Overdue Progress

It’s been about three months since I first started working on Bo-E’s V2.0 body. Finals hit, and then new classes, and before I knew it finals again.

But it’s summer now.

So I’ve had time to really make some progress on the new design.

New Bo-E! Isometric View

So, let’s go over the list I previously made.

Battery Life

Much better! I found a 5200mAh lipo battery that’s only slightly larger than the current 2200mAh. That’s 230% more battery!

I haven’t looked much into a battery status indicator, but I’m pretty sure I could whip something up.

Charging ports, again, not something I’ve worked on much, but I’m confident I’ll decide on something nicer this time around.

Wiring

While I’m not at the point of designing in internal wire routing, Bo-e is now composed of an actual frame with an outside shell. This is opposed to current Bo-e which had all the components mounted on the inside of its shell. This means I can more easily access the wiring, which should make it cleaner.

Frame Rigidity

Bo-e has a skeleton now, so it should be much more rigid. Everything is also designed now with heat insert threads, as opposed to securing peices with hot glue.

Display Viewing Angle

I’ve found a new display for Bo-e that is both larger, and should offer a larger viewing angle.

System Integration

This is where the bulk of changes are.

Bo-e now runs completely off of a pi3, instead of the odroid xu3 and pi zero combo as before. This means that Bo-e will not only get a longer laster battery life, but also the codebase is simplified. Bo-e also now runs off of one camera, which can pivot to be forward facing or upward facing. This allows for more flexibility in the upward camera, as well as limiting power draw and system complexity.

Overall

The goal is to have Bo-E 2.0 assembled by the end of summer. No idea if I’ll meet that goal, but foward progress is being made.