Hardware Assembly

Bill of Materials

Warning

Listed prices are as of August 2024, and may be out of date.

Prices for minor items (fasteners, connectors, cables, etc) are also omitted.

Info

Building red-rover requires a 3D printer with a print bed size of at least 200x120x50mm (LxWxH); we used a Bambu Lab X1C with Bambu Red PLA Basic filament.

Electrical

Core Components

Cost	Qty	Description
$299.00	1	TI AWR1843Boost Radar + 5V3A barrel jack power supply if not included
$599.00	1	TI DCA1000EVM Capture Card
~$1,000	1	NUC, with included VESA mounting plate
~$8,000-$12,000	1	Ouster OS0-64 or OS0-128
$449.00	1	Xsens MTi-3
$995.00	1	Black Magic Micro Studio Camera (BMMSC)
$299.00	1	Magewell 1080p60 USB-SDI capture card
$99.0	1	Olympus Fisheye Body Cap Lens
$28.00	1	Micro BNC to BNC cable
$6.29	1	BNC Coupler
$31.90	1	Router + power supply, power cable if not included
$9.99	1	USB A Hub
-	1	AC battery bank; should be able to supply >200W.
-	2	6" Cat 5/6 Ethernet cable
-	2	6" micro USB to USB A type 2.0 cable
-	1	Power strip

Optional Accessories

Cost	Qty	Description
$329.99	2	External SSD
$349	1	"Lapdock" (screen + keyboard + trackpad)

Mechanical

3D Printed Parts

Item	Qty	Description
top-plate.stl	1	Mount for Lidar, IMU
front-plate.stl	1	Primary vertical structure
mid-plate.stl	1	Connects top plate to the NUC VESA mounting plate
bottom-plate.stl	1	Provides structural support, and a tray to put cables in
handle-bracket.stl	2	Joins vertical and horizontal handles
radar-cover.stl	1	Protective cover for the radar; should be covered in ESD tape / other material

COTS Parts

Cost	Qty	Description
$19.90	2	Top handles
$29.90	2	Side handles
$9.90	2	Mounting Rail
-	1	1/4-20 Ball Head
-	1	Phone Tripod Mount

Fasteners

Qty	Description
9	1/4-20 Nut
8	1/4-20 x 15mm socket cap
3	1/4-20 x 15mm round head
4	1/4-20 x 25mm round head
20	M4 nut
18	M4 lock washer
8	M4 x 10mm socket cap
4	M4 x 12mm socket cap
12	M4 x 16mm socket cap
2	M3 x 6mm female-female standoff
2	M3 x 6mm male-female standoff
4	M3 x 15mm female-female standoff (included with AWR1843Boost)
4	M3 x 15mm male-female standoff
4	M3 x 5mm round head (included with AWR1843Boost)
6	M3 x 8mm socket cap

Sub-assemblies

Handles (2x)

1. Assemble the side handles according to the manufacturer's instructions by attaching the NATO rail mount.

2. Attach a handle-bracket.stl to the top of each side handle using 2x 1/4-20x15mm round head screws each.

3. Attach the top handles to the handle bracket using 2x M4x12mm screws each.

Info

Viewed relative to the top handle facing towards you, one handle (for the left side side) should have the adjustment knob facing forward and the mounting rail facing right, while the other (for the right side) should have the adjustment knob facing forward and the mounting rail facing left.

Top Subassembly

1. Attach 2x M3x6mm F/M standoffs to the small holes in the top-plate.stl using 2x M3x8mm screws.

2. Press-fit 4x 1/4-20 nuts and 6x M4 nuts to the matching holes.

   Info

   If the M4 nuts will not stay in, don't attach the IMU or fit the nuts until final assembly.

3. Plug in a Micro USB cable, and attach the Xsens MTi-3 IMU using 2x M3x6mm F/F standoffs. Hot-glue the USB connector to the top plate

   Info

   You can use M3 nuts instead, but small standoffs are usually easier to work with and either tighten by hand, or using a small socket driver.

Rear Subassembly

1. Attach the bottom-plate.stl to the mounting plate included with the NUC using 4x M4 nuts, 4x M4x10mm screws, and 4x M4 lock washers.

