The Encoder Node V1.0 PCBs arrived during the week and I quickly assembled one to start bench testing. Thankfully all the JST sockets fitted after my previous modifications, and it booted perfectly the first time.

This board is a critical component for determining the robot's current position within its environment.

The next step will be to mount one of these boards onto the robot itself (the SLAMBOT) to collect real-world data to incorporate into the rest of the ROS 2 infrastructure I've built out during the last month.

I was very grateful when PCBWay reached out to me to sponsor a PCB for this project as it made it so much faster to go from bench prototyping to an assembled PCB. Thanks PCBWay!