TechnoDogs Knowledge Base

General robot building, repair, electrical work, programming and driving. Before doing work in Class B Build Zones this guide has to be read and understood. Team members will have to show proof of competency.

Please review:
Student Training Record (Can-Do Cards)

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• You MUST know what ALL of the ROBOT LIGHT SIGNALS mean (RSL) See table below in Programming
• Wear gloves
• Inspect intended hand placement for hazards
• Team lift
• Lift from chassis
  • If a chassis hold is not available, grip only strong structural items that are firmly attached to the chassis
• Know WHY you are moving the robot and place the robot thinking about that intended purpose
  • Example - secured to surface for drilling
  • Example - wheels suspended for programming
• Carry robot with safety in mind
  • Always use a cart if a cart will work
  • Match your speed with your partner(s), DO NOT pull or push partner(s) with the robot
  • Do not twist or turn robot without agreeing with your partner(s)
  • Warn partner(s) immediately of faulty grip or dangerous circumstances
• Announce your intentions to others nearby

You will need to manipulate metal and materials that are either loose or attached to the robot.

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Inspect material for sharp edges, burrs, or other hazards
• Wear Gloves
• Know your limits - do not carry materials that are too heavy or unwieldy
• Do not force material with hands if a tool can be used
• Be aware of actions that may break or splinter material causing flying debris or sharp items.
• Forcing or Bending material can create a pinching or slicing hazard - Take care to think about the forces at play

• Clothing
  • Wear Your Safety Glasses
  • Do Not Wear Gloves
  • Tie long hair back or secure under clothing or hat
  • Tuck in loose clothing and pull up sleeves
  • No open-toed shoes (hot sharp chips)
• Drill Bit
  • Know your drill bits - Choose the right drill bit for the material you are drilling into
    • Drill Bit Guide
  • Choose the correct size and sharpest available - do not use if chipped or damaged
  • For large holes - start with small bits and work your way up to the larger hole (typically 2 bits, 3 bits at most)
  • Do not use a tap in a power drill
• Safe Practices PRIOR Drilling
  • Ensure that there is nothing behind the work piece that the drill can impact after it goes through
  • Ensure that the work piece is properly secured and will not move while drilling
    • Clamp robot or work piece to table or secure against a solid object
    • Use vices and c-clamps to secure all pieces to prevent movement while drilling
  • Ensure proper footing
  • Balance your body such that you are not leaning nor extending
  • Find a safe solid location for your bracing hand away from the drilling area
  • Understand the direction of the force you will be using
  • PRACTICE your position with the drill OFF
  • Ensure drill bit is properly secured in drill chuck
    • For Electric Drills that use a chuck key - Unplug while installing or removing bits
    • Activate drill away from face and others to see if bit is spinning true - if not - re-chuck bit
  • Double check that drill will be rotating in the correct direction
  • Ensure that drill chips will be contained and will not
    • Fall or fly into electronics (good-bye robot)
    • Fall or fly into surrounding mechanics
    • Fall or fly into clothing or shoes
• Safe Practices DURING Drilling
  • Do not use excessive force
  • Even at regular force take care to be prepared for the following
    • Shoes may slip on floor
    • Drill bits can break
      • The broken bit and drill will lunge forward and can strike anything in the area of hole being drilled
      • Your entire body will move forward toward your work area
      • Your drill hand could come in contact with work piece or protruding broken bit
      • It is usually best to involve an adult when trying to remove a broken drill bit
    • Drill bit can grab and seize
      • The hand drill will attempt to spin with significant torque at seizure
      • Hold Firmly and Release Trigger
      • If you lose hold of drill - warn others and get clear
  • If the drilling is not going as planned STOP, re-inspect everything, ask for assistance
  • Listen for the calls of others, if you hear anything STOP
• Safe Practices AFTER Drilling
  • The drill bit, chips and material will be HOT. Handle with care and protective gear.
  • If drill bit is stuck - back it out slowly - seek assistance
  • Place drill in safe position immediately
  • Inspect clothing for chips - especially socks and shoes
  • Inspect work piece for burrs or sharp edges and use proper techniques to remove
  • Remove drill bit after it has cooled and store
  • Store drill in proper location
  • Dispose of all chips and debris safely via gloves, brush, pan, and/or vacuum

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Follow Drilling Safety above
• Use drive guide if available
  • Drive Guides prevent drill from pivoting off screw and impacting work items or hands
  • Do NOT try to hold screw head with finger tips
• Keep track of screws
• If any part of screw (head or thread) begins to strip - remove and replace - Do not keep trying to drive it in

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Hammering
  • Inspect head of hammer and ensure that it is secure on end of handle
  • Inspect Handle and do not use if
    • Splintered or broken
    • Slippery
  • Consider all other options to accomplish work before resorting to a hammer
  • Keep hands away from expected impact of hammer
  • If unsure of abilities go slower and use less force
  • Do NOT have others hold nail punches, chisels, tools or items that you intend to hit
  • Use tools such as pliers and clamps to hold items to be impacted
  • Do not RUSH - be creative and take the time to make the operation as safe as possible
  • Consider unintended consequence - dents, material breaking, etc
  • Warn others of intention to swing hammer and ensure that the path of hammer is clear and cannot hit unintended items or persons
• Prying
  • Prying material with crowbars and hammers stores spring force in the material
  • Ensure that fingers or body parts cannot be trapped once material is released
  • Avoid using hands or fingers to pry or distort material - Use a Tool
  • KNOW your material and examine the risk of
    • Material Breakage
    • Flying debris
    • Unintentional release of material
  • KNOW your tools and examine the risk of
    • Tool breaking creating flying debris
    • Tool slipping by being used improperly
  • Use proper stance and balance
    • Assume things can give way and prepare
    • Make sure that you, parts of your body, or the tool you are using will not move out of control in the event of any of the above, including successfully accomplishing your task

