to the camera and headlights board. Grab these components: 1. Main board 2.
  • Page 77 Connect the JST cable with the JST connector. Next, find the camera on the end of the long, white cable that is connected to the main board. Then find the sticker on the back of the small board right below the camera.
  • Page 78 Take the camera and headlights board and turn in upsidedown. Then, stick the small camera board onto the shorter part of the camera and headlights board, as shown in the photo:  Next, take off the backing from the camera.
  • Page 79 Stick the camera to the front of the board. Make sure to keep the camera centre! Here's how it should look like:...
  • Page 80 Camera glued to the board. Step four - Connecting the first two wheels Okay, I'm excited now! We're getting close to the end. Let's connect the first two wheels onto the electromotors. You'll need these components:  Two wheels One large black acrylic casing with electromotors attached A small metal bolt ...
  • Page 81 Start by inserting the small metal bolt through the hole in the casing on the opposite side of the motors. Insert the metal bolt through the casing.
  • Page 82 Next, grab the nylon spacer that has a thin plastic part sticking out from one end. Screw it onto the bolt you just inserted. You can use your hand to twist the spacer onto the bolt.  Then, take the other black nylon spacer and screw it on until it is tightened to the spacer we previously connected with the metal bolt.
  • Page 83 You don't have to connect the other two wheels just yet. We'll let you know when it's time to do that. Step five - Connecting the parts Wheelson is slowly starting to come together! Let's assemble the last few pieces. Here's what you'll need:  The casing with the wheels attached...
  • Page 84 The first step is to connect the camera and the headlights board to the main board. Turn the mainboard upside down (so the JST connectors are facing up) and take the male to male JST cable that's connected to the camera and headlights board.
  • Page 85 Connecting the battery with the main board. Now place the large black acrylic casing with the wheels connected, onto a flat surface with the wheels placed on the surface. Then, take all the parts you just connected; the main board, Camera and headlights board, and the casing with the Li-Po battery glued to it and get ready to assemble them.
  • Page 86 4. BR = back right Letters on the board When looking at Wheelson from the top, the casing with the wheels attached to it is on Wheelson's right side.  This means the first motor (on the left in the photo below) should connect to Wheelson's Front Right connector.
  • Page 87 Let's connect the remaining two electromotors.  We've connected the electromotors on Wheelson's right side so it's now time to connect the ones on his left! Grab the other remaining side panel. Take the JST cable connected to the electromotor on the front and connect it with the JST connector labeled 'FL' (front left).
  • Page 88 Then, take Wheelson's left side casing and place it on the top, so all the boards and pieces should fit like a puzzle. This may take some fiddling around so be patient until it all slots into place.  This is how it should look like:...
  • Page 89 Remove the protective layer from the screen. Remove the protective layer from the camera. And that's it - you've reached the end of the build guide. Your Wheelson is now fully assembled and ready to go! Remember! Make sure you turned off your soldering iron! Unplug it from the power source, ...
  • Page 90 Connect the USB micro cable to Wheelson 2. Connect the USB end of the cable to a power adapter. 3. Plug the power adapter into a power source like a power socket. ...
  • Page 91 That's it, you're done - nothing too complicated. Your Wheelson is now charging and he'll be ready to drive in no time. ...