Workshop notes
Guides that go one level deeper than the calculators. Each tool on this site has companion articles here — the list below updates automatically from the site config.
Forward and inverse equations, the instantaneous centre of curvature, and handling saturated commands.
An honest comparison of five drivetrains — odometry quality, terrain, cost and complexity.
Efficiency, backlash, alignment tolerance — and why the failure modes decide it.
The deflection and frequency methods, tensioning mechanisms, and a symptom table.
Force versus speed, and the back-driving question that decides most vertical axes.
The division of labour between guide and drive, plus the alignment order that prevents binding.
Balance and two-scale measurement methods, and the layout choices that lower it.
The four tip-over cases, why sliding first is safer, and five fixes ranked by value.
The torque–speed curve, where peak power sits, and what gearing really does.
A step-by-step method for checking optimistic listings with a scale and a lever arm.
The tick-to-position math, the error sources that make robots drift, and honest calibration.
Incremental vs absolute, the PPR/CPR trap, and reading encoders without missing counts.
Internal resistance, brownout thresholds, diagnosis with a multimeter, and the fixes that work.
How S stacks voltage and P pools amps, plus the balancing rules that keep packs safe.
The two-rail architecture, UBEC selection, star grounding, fusing and bring-up order.
An AWG sizing table, the three connector families worth standardizing on, and crimping craft.
How steppers work, the torque–speed collapse, microstepping honesty, and where they belong.
A4988 vs DRV8825 vs TMC2209, the Vref procedure step by step, and symptoms decoded.
Value selection, tolerance, output impedance and calibration for readings you can trust.
Which voltage mixes are safe, which need shifting, and the right shifter for each bus.
Manual tuning order, Ziegler–Nichols, and fixes for oscillation, overshoot and sluggish response.
What P, I and D actually do, with line-follower and balance-bot examples.
Specs, gear materials, analog vs digital, and which servo class fits your build.
Moment arms, multi-joint math, and a complete 3-joint arm calculation.
A practical selection process with worked examples and efficiency numbers.
The speed–torque trade, gear types compared, and how to read a gearbox spec.
What the numbers on a battery actually mean and how to calculate runtime honestly.
Chemistry trade-offs, safety, and which battery fits which robot.
Stall vs rated torque, unit conversions, and how to read a motor datasheet.
DC, brushless, stepper or servo? Torque, speed, current and a full worked example.