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Snipping and Cutting items can create flying debris
  • Ensure that debris will be controlled
• Snipping and cutting can create razor sharp edges
  • After operation take measures to de-burr or break the edge of sharp items

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Keep all liquids and chemicals way from electrical components
• Keep face and nose away from applications - Arms Length - DO NOT BREATHE VAPORS, even simple wood glue
• Wear latex or Nitrile Gloves when working with any chemical, lubricate, adhesive
• Make sure others are clear of application area
• Lubricants
  • WD40 and Oils
    • USE the fine tube to control spray
    • Use a paper towel to remove spray from unintended areas
    • If concerned about spray, apply to cloth and then apply to area
  • Grease
    • Take care to keep grease contained
• Adhesives
  • Loctite
    • Blue - apply to screws over disposable material - can drip
    • Red - NEVER use without approval
  • Wood Glue and Plumbers Goop - Gloves and Safety Glasses
  • Epoxy and Super-Glues
    • Carefully Control mixing area
    • Mix on disposable material

1. IMPORTANT Always Wear Your Safety Glasses when using tools, soldering, performing wiring or any type of electrical/electronic work. While it seems safe, it is not! When using a simple soldering iron, and heating any material, every with a small application point such as a soldering iron, reactions such as popping, spraying or other thermal events can occur!
2. Use common sense when using batteries, regardless of size. Pay attention to terminals on the battery, and that there is no chance of them being shorted with a tool, fixture, or when stored (shelving brackets, or other metal coming into contact). Store batteries in a clean, cool, dry place. Rule of thumb; if it is not comfortable for you, don't store the battery there. Batteries can leak or even explode when stored in heated, confined compartments. Batteries have stored energy - treat them as such.

1. When using a soldering iron, be aware of the application of heat. Know the correct temperature value for soldering PCBs (printed Circuit boards) [750 deg.F], and wiring harnesses [slightly lower or higher based on AWG]. Parts, componets and wiring can be damaged due to applying excessive heat. Be clear in what is needed to solder or de-solder components BEFORE doing the task. Have all tools such as plyers, tweezers, de-soldering tools ready
2. Be aware of recent soldered assemblies, as they can still burn when touched. Be aware of time needed for parts to cool.
3. Take time and use soldering tools in a clear and accurate manner, not only for best results, but unneeded finger burns, and other hand injuries.

1. Use proper tools, that are in working order (sharp, free moving and per requirement). Injury or part damage can result due to tools being worn, dull or inappropraite for the job, no matter how small the tool. Electrical assembly requires detailed work, and the tools used can give a unneeded cut, puncture or burn if not in working order and used correctly.
2. Keep a clean workplace, with plenty of lighting. Injury or issues arise due to having a messy, disorganized workplace.
3. Be aware of any types of chemicals, lubricants or adheasives used on new or re-worked parts. Injury due to vapors, applying a secondary type of chemical or task to an unknown part, can result due to not knowing “what is on” or already applied to componets. Find out first what is needed, then perform the type of work with the correct material and the correct tool. Be aware that rework may be required to accomplish the needed task.

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Understand the ROBOT LIGHT SIGNALS (RSL) in the following table

• When Robot is OFF
  • You MAY NOT turn on robot without
    • Announcing your intentions
    • Ensuring that everyone present has heard
    • Ensuring that all present are clear of potentially moving parts
    • Ensuring that the robot is positioned such that unintentional movement cannot cause safety issues (example - robot is on blocks so that it cannot move)
    • Being prepared to turn off the robot immediately upon any concern
• When Robot is ON and DISABLED
  • You MAY NOT ENABLE robot without
    • Announcing your intentions
    • Ensuring that everyone present has heard
    • Ensuring that all present are clear of potentially moving parts
    • Ensuring that the robot is positioned such that unintentional movement cannot cause safety issues (example - robot is on blocks so that it cannot move)
    • Being prepared to DISABLE the robot immediately upon any concern
• When Robot is ENABLED
  • You MAY NOT TEST or OPERATE any PORTION OF THE ROBOT without
    • Announcing your intentions
    • Ensuring that everyone present has heard
    • Ensuring that all present are clear of potentially moving parts
    • Ensuring that the robot is positioned such that unintentional movement cannot cause safety issues (example - robot is on blocks so that it cannot move)
    • Being prepared to DISABLE the robot immediately upon any concern

When operating a robot in order to drive or test significant moving features all rules above apply with the addition of the following

• Wear Your Safety Glasses
• Ensure that a Mentor or Coach is present
• Be prepared to:
  • Listen - does everything sound like it should?
  • Smell - are there any odd odors that could be coming from the machine?
  • Watch - is there anything odd about the robots movement?
  • Use your Intuition - is the plan well thought out, are you confident in it?
  • Shut It Down - Rather Safe than Sorry
• A student must be assigned to control the environment and ensure that everyone that enters the area is informed and clear of danger
• The environment must be adjusted such that unintentional movement of robot or apparatus will not impact people
  • Example - Blockade Robot
  • Example - Quarantine Robot away from people
• The environment should be analysed for any items that could pose a danger if impacted by the robot
  • Example - a stack of crates may fall over if hit by a machine
• You may not test features that project items or involve significant forces that could cause the robot to fall or pieces of the robot to break UNLESS a plan has been developed with a knowledgeable Mentor or Coach
• You may not operate the robot in a joking or reckless manner
• You may not operate the robot without being prepared to disable the machine quickly upon any concerns