Chassis Modifications - Electronics and Communication Engineering Video Lecture - Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)

In this video, we're going
to modify the shell that
goes around our Bit-zee bot
so that the switches will
be able to fit
through, and we'll
be able to get the
bumper switches in place.
So we're sort of not exactly
sure how much material
we need to remove, so we're
just going to take away a chunk,
and see if we can
make that work.
Now when I was doing
this, I learned
that the nipper
pliers that I used
to cut the plastic is
actually not the right tool.
Because it tends to cause
the plastic to split,
and can make it crack
in places that you
don't want it to crack.
So I would just use the knife,
and sort of take it away just
a little bit at a time.
And that way you can get
exactly the way you want it.
Now again, any time
you're using a knife,
you should have a lot
of experience with it.
And be wearing safety
glasses, and things like that.
Especially using
a break off blade
knife, because the
sections can pop away
if you cut at the wrong angle.
But you can see how
easily the styrene carves.
It's very easy
material to work with.
So we're just taking more
and more of the styrene
out at a time.
And making sure that we have
enough clearance for our
switches.
And we'll go back and take
a little bit more styrene.
Now we're trying to
find a way to do it
in a way that's
also aesthetically
somewhat pleasing.
So we're going to, instead
of having just a harsh jog,
were cutting a curve
into the styrene.
And in order to get enough
clearance for our green wires,
we really have to remove
a whole lot more material.
So we're just marking that out
with our break off blade knife.
And then snipping some of it
off with our nipper pliers.
And that's where I discovered
that the nipper pliers can
cause it to sort of split.
And so it's not nearly as good
as the break-off blade knife.
It's faster, but you
risk cracking it.
So in any case, we've
got our sort of shell,
or outer housing.
And we're making sure that the
switches clear, and the wires
clear, and trimming off
the excess material.
And we've put it
upside down, and we
can see that it's totally
clear, and everything's good.
We've managed to
smooth off the edges.
And now we're just lining
it up for the final time.
And we're going to go ahead
and put the screws that
hold the outer shell in place.
And that will finish
the modifications
to the outer shell.
All right, and we're turning
down the screws there.
Last adjustments on
the 22 gauge wires,
making sure everything works,
and tightening the switches
down.
And we've already loaded
some code on the Arduino.
And so we're going to
push our bumper switches
and see if we can get them
to trigger the lights.
There they go.
So the lights are
working pretty well.
And our bumper switches cover
almost the full front and back
of the bot.
So we can be sure that
when we run into a wall
we'll be able to respond to it.