RCUP BASE PCB 2

AMR-Motor-Control-Power-Distribution

Certainly — here it is in a clear pointer-based format:

AMR-Motor-Control-Power-Distribution

• A custom-designed PCB that acts as the central power distribution and low-level control unit of the autonomous mobile robot.

• Distributes power from the 24V battery to the robot’s major subsystems, including:

  • Base motors
  • Robotic arm
  • Onboard Jetson compute module
  • Supporting electronics and sensors

Power Regulation

• Includes buck converters to step down the input voltage to the required levels for different subsystems.
• Provides stable and regulated power delivery to components with different voltage requirements.
• Improves overall system efficiency through localized voltage regulation.

Control Architecture

• Integrates two electrically isolated STM32F411 microcontrollers.

• The microcontrollers are responsible for:

  • Motor control
  • Encoder data handling
  • IMU data handling
  • Communication with the Jetson compute module

• Electrical isolation between control and power sections helps:

  • Reduce electrical noise
  • Improve system reliability
  • Protect sensitive electronics from faults in high-current sections

Protection and Reliability Features

• Designed with a strong focus on electrical protection and robust operation.

• Protection features include:

  • Galvanic isolation
  • Isolated DC-DC converters
  • Polyfuses
  • TVS diodes

• These features help protect the system against:

  • Overcurrent conditions
  • Voltage spikes
  • Electrical noise and transients

• Includes an emergency kill switch with fuse protection in the main power path for safe and immediate shutdown.

System Design Advantages

• Separates power electronics, sensing, and computing into distinct electrical domains.

• Improves:

  • Serviceability
  • Fault isolation
  • Debugging efficiency
  • Long-term system reliability

• Plays a key role in ensuring stable operation of the robot in demanding autonomous applications.

I can also merge this with your dual-STM isolation scheme section so the whole README reads in one consistent pointer-based style.

The Two Brains

Got it. For a schematic description, pointer-style is better.

You can write it like this:

Isolation and Communication Architecture

• The board uses two STM32 microcontrollers arranged in separate electrical domains.

• The two controllers communicate through optocouplers, providing electrical isolation between the domains.

• Communication across the isolation barrier consists of:

  • 1 clock synchronization line
  • 2 UART lines

• This arrangement allows reliable data exchange while reducing the effect of electrical noise and preventing fault propagation between subsystems.

Powering Scheme

• One STM32 is powered using an isolated DC-DC converter.
• The other STM32 is powered directly from the raw power rail.
• This split power architecture helps isolate sensitive control and sensing electronics from noisy power sections.

Functional Division Between the Two STM32s

STM32-1

• Receives encoder data
• Sends encoder feedback to the Jetson
• Receives motor actuation commands from the Jetson through USB CDC
• Acts as the main communication bridge to the Jetson

STM32-2

• Acquires IMU data
• Sends IMU data to STM32-1

Data Flow

• Jetson → STM32-1: motor actuation commands via USB CDC
• STM32-2 → STM32-1: IMU data
• STM32-1 → Jetson: encoder data and forwarded IMU data

Design Benefits

• Clear separation of sensing and control responsibilities
• Reduced electrical interference between domains
• Improved robustness in noisy motor-control environments
• Easier debugging and modular system integration

Here is an even shorter README-style version:

Dual-STM Isolation Scheme

• Two STM32 microcontrollers are used in separate electrical domains.
• The domains are isolated using optocouplers.
• Cross-domain communication uses one clock synchronization line and two UART lines.
• One STM32, powered through an isolated DC-DC converter, handles encoder acquisition and Jetson communication over USB CDC for motor commands.
• The second STM32, powered from the raw supply, handles IMU acquisition and sends this data to the first STM32.
• The first STM32 forwards the combined feedback data to the Jetson.

Switch Layout

• The schematic includes three primary power switches: Main Kill, Arm Kill, and Base Kill.
• The Main Kill Switch controls overall system power.
• The Arm Kill Switch only disables the arm power domain.
• The Base Kill Switch only disables the base power domain.
• The Jetson remains powered even when the Arm Kill Switch is turned off, allowing computation and system monitoring to continue independently of the arm power domain.

Fuse Layout and Protection

• The schematic includes three main fuses on the PCB:

  • one for the IMU
  • one for each STM32 microcontroller

• These fuses protect the low-power sensing and control sections of the board.

• In addition, one fuse may also be added along with each kill switch, depending on the required level of subsystem protection.

• This design provides better electrical safety and allows faults to be isolated more effectively across different power domains.

You can write it like this:

High-Current Power Routing

• The high-current section of the PCB is laid out as a separate and clearly defined power zone.

• This section is designed with wider copper paths to support higher current flow with lower resistance.

• Special attention has been given to the battery input terminal to improve current-carrying capability.

• In this region, the solder mask has been removed intentionally so that additional solder can be added over the copper.

• Adding extra solder increases the effective conductive cross-section and helps the board handle higher current more reliably.

• This layout improves:

  • current-carrying capacity
  • thermal performance
  • power delivery reliability under heavy load

Acknowledgment and Conclusion

• This project represents the combined effort of the entire electronics team and all the members who contributed to making this AMR possible.
• The development of the AMR-Motor-Control-Power-Distribution board was made possible through continuous design, testing, debugging, and integration across multiple subsystems.
• Special acknowledgment goes to all the members of the electronics system whose work on power distribution, control, sensing, protection, and system integration contributed to the successful realization of this project.
• This board serves as a key part of the robot’s electrical architecture, enabling reliable power delivery, subsystem isolation, and robust low-level control.
• With this work, the project establishes a strong foundation for stable and scalable operation of the autonomous mobile robot.