Chassis modifications

In this video, we're going to modify the shell that goes around our Bit-zee bot so that the switches will be able to fit through, and we'll be able to get the bumper switches in place. So we're sort of not exactly sure how much material we need to remove, so we're just going to take away a chunk, and see if we can make that work. Now when I was doing this, I learned that the nipper pliers that I used to cut the plastic is actually not the right tool. Because it tends to cause the plastic to split, and can make it crack in places that you don't want it to crack. So I would just use the knife, and sort of take it away just a little bit at a time. And that way you can get exactly the way you want it. Now again, any time you're using a knife, you should have a lot of experience with it. And be wearing safety glasses, and things like that. Especially using a break off blade knife, because the sections can pop away if you cut at the wrong angle. But you can see how easily the styrene carves. It's very easy material to work with. So we're just taking more and more of the styrene out at a time. And making sure that we have enough clearance for our switches. And we'll go back and take a little bit more styrene. Now we're trying to find a way to do it in a way that's also aesthetically somewhat pleasing. So we're going to, instead of having just a harsh jog, were cutting a curve into the styrene. And in order to get enough clearance for our green wires, we really have to remove a whole lot more material. So we're just marking that out with our break off blade knife. And then snipping some of it off with our nipper pliers. And that's where I discovered that the nipper pliers can cause it to sort of split. And so it's not nearly as good as the break-off blade knife. It's faster, but you risk cracking it. So in any case, we've got our sort of shell, or outer housing. And we're making sure that the switches clear, and the wires clear, and trimming off the excess material. And we've put it upside down, and we can see that it's totally clear, and everything's good. We've managed to smooth off the edges. And now we're just lining it up for the final time. And we're going to go ahead and put the screws that hold the outer shell in place. And that will finish the modifications to the outer shell. All right, and we're turning down the screws there. Last adjustments on the 22 gauge wires, making sure everything works, and tightening the switches down. And we've already loaded some code on the Arduino. And so we're going to push our bumper switches and see if we can get them to trigger the lights. There they go. So the lights are working pretty well. And our bumper switches cover almost the full front and back of the bot. So we can be sure that when we run into a wall we'll be able to respond to it.