SFU Robot Soccer

The Electronics team is responsible for designing and testing the PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) that our robots use. Every one of our boards are custom designed by our members and are a great way to get familiar with a broad range of electronics concepts, from simple circuits using resistors and capacitors, to more advanced high speed wireless circuitry. Using Altium Designer and LTSpice, we fully simulate our prototype circuits before ever soldering a component. Our team also develops the firmware which runs on each robot’s microcontroller. This firmware is responsible for communicating with the software team’s codebase, as well as driving all the peripherals on each robot.

The Mechanics team gives shape and character to our team of robots and is a great way to get started in the club. Members are introduced to the basics of CAD and work on designing components such as base-plates, motor mounts and kicker systems, usually under the supervision of more senior members. During this process, the mechanics team focuses on creating an efficient design workflow and generating documentation so that future team members can learn about how our robots have evolved over time. Mechanics members primarily use SolidWorks to familiarize themselves with the basics of mechanical design and experience teamwork in a production environment.