Assembling Your Pocket Bot

Safety First

Disconnect all batteries and power sources while assembling. Never assemble or disassemble the Pocket Bot while powered.

Tools Required

After these steps, you'll have a 3D-printable micro-bot that's ready to run. Your kit contains all the required materials and parts, but you will need the following tools:

  • Precision screwdriver (No. 0 Philips preferred, to screw in some fasteners)
  • Soldering iron (optional; only required for the optional expansion header)

The kit includes the following fasteners:

Before You Begin

  • Work on a clean, well-lit surface.
  • Keep smart parts organized.
  • Take your time. Most mistakes happen by rushing, not paying enough attention, or applying too much force to small parts.

Pocket Bot Assembly

Estimated time: 10 minutes.

Remember: The Pocket Bot is small, and so are its parts! You shouldn't need to force anything to get parts to fit, and you risk breaking something if you do. If you're finding a part hard to assemble, make sure you're fitting it and orienting it correctly, and re-read the instructions carefully.

Grab either of the motors, and the Pocket Bot chassis (we included a spare chassis). We'll begin by inserting a motor into the front of the chassis. To do this, insert the motor so that the motor plug extends through and exits the hole on the left side of the chassis.

The front face of each motor has holes for 2 screws. Make sure that the motor is oriented such that the empty screw-hole on the front of the motor is situated physically higher than the populated screw-hole on the front. This will be important later when we screw the motor into place.

Gently shift the motor to the left so that you can insert and guide the motor axle through the matching hole on the right side of the chassis.

With the motor properly aligned, carefully press down on it to mount it snugly in the chassis. This is the only part where a little force may be required. You will hear a small snap as it fits into place.

Using the precision screwdriver, screw in one of the motor screws into the right side of the chassis, which will align with the empty screw-hole on the motor and keep it firmly in place. This is intentionally a tight fit into the chassis so you may need to work the screw a little by hand first.

Grab the second motor. Insert it into the chassis in the opposite direction in the same way you mounted the first. Screw it into place using the remaining motor screw.

Thread the battery plug through the hole on the right side of the chassis, which is the same hole that the plug for the second motor plug is threaded through. Be careful not to confuse the motor plug with the battery plug. An easy way to avoid this is to bend the battery plug towards the rear of the chassis, as shown below.

Now press-fit the battery into place.

The Pocket Bot PCB press-fits on top of the battery using the two notches on the chassis. Mount it by securing the right side of the PCB under the notches, followed by press-fitting the left side. It should fit somewhat snugly, and a little looseness is still expected before we connect everything.

Connect the motor plugs to the PCB, as shown below. Do not confuse the battery plug with the motor plugs.

Next, we will attach the wheels. There are two sets of wheels: one set for the motor axles, and another that attaches directly to the chassis with the provided M2 screws. (We also provided an extra set.) See below for the difference.

The motor wheels have a small notch in the central hole meant to align with the notches in the motor axles. Gently rotate those wheels while applying pressure to snap them onto the motor axles.

The chassis wheels have a round central hole. Use the provided M2 screws to attach them. Note that it's easier to first thread the screw through the wheel and then loosely attach that to the chassis by hand, followed by tightening it with the screwdriver. You should be able to tighten the screws all the way while still maintaing freedom of movement for the chassis wheels.

You can test the chassis wheels by flicking or quickly rotating them. They should spin freely even when fully tightened, but if this is not the case, you can safely loosen the M2 screws a bit.

Connect the battery to its receptacle on the bottom-right of the PCB.

You're almost done! The Pocket Bot might sit on a flat surface with one wheel slightly above the ground, and this is normal. Since the Pocket Bot has no suspension, the slight different in wheel heights acts as a simple rocker-bogey system that ensures the Pocket Bot can drive properly even on slightly uneven terrain.

You should charge the Pocket Bot before first use. Use any USB-C cable to plug into the Pocket Bot's USB-C receptacle. When charging, a red LED near the USB receptacle will be turned on. The red LED will turn off when charging is complete. Fully charging a drained Pocket Bot takes about an hour or so, and the Pocket Bot can run for over 3.5 hours before running out of power.

CAUTION. Be careful when unplugging the USB-C charging cable from the Pocket Bot! USB-C receptacles are a tight fit and pulling too hard, or in the wrong direction, can damage the receptacle or PCB. When unplugging, grip the front and back of the Pocket Bot as shown in the image below, and pull straight out, not up or at an angle.

Congratulations! You've now assembled and charged your Pocket Bot. When you're ready, check out the example programs.