Day 7: Initiating the Process of Integration

The hardware team had finally completed the base of the robot. Now, the spotlight shifted to us—the software team. It was time to prove that all our code and testing wasn’t just running on screens but could actually move the robot.

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👥 Team Changes

The team dynamics kept shifting:

• 1–2 new members joined us late, eager to contribute.

• 2–3 members who couldn’t keep up were removed from the software side.

It was a reminder that RoboCon isn’t just about skill—it’s about consistency, focus, and commitment.

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🔗 Software Meets Hardware

We had completed most of the software stack:

• ROS nodes for motor control.

• Communication modules for microcontrollers.

• Safety checks and basic testing.

Now came the real challenge—integrating everything with the hardware base.

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⚡ The EC Problem

To integrate properly, we needed strong knowledge of Electrical Communication (EC):

• Signal flow between microcontrollers and motor drivers.

• Handling noise and grounding issues.

• Correct wiring for ROS-to-MCU messaging.

But here was the catch: none of us had deep EC experience.

That’s when our leader—who had mastery across hardware, software, robotics, and EC—stepped in. He didn’t just fix the problem; he taught me how to make the connections, explaining every step:

• How to route signals safely.

• Why certain grounds must be tied.

• The logic behind each connection.

For me, it was like opening a new chapter—my first real hands-on with EC.

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🚀 The Base Moves (Almost!)

With everything connected, we ran the system… and for the first time, the base moved! 🎉

It wasn’t perfect—jerky, unstable, and clearly needing more tuning—but it was a huge milestone. The feeling of seeing something we coded come to life in the real world was unforgettable.

I knew we had to work much harder to refine it, but this was proof:

Our robot was alive.

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✨ What’s Next

In the next part, I’ll share some of the dark realities of our college—the behind-the-scenes struggles that no one usually talks about but every RoboCon team faces in one way or another.

The journey was about to get more challenging than ever.