2. Attach the top-plate.stl to the mounting plate included with the NUC using 4x M4 nuts, 4x M4x10mm screws, and 4x M4 lock washers.

   Warning

   Make sure the orientation of the mounting plate is correct! The "This way up" arrow should point towards the top-plate.stl, and the screw heads should be inset into the mounting hole divots.

3. Press-fit 2x M4 nuts into the matching holes on the top-plate.stl.

4. Insert a 1/4-20 nut into the matching hole on the top-plate.stl, and screw a 1/4-20x15mm round head screw into the nut from the other side. The screw head should be fully flush in the recess.

Front Subassembly

1. Attach the two NATO rails to each side of the front-plate.stl using 4x 1/4-20 nuts and 4x 1/4-20x18mm socket cap screws.

2. Attach 4x M3x15mm M/F standoffs to the slotted holes using 4x M3x8mm screws.

3. Fit the DCA1000EVM capture card to the standoffs.

4. Screw 4x M3x15mm F/F standoffs (included with the AWR1843Boost) on the exposed standoffs, mounting the capture card in place.

5. Fit the AWR1843Boost radar to the standoffs from the previous step, securing it in place with 4x M3x5mm screws (included with the AWR1843Boost).

6. Attach the Black Magic Micro Studio Camera to the front-plate.stl using 2x 1/4-20x15mm round head screws.

   

Final assembly

Combine Subassemblies

1. Attach the rear subassembly to the front subassembly using 4x M4x16mm screws, 4x M4 nuts, and 4x M4 lock washers.

2. Attach the top subassembly to the rear subassembly using 2x M4x16mm screws, and attach the top subassembly to the front subassembly using 6x M4x16mm screws and 6x M4 lock washers.

   Info

   If you did not press-fit any nuts or install the IMU earlier, do so now.

3. Attach the Ouster OS0 Lidar to the top subassembly using 4x 1/4-20x25mm screws.

   Warning

   The previous step blocks access to the rear lidar mounting nuts. Make sure they did not fall out!

   

4. Mount the NUC to its mounting plate following the manufacturer's instructions. The front of the NUC should be facing the right side of the rig.

5. Use double-sided adhesive or velcro adhesive strips to attach a USB hub and USB ethernet adapter to the NUC.

6. Screw 1/4-20 ball mount to the exposed 1/4-20 screw on the rear subassembly, and attach the phone tripod mount to the ball mount.

   

Connect Wiring

Note

Most wiring and interfaces should fit in the cavity underneath the camera.

1. Lidar

   • The Ouster OS0 Lidar should be connected to its interface box.
   • The interface box should be connected to the NUC using a short ethernet patch cable.

2. Radar

   • The AWR1843Boost should be connected to the rear USB hub using a USB 2.0 Micro B to A cable.
   • The DCA1000EVM should be connected to a USB ethernet adapter using a short ethernet patch cable. The USB ethernet adapter should be plugged into the front of the NUC.

3. Camera

   • The Black Magic Micro Studio Camera should be connected to the Magewell USB Capture SDI Gen 2.
   • The capture card should be connected to a USB 3.0 Type A port at the back of the NUC using the included (spec-violating) USB 3.0 Type A to Type A cable.

4. Other

   • The Xsens MTi-3 IMU should be connected to the rear USB hub using a USB 2.0 Micro B to A cable.
   • The USB ethernet adapter attached to the NUC should be plugged into the USB hub.
   • The USB hub should be plugged into the front of the NUC.

Complete Setup

1. Plug in the power supplies for the radar, lidar, camera, and NUC.

   • Each power supply should be connected to a power strip attached to the AC battery bank.

   Danger

   The radar and lidar power supplies use the same-sized barrel jack. Ensure that the radar and lidar power cables are not crossed, since 24V power supplied to the Lidar will fry the radar.

2. Plug in a ethernet cable to the USB ethernet adapter attached to the back of the NUC.

   • The Ethernet adapter should be plugged into the wireless control router.

   

3. Assemble support pack.

   • The support pack should include the AC battery bank, power strip, power converters, and wireless router along with its power supply.