RoBotanica

silent, yet so strong,
force hidden, but impact clear,
I cannot withstand

Electronics & Embedded Basics - grown inside a robot eel

Introduction

RoBotanica is my electronics + microcontroller learning path built around one real robot: Eelbert
Instead of random tutorials, every theory week is tied to something physical: power, LEDs, sensors, motors, and safe switching.
The goal is simple: understand electronics deeply enough to design, debug, and iterate real builds - not just copy wiring diagrams.

Topics Covered

Week 1: Voltage, Current, Resistance
What flows through wires, what voltage really means, and how resistance controls it
Used in Eelbert: Battery powering LEDs, Arduino, and sensor-why wires “carry” energy and not just numbers
Week 2: Ohm’s Law Deep Dive
How voltage, current, and resistance relate (V = IR); calculating safe resistor values
Used in Eelbert: Resistor selection for LED eyes so they don’t burn out or go dim
Week 3: Capacitors & Charging Curves
How capacitors store/release energy, and how they create timing with resistors AC/DC
Used in Eelbert: Timing circuits for future upgrades (like blinking patterns or power smoothing)
Week 4: Transistors & Switching
How small signals control larger power-transistor as a gate or amplifier
Used in Eelbert: Optional LED animation upgrades; future Eelbert mods like sound or motor power switching

Topics Left

Week 5: PWM & Analog Illusions
Why analogWrite isn’t really analog; simulating smooth behavior with pulses
Used in Eelbert: Servo control-how a fake “analog” signal tells Eelbert’s tail how far to move
Week 6: Power Supply Theory
Battery chemistry, voltage regulation, current draw, why things get hot
Used in Eelbert: TP4056 heating, battery charging behavior, USB vs LiPo power, when things go unstable
Week 7: Microcontrollers 101
What’s inside the Arduino Nano: CPU, flash, pins, serial, I²C, power rails
Used in Eelbert: Understanding VIN, GND, I²C sensor pins (VL53L0X), digital vs analog outputs
Week 8: Signals & Noise
What noise is in electronics; how long wires, poor contact, or bad layout causes issues
Used in Eelbert: VL53L0X sensitivity, flaky jumper wires, need for strong solder or insulation
Week 9: Schematics & Symbols
How to read electronics diagrams and translate them to real builds
Used in Eelbert: Interpreting the TP4056 pinout, drawing Eelbert’s internal map, planning future upgrades
Week 10: System Integration
How to analyze a full system for power, logic, timing, and interaction
Used in Eelbert: Putting together battery + switch + Arduino + sensor + servo + LEDs without frying anything

Build Focus: Eelbert

Hardware elements explored during the path:

Arduino Nano (logic + control)
Two LED eyes (with safe resistor sizing)
Servo-driven tail (motion via PWM)
I²C proximity sensor (VL53L0X)
9V battery + TP4056 charging module + on/off switch
Safe switching & protection (transistors/MOSFETs, flyback diode concepts, decoupling capacitors)

Week 1–4 are completed;
the next phase is finishing a clean, soldered “skeleton” and then designing the cutesy shell in TinkerCad and 3D-printing it.

Mini-Projects Inspired by RoBotanica

Battery Whisperer - a high-resistance voltage measurement circuit (voltage divider + safe probing).
555 Timer Oscillator - square waves, duty cycle experiments, and timing intuition.
Battery Vampire (Joule Thief) - harvesting the last “bite” of energy from nearly-dead batteries.
Harmonic Oscillator (LC) - resonance, ringing, and waveform exploration with an oscilloscope.

Outcome

In progress.
By the end of RoBotanica, I’ll be comfortable reading schematics, choosing parts intentionally (not by vibes), and integrating power + logic + sensors + actuators into a stable real-world build.

Deep Dive (later)

PCB design (KiCad) and proper grounding/layout
Power path planning (buck/boost converters, battery protection, brownout behavior)
Noise & measurement (scope probing, filtering, debouncing)
MOSFET selection, gate driving, and efficiency
EMI and motor/servo best practices

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