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DiddyBorg v2 TouchTop - Build Instructions

Written by in Build, DiddyBorg V2 - Build on .

To follow these instructions, you will need a DiddyBorg v2, a Raspberry Pi touchscreen, a second Raspberry Pi, a second SD card with a recent version of Raspian installed, and a DiddyBorg v2 Touch Screen Kit

Recent versions of Raspbian should not require extra software to run the touchscreen.
For older versions you may need to update the Pi before connecting the touchscreen:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Note: These instructions will permanently adhere your Touchscreen to the display top.


Step 0. You should have in the DiddyBorg v2 Touch Screen Kit the following items:

  • A Perspex top
  • 8x M3x40 Nylon posts
  • A BattBorg
  • A black male to female 1 Pin cable
  • A red male to female 1 Pin cable
  • Red wire
  • Black wire
  • A 3 pin male to female cable
  • 2x pieces of double sided adhesive tape


Step 1. Starting with an assembled DiddyBorg v2, unscrew the 8x [M3 nylon nuts] and put aside, remove the lid and remove the battery.

 


Step 2. Unscrew the V+ terminal on the ThunderBorg and add the red wire. Screw in making sure both connectors are clamped by the terminal.

 


Step 3. Unscrew the Black GND terminal on the ThunderBorg and insert the black wire. Screw in making sure both connectors are clamped by the terminal.

 


Step 4. Take the other end of the red wire, and screw in to the V+ terminal of the BattBorg. Screw in the other end of the black wire to GND on the BattBorg.

 


Step 5. Check the above connections are correct, then add the battery pack back into place and confirm that it powers up OK.

 


Step 6. Unpack the touchscreen and Raspberry Pi.

 


Step 7. Open the connector on the display by gently pulling the black part out by about 2mm. Connect the ribbon cable with the contact side up (blue side facing down).

 


Step 8. Connect the Red 1pin male-female cable to the 5V connector at the top left of the Touchscreen display board. Connect the black 1-pin male-female connector to the GND pin on the Touchscreen display board.

 


Step 9. Make sure the silver screws are unscrewed from the Display. Place a Raspberry Pi on top orientated so the display connector is on the same side as the ribbon cable. Screw the [M2.5x12 nylon post] into the bottom left hole but leave it slightly loose.

 


Step 10. Screw the silver screws into the remaining 3 holes and tighten gently. Also tighten the [M2.5x12 nylon post].

 


Step 11. Open the display connector on the Pi by gently lifting the black tab approx 2mm. Place the ribbon cable in.

 


Step 12. Make sure the ribbon cable is straight and then gently press down on the black tab to lock it in place.

 


Step 13. Remove the double sided tape and place on the tabs on each side of the Display. Be very careful, this is a one way operation! You will likely not be able to remove the tape without damaging the Touchscreen display.

 


Step 14. Remove the protective layer from the double sided tape.

 


Step 15. Remove the protective layers from the Perspex.

 


Step 16. BE CAREFUL, THIS STEP IS A ONE WAY OPERATION! Do not stick yet! The Perspex top is slightly wider on one side. Orient the Perspex top so that the 16mm side is at the bottom (HDMI slot side) and the 20mm side is at the top. It should be central around display. Once you are sure of the positioning, stick the top down with a gentle push with fingertips.

 


Step 17. Place the three pin cable into the BACK three holes of the ThunderBorg female connector. Take note of the colour of the cable closest to the LED on the ThunderBorg. In this case, it's yellow, but your cable colour might be different.

 


Step 18. Place the Perspex display top on the DiddyBorg making sure the camera is correctly positioned. Screw the [M3x40mm Nylon Posts] on top.

 


Step 19. Place the robot next to the Display top, so that the HDMI slot on the Touchscreen Pi faces the Ethernet connectors of the Pi in the robot.

 


Step 20. Orient the BattBorg as shown and connect the ends of the red and black cables as shown: Red is in the bottom leftmost. Black is in the bottom rightmost.

 


Step 21. Screw the BattBorg into the M2.5x12mm nylon post. Keep it so that the cables face away from the Pi as shown in the image.

 


Step 22. Place the three Pin connector into the Raspberry Pi. The colour we noted in Step 17 (in our case, yellow) should be connected to Pin2 of the Raspberry Pi (the bottom leftmost pin).

 


Step 23. Screw the Touch-Top on with the 8x [M3 nylon nuts] that you removed in step 1.

 


Step 24. Remove the protective layer from the touch top.

 


Step 25. Power on and you're ready to go :)

 

FAQ:

Q) Is it possible to use just one Raspberry Pi?
A) Yes. You will need to mount the camera on the top tier, and remove the Pi from the DiddyBorg to place on the touch top. You will also need a pair of extra long 3 pin female-female connectors to connect the ThunderBorg to the Raspberry Pi.

Q) Can I use the MultiPurpose top instead of the display top?
A) Yes! This will also allow for cables to go through the robot rather than around the side. See Pictures in Step 24 vs. Step 25.

Q) Can I add a second camera to the second Pi?
A) Yes, but you may need to add another BattBorg for Power requirements. A second camera facing rearwards will sit on the top tier.

Q) How can I connect the two Pi's to each other?
A) Some options are listed below:

Direct Ethernet connection

You can directly connect the two Raspberry Pis using a short Ethernet cable. You will need to setup both Raspberry Pis with a static IP address as described here. You only need to change the eth0 settings, you can leave the wlan0 settings as standard. Each Raspberry Pi will need its own IP address, so make sure they are different.

WiFi via router / hub

You can connect both Raspberry Pis to the same WiFi network so they can talk to each other. This is the easiest to setup, but it will require the DiddyBorg v2 to stay in WiFi range.

Ad-hoc WiFi

An alternative to the WiFi network is to use ad-hoc connections. This will allow the Raspberry Pis to communicate directly without the need for a router or cable. All you need to do is reconfigure the network connections as explained here. Remember to give each Raspberry Pi a different IP address.

Raspberry Pi WiFi hotspot

This is a bit more tricky, but probably the best solution. What you need to do is set one of the Raspberry Pis as a WiFi hotspot as explained here. Now you can connect the other Raspberry Pi to this WiFi connection in the same way as any other WiFi router. This should be more robust than the ad-hoc method, but it may be more difficult to get working.


If you wish to also talk to the DiddyBorg v2 via WiFi:

  • Direct Ethernet connection - Since we are not using the WiFi in this setup you can connect one or both Raspberry Pis to a WiFi network at the same time.
  • WiFi via router / hub - Both Raspberry Pis are already connected to the WiFi, simply connect to the same router.
  • Ad-hoc WiFi - You can connect a PC / Laptop / Pi to the same ad-hoc WiFi settings to talk to both of the Raspberry Pis.
  • Raspberry Pi WiFi hotspot -You can connect a PC / Laptop / Pi to the WiFi hotspot you setup to talk to both of the Raspberry Pis.
Last update: Aug 02, 2019

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