Sumovore Manual

The Solarbotics Sumovore
Building the Body - 5
Step 11 - Bottom Battery Pack Installation: Let’s attach the quad AA battery pack holder to the Sumovore.
We prefer to attach the pack, then solder it to the battery connection points below in front of the motor, but some people prefer
to solder the wires, then attach the pack. Your decision (no real advantage either way). Just make sure that you’re soldering to the
right battery connections, as there’s one for the 2AA holder, and one for the 4AA holder, and they can’t be reversed! Bad
Sumovore builder, BAD! Make sure your battery connections are going to the ones shown in the pictures, and all will be fine.
The baseplate has two holes for accepting the long #2 x 1-1/4”
thread-forming screw that pass through the two custom holes in
the battery pack. The standard holes in the battery pack simply
don’t work, so we’ve custom drilled two new holes to match the
holes in the baseplate.
Before screwing the battery pack in, use a sharp knife and cut
some of the rib away from around the hole. This rib will interfere
with the head of the screw, so trim it back about 3mm (1/8”)
from each side of the
hole, flush down to the
bottom of the pack.
Drop the screws in, align
up the holes, and secure
the battery pack to the
baseplate. It will take a bit
of force to make the
screws go in the first time
(remember, you’re forming threads in the baseplate’s metal), but don’t overdo it. you only
have to make the pack gently snug up to the motors.
Step 12: Trim down and solder the
battery holder wires to the ‘+’ and
‘-’ solder pads on underside.
4 AA
Battery Pack
Connection
Points
Battery Pack
Mounting Screw
Holes
Step 12 - Bottom Battery Pack Soldering: Now that your battery holder is firmly in
place, cut down the wires to a suitable length and solder them to the underside of the
mainboard on the right side (viewed from bottom).
You can see the solder points just ahead of the right motor (viewed from bottom), with a
square pad labeled ‘-’ and a round pad labeled ‘+’. These pads are clearly labeled ‘+Batt-’
on the topside, but it’s mostly obscured by the top battery pack. Black wire goes to ‘-’, the
red to ‘+’ (but you knew that already, RIGHT?!? Of course. Sumovore builders are smart
people).
Step 11: Locate baseplate holes
for 4AA battery pack holder screws
Note: Battery Pack
wires are here
Trim ribs away from edges
of mounting holes