Got distracted by SCALE and waiting for parts on back order.   

Restarted the project on April 27th with a massive inventory.  Bought a number of storage containers of various sizes, and then reorganized all the parts by sub-assembly, adding a manifest to each box.   This was valuable in preparing the hardware for a team to build it in parallel.  It also made it easier to identify the missing parts that will need to be ordered.   This was a 3-person project, since it would have been tedious and error prone with just one person.

On May 4th, we had our first build session where we started with the wiring harness.  We learned that working with silicone-insulated wires is a pain and we're better of with PVC-insulated wires.  We learned how to crimp dupont connectors and also how to test them.  

The road map says it is better to start with the wiring and PCB board, as it's important to have all the electrical parts be functional, as that is less forgiving than the mechanical parts.   Since most of the mechanical assembly instructions involve comments about how to insert the wiring, it does seem like we will need to try to get the wiring done sufficiently that it can be integrated into the build.

As for mechanical assembly, although we know what the major components are and what they should look like, we need to refer to the Onshape model to see how it's actually put together, including the fasteners.

Throughout the process, we've been thinking of how this would work with kids and their teachers.   It really depends on how comfortable the teachers and students are with engineering.

• Break up the parts into subassemblies
• Break up the students into teams for each part
  • PCB/electrical
  • wiring/testing
  • coding/brain
  • mechanical
    • body
    • rocker bogie
    • drive wheel
• Ahead of time, identify the additional tools and/or fasteners IKEA or Lego style
• moar pictures
• learning opportunities - connect to STEM topics
  • For example - wire length -> increased resistance -> heat