🗃️ Archived beginner embedded hobby-project micromouse

dulce-the-micromouse

Forked from IEEE-UniversityOfHouston/micromice

Replaced by: omnibot

my first EE hobby project: a micromouse with the guidance of a mentor at IEEE-UH. backlogged but i plan to return to this. i printed a new pcb but i haven't had the time for assembly :p.

moving the strongest parts of this into omnibot instead of reviving this exact version.

GitHub
C++

Recent Commits

GitHub README

Dulce - Micromouse Robot (Fall-Spring 2024-25; Backlog)

A micromouse robot project designed for autonomous maze navigation with comprehensive sensing and motor control capabilities. I would like to revisit this when I get the chance!

Overview

Dulce is a micromouse robot built around the Adafruit Itsy Bitsy SAMD21 3.3V microcontroller. The design features multiple infrared sensors for wall detection, a 9-axis IMU for orientation tracking, and dual DC motors with encoders for precise movement control.

Gallery

PCB Design

Schematic Circuit schematic

PCB Layout PCB board layout

Hardware Build (before PCB design)

Perfboard Assembly 1 Perfboard prototype - top view

Perfboard Assembly 2 Perfboard prototype - side view

Perfboard Assembly 3 Perfboard prototype - detailed view

Wiring Wiring connections

IEEE@UH Station Soldering setup at IEEE station

Bill of Materials

Component Part Number/Model Quantity Description
Microcontroller Adafruit Itsy Bitsy SAMD21 3.3V 1 Main controller (SAMD21 ARM Cortex-M0+)
IR Reflective Sensors 475-2649-ND 7 Wall detection and positioning
IMU BNO-055 1 9-axis absolute orientation sensor
DC Motors with Encoders - 2 Differential drive system
Motor Driver DRV8833 1 Dual H-bridge motor controller
Battery Connector 2-pin connector 1 Main power supply
Misc. Connectors 2-pin connectors Various Modular connections

Project Status

Current Implementation

  • ✅ Hardware schematic design (imported from EasyEDA)
  • ✅ Pin definitions configured in firmware
  • ✅ Basic Arduino framework setup with PlatformIO

Future Work

Documentation Improvements

  • My schematic-drafting skills have improved since I last touched this project. I would like to clean up my schematic exports.

Hardware Improvements

  • Sensor Optimization: Evaluate whether fewer IR sensors can be used while maintaining diagonal movement capability
  • Mode Selection: Add toggle button to switch between different operating modes
  • Status Indicator: Integrate RGB LED to display current operational mode

Mechanical Design

  • Design and CAD a custom chassis optimized for the electronic components
  • Ensure proper sensor placement for accurate wall detection
  • Optimize weight distribution and center of gravity

Software Development

  • Implement multiple operational modes:
    • Object-following
    • IMU + PID "Compass" - inspired by Haridev
    • Wall-following algorithm
    • Maze solving
  • Develop sensor calibration routines
  • Implement PID control for motor control
  • Add mode-switching logic with visual feedback

Development Setup

Prerequisites

  • PlatformIO installed (via VS Code extension or CLI)
  • USB cable for programming the Itsy Bitsy

Building the Firmware

cd firmware
pio run

Uploading to Device

pio run --target upload

Pin Configuration

IR Sensors

Sensor Position Pin
Front Left A1
Front Center A0
Front Right A2
Mid Left A3
Mid Right A4
Back Left A5
Back Right 0 (RX)

IMU (BNO-055)

Function Pin
Reset D7
Interrupt D9

Motor Control

Motor Pin A Pin B
Left Motor 30 (SCK) 29 (MOSI)
Right Motor 28 (MISO) 2

Encoders

Encoder Channel A Channel B
Left D10 D11
Right D12 D13

See firmware/src/main.cpp for complete pin definitions.

Project Structure

dulce/
├── electrical/          # KiCad PCB design files
│   ├── dulce_easyeda.kicad_sch
│   └── dulce_easyeda.kicad_pcb
├── firmware/           # Arduino/PlatformIO firmware
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── main.cpp
│   └── platformio.ini
└── README.md

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

This is a personal project :P

Project Journal

No journal entries yet.