JLCPCB

Feb 14, 2021 | Blog Updates, Sponsors | 0 comments

The Underwater Robotics Team at The Ohio State University has been building robots for over a decade. The team started building robots with a handful of Remote Operated Vehicles and has, in the recent past, focused on building autonomous systems. Every year our electrical sub team designs and builds custom PCBs to control everything from the low-level hardware interface, to the control of the thrusters, and even shooting off a torpedo or two.

The electrical team has been designing boards for a while, but the team relies on an outside party to aid in the manufacture of the boards needed to make a competition-ready robot. In the past the team has had JLCPCB, a leader in PCB manufacturing technology, do the heavy lifting for the team and manufacture the PCBs that cannot be made otherwise. UWRT has been competing in the international competition named RoboSub where robots compete in an underwater obstacle course. Schools from all over the world come to San Diego to dip their toes in the waters at TRANSDEC, the competition hosting facility. These teams represent the best and the brightest of the engineering workforce of the future and we are proud to be a part of this prestigious group. We are excited to see if we can make a splash in the upcoming 2021 competition, but a lot of work still needs done.

Figure 1.1: Future ESC Board—Project Titan

UWRTs newest AUV, Project Titan, is a brand-new robot featuring a double housing system, extensive all-around improvements to our software system, and a few key efficiency additions to the electrical system. The electrical system has been reworked, keeping a lot of the ideas from Puddles, our previous autonomous robot, while making small changes to improve overall efficiency and aid in quick visual debugging. We are excited to be bringing a new design to competition, and we look forward to what the future of UWRT holds. We are excited to be partnering with JLCPCB again to make our robot a top contender for the RoboSub 2021 competition and we hope to make a splash in San Diego this summer.

Figure 1.2: Future Backplane Board—Project Titan

Figure 1.3: Converter Board Manufactured by JLCPCB

Submit a Comment