PROJECT: Neato D5 Mod, Update #4 - Closing Thoughts

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Many things have happened since the last update, the biggest of which being that the Neato D5 Mod PCBA (aka Neato Lupin Mod) is now obsolete as the Vacuula (formerly Brainslug) team have figured out how to run custom FW on the existing Neato Botvac HW :D

I had lots of fun with this project, so I'm making this last post to close things off.

Key Links:

	Neato Botvac D5 - 3D Scan
	Neato Lupin Mod - PCBA Datapack
	Neato Lupin Mod - Hardware Installation Guide

Known Issues:

The FW required the modification below to improve WiFi stability on the XIAO ESP32-C6 module. I highly suspect this is related to the +3.3V rail drooping (brownout) during WiFi Tx, as I am powering the module directly from the debug port +3.3V output. Not ideal... but it's the best I could do without breaking into a +5V rail on the Neato Botvac mobo.

wifi:
  output_power: 17dB 
  #fast_connect: false
  #power_save_mode: none

I did try monitoring the +3.3V rail with rev B01 PCBA (with the help of a precision +1.024V reference for ADC read calibration), but as expected the ADC sampling was too slow to capture any meaningful data. Ideally I should have been using an oscilloscope with a current probe.

Neato Media:

Rev A01 PCBA shape & bend simulation in Altium Designer. The purple region is rigid FR4 stiffener.

I though I had it all figured out and ordered the above FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) from JLCPCB. Then I assembled it and found that the bottom half collided with the Neato D5 bumper... guess who forgot to do a visual (printed paper) & virtual (SolidWorks) check with the bumper installed D:

So this time I made sure to check things properly before ordering the rev B01 FPC:

Once the FPCs arrived, I then assembled them using the Miniware MHP30. Below is a sped-up video (x10) of the solder reflow process. Left is digital microscope, right is thermal cam. Interesting how the hotplate temperature increases like wave:

And finally, here is the modded Neato Botvac D5. Ready to keep our place clean for that bit longer:

PROJECT: Neato D5 Mod, Update #3 - DRAFT PCBA Shape

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I have been playing around with SolidWorks Sheet Metal functionality and now have a DRAFT shape for the flex PCBA. Here's how it looks unfolded:

Here it is folded, with the various sections marked:

And here is the rather simple assembly which consists of:

• Sullins PPPC041LFBN-RC (well stocked generic 0.1" header)
• Samtec TLW-107-05-T-S (not as well stocked but need the thin insulation height)
• Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C6 (debug port cowboy/girl)
• ESD protection (suspect +3V3 ESD diodes near debug connector & inline RES near ESP32)

Next steps:

• Create above components in my Altium Database Library.
• Import flattened PCB outline into Altium while I wait for JLCPCB to confirm stack-up and material queries.

PROJECT: Neato D5 Mod, Update #2 - A Slight Change of Plans

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After joining the Neato Connected Discord I ran into another smart banana (4_Fools) that proposed hiding the ESP32 behind the bumper and running a ribbon cable to the debug port like so:

So I plonked a Seeed ESP32-C6 (since they are known for quality HW, especially when speccing the internal antenna) and a generic 4P 0.1" female socket into the SolidWorks assembly and yea this looks like the best way to go, as it's a plug & play mod that (hopefully) does not require any modifications to the bumper:

Next step is to figure out the flex shape and reach out to JLCPCB for their flex, rigid stiffener, & adhesive spec.