Before You Start

Thank you for your interest in the Spirit Rover robot. This has been a flagship project for Plum Geek. We hope you will enjoy the robot and get a lot out of using it.

WARNINGS

Every product posts a handful of warnings. Mostly common sense stuff. We can't stress enough that when building Spirit, it is extremely important to READ EVERYTHING and read the warnings carefully. Spirit is intended to be built by hobby level engineers. It is not intended as a general "consumer" type product. You can AND WILL damage Spirit if these warnings aren't followed and respected.

1) READ EVERYTHING IN THIS MANUAL

Seriously. Read EVERYTHING. Please don't run ahead. Don't just look at the pictures. We've taken great care to include suggestions and warnings in the manual. You will save yourself problems, rework, and a damaged robot by taking the time to carefully read them.

2) PERFORM STEPS IN THE EXACT ORDER SHOWN

To successfully build the robot it is extremely important to follow steps in the exact order presented. Upon completion, if you feel things could have been easier performing things in a slightly different order, please contact us via the contact form on the plumgeek.com website. We welcome the feedback.

3) TEST THE MAIN BOARD BEFORE ASSEMBLY

Before installing the Spirit Main Board, please do a quick power-up test to verify everything is okay before we start. You can see a quick YouTube video of the process here: https://youtu.be/46sohDrlSIU

4) SMALL PARTS WARNINGS

As you will soon discover, Spirit is built from very small parts, very small screws, and nuts that are so small they're almost invisible. To pack this many parts onto a small frame, we needed to use small fastener hardware. In hindsight we could have fit a size larger nuts for most parts. We may do this in a future version. For now though, you will need to handle and avoid loosing some extra small parts.

• KEEP SMALL SCREWS IN A CONTAINER - LIKE A DISH OR BOWL. We suggest pouring the contents of the screw package into a container like a dish that has a wide rim. This will make it easy to pick up the parts and make it less likely that parts will be swept off the working surface.

• WORK ON A CLEAN SURFACE. We suggest taking the time to fully clean off a nice big working surface. We also suggest working on a sheet of white poster board. You WILL drop small parts and nuts. Having a nice large surface where you can see them will go a long way in keeping track of them.

• DON'T WORK OVER CARPET. If possible, use a work surface that has a smooth floor under it. A dropped nut in carpet is lost forever. (Though a magnet will find them). Sweep up your floor so it's nice and smooth so you can get low and see a dropped screw if needed.

• AVOID WORKING NEAR THE EDGE, OVER YOUR LAP, ETC. You will drop parts. Guaranteed. The close to an edge, the more likely they end up on the floor. Wear clothing where a dropped part in your lap is more likely to be visible and found.

• REPLACEMENT PARTS. Spirit ships with the exact number of parts needed. Most parts are common metric size screws. They should be easy to find anywhere in the world. The build guide shows the sizes if you do need to order replacements. If you're in the USA we can send you replacements for the cost of postage.

• DON'T FEED PARTS TO YOUR KIDS, PETS, OR APPLIANCES. Standard choking warnings apply. No parts in mouths of any kind. Don't let your cat mistake a screw for a bug.

5) TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN CONNECTING WIRES

Spirit can be damaged if wires are connected the wrong direction. Special care should be taken with the ultrasonic range finder, the servos, and the motors. There is nothing physically stopping you from connecting them backward or to the wrong pins. We will call this out with warnings in the appropriate sections.

Most of the wires that connect to the top side of the robot have "keys" in the connectors, which prevent incorrect connection. You can however still plug the wrong cable into the wrong socket. The battery generally safe as it can only be connected one way, and only fits in one socket.

6) ESD / ELECTRICAL WARNINGS

You will be doing a lot of handling the bare circuit boards. It is possible to damage the boards via static electricity "electrostatic discharge". This happens when static electricity builds up on your body then discharges through the circuit board. I have been handling bare boards for 10 years. I generally take no special precautions for ESD. I'm generally fairly reckless in this regard. I have never to my knowledge damaged a board. That said, it is certainly possible. A few steps can be taken to minimize the possibility of damage.

• ESD is more likely when humidity is low. If you notice you're tending to get static shocks when touching door handles, etc, then the atmosphere is in a good condition to increase ESD potential. If you notice you're shocking everything in your house, be extra careful of ESD when building.

• Avoid wearing clothing that tends to hold static. Plastic, polyester, fuzzy sweaters, and the like. If you feel that "static cling" of clothing, then try to wear something different. 100% cotton is probably a good choice if you're worried. No fuzzy socks on carpet, etc.

• Discharge static from your body before working with the boards, and once you start working with the boards, try to sit still - you may wish to discharge static more often if you're moving around in your chair a lot. To discharge static, you can touch a non-painted metal surface of an object that is grounded, for example the frame of lamp or appliance. These devices are usually grounded internally for safety and help to remove static from your body.

• If you're really worried, you can use an ESD safe work mat and perform the handling of the boards over this mat. I don't use one and haven't used one for many years. I don't think it's necessary but more safe may be more better - you can make that call on your own.

7) USE THE CORRECT TOOLS

Assembly is much easier with suitable tools. We suggest having the following tools available:

• Small phillips screwdriver. You may find the screwdriver in common "glasses repair kits" suitable. They're inexpensive and can be found at most stores.

• Small pair of fine tweezers. We suggest having a pair with a wide tip and a fine tip.

• A bit of tape to temporarily hold parts in place. Just about any kind will work.

• White craft "Elmer's" style glue.

• Patience. Lots of patience. The small parts can be challenging and you may have to attempt the various steps a few times. It can be challenging, but it does go together nicely and is quite rewarding when complete. :)