TranspOtter NG

To make TranspOtterNG convenient to build, we've designed a custom PCB, which connects the mainboard to all its periphery.

https://github.com/Jan--Henrik/TranspOtterNG/tree/master/kicad

It will connect the mainboard to the Gametrak, Nunchuk, emergency-stop, a displays and leds.

We don't want to just fix stuff but also want to improve TranspOtter and make it much more user friendly/usable. Our main improvements we want to archive are:

• Safety/prevention of accidents by LiDAR

• Manual control with a Nunchuk (additional to the Follow-Me mode)

• More comfortable handling (When carrying / storing)

• Make it easier to build

TranspOtterNG started with quite alot of CAD work, as the first TranspOtter was build from scratch and therefore had potential for improvement.

https://github.com/Jan--Henrik/TranspOtterNG/tree/master/CAD

The main problem of TranspOtter (1.0) was in the end, that the wooden frame broke. This was caused mainly by weak wood but also by the motor mount. To fix that, we want to use multiplex wood, which is in general much stronger and milled motor mounts instead of the hoverboard frames.

This build log will describes how we've build TranspOtter (1.0).

The base was made from cheap wooden boards, which where cut to size. We wanted TranspOtter to fit drinks and Euro crates, therefore our desired platform size is about ~380x580mm. To prevent the crates from slipping down, an edge was glued to the board. For protection a housing was prepared for the electronics.

For the motor mount the old hoverboard frames where cut to size and screwed to the base.

As motor driver the original hoverboard hardware was used with a custom firmware.

https://github.com/NiklasFauth/hoverboard-firmware-hack