What is a good way to put a 3 pos power switch on prior version of BOE?
Russ Ferguson
Posts: 206
I would like to add a switch to my older BOE to duplicate the functionality of the current version. It sure would be nice to stop pulling the plug and to be able to turn off power to the servos. I really like the switch on the new BOE.
I am willing to cut and solder on·my older·BOE.·The board·is the previous version board (rev B?)·and is not that old, but it only has the reset switch. It would be a little easier to modify the board if the layout of the board was available, is it available someplace?
Anyone have any experience·in doing this?
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I am willing to cut and solder on·my older·BOE.·The board·is the previous version board (rev B?)·and is not that old, but it only has the reset switch. It would be a little easier to modify the board if the layout of the board was available, is it available someplace?
Anyone have any experience·in doing this?
·
Comments
I once saw a student's Boe-Bot with a toggle switch spliced into the cord between the plug and the 6 V battery pack.· It was a cool idea, but the soldering was a little iffy because he hadn't washed off the flux.· Aside from being conductive, the flux tends to degrade the solder joint over time, which is a problem.· It was also wrapped with electrical tape instead of shrink-wrap.· If the electrical tape had unfurled to expose the positive lead, it could have shorted against the chassis ground and caused lots of damage.· Since I had an extra battery pack, we restored his Boe-Bot to an un-hacked condition.· Then, I showed him how to add a small segment of code to his programs so that he can toggle the program on/off.· That way, he only had to unplug his Boe-Bot when building circuits and when he was done working with it.· Since it was a little off-topic from this post, I posted the example code here:
How to - Toggle Any Program on/off with RESET
Aside from voiding·any warranties cutting/jumpering on the BOE has similar safety pitfalls.· The BOE Rev B also looks pretty nice, but it won't after it's been cut and jumpered, making it less attractive to sell or trade.
Soldering, joining wires properly, cutting and jumping, and other things like that are probably covered in some book.· I could stand to improve my soldering and wire joining knowledge and skills too.· Hopefully someone will chime in with a good resource.
Think that I will start by making a "switch module" from a 9 volt connector/ a 2 pos. switch/ and power jack. The 9 volt connector may provide a reasonable mechanical connection, to the BOE, that the rest of the hardware can hang from.
This reset program is a great idea. It will be a big help.