This blog post is part of Makers Jönköping entry to Pi Wars 2024. Pi Wars is an international, challenge-based robotics competition in which teams build Raspberry Pi-controlled robots and then compete in various non-destructive challenges to earn points. The competition takes place in Cambridge UK, over a single weekend and at the end of each day, prizes, medals and trophies are awarded to those competing.
Of all the one hundred thousand Raspberry Pi motor driver HATs on the market there was not a single one that fitted our needs. Exactly. As we are makers we are used to make it ourselves. So for this project we designed a PCB which would manage the sensors and drive motors. We wanted to make it as professional as possible but still manage to assemble in a home setting.
All components worth mentioning are surface mount and down to 0608″ size capacitors and resistors. Below are some photos of the PCB that we made for Pi Wars 2024. We ordered PCB and solder stencil from Aisler who are a PCB manufacturer based in Europe.
At the maker club we have a IC Heater oven where we are able to surface mount the boards.
