Resources/Troubleshooting
Guides
Written for a first-time builder: a parent or about age 12. Getting started is evergreen. Troubleshooting comes from QA logs marked major, blocker, or recurring — not from imagined classroom incidents.
A short bench list: computer, board, cardboard tools, and the parts named in the build.
Getting startedThe board is in the middle. Lines are wires. D9 and A0 are pin names, not part names.
Getting startedCopy the generated firmware, pick the board and USB port, then press Upload. The copilot does not flash the board for you.
Getting startedSwap close equivalents, keep power and ground, and do not wait for a kit that is not on sale yet.
Almost always power, ground, the signal pin, or the cardboard stalling the horn — not a broken servo.
CodeCharge-only cables and the wrong port are the usual cause. The copilot cannot see your USB port.
CodeThe sensor threshold from QA is a starting number. Your lighting and your items will need a different cutoff.
Wiring diagramSensor height, inverted black/white logic, and motors swapped left/right are the three QA repeats.
Mechanical / physicalWheels are slipping on the axle or the chassis is sitting on cardboard instead of the tyres.
Mechanical / physicalSlots need a snug cut. Glue needs time. A servo horn screwed into flimsy flute will tear.
Parts mismatchThe package was generated for an Uno. A different board can work if you remap pins in both the diagram and the code.
Wiring diagramLEDs have a direction, need a resistor, and must match the pin in the sketch.
SafetyThat is a stall or an overloaded pin. Unplug. Do not hold the shaft to “test torque.”
Instruction clarityTreat the cutouts and the diagram as source of truth. Ask the copilot to fill the gap; do not invent a joint that fights the servo.