Full Cost Breakdown of the Components Used to Build the Prototype
Micro mouse
The cost of prototyping includes the microcontroller, motors, sensors and PCB components. Instead of the Motorola microcontroller, this year we used the raspberry pi Pico priced around $4. This decision was due to its dual 32-bit ARM architecture and 133MHz clock speed opening the possibility for graphical displays and complex navigation/advanced features. In addition, the micro mouse uses a 14-pin DRV8835 dual motor driver to efficiently control the two Pololu 6V meatal gear motors (These total around $49.75). Finally, the PCB assembly was done manually using through hole components on a single layer PCB. Estimating the cost of this with the through hole components could be around $35. Manually soldering these components eliminates the cost of outsourcing the PCB reducing our total cost.
Full Costing of Overhead Resources in Terms of Lab Time, Access to
Technical and Academic Support
Beyond the cost of the components, the project requires lab access and support. Our resources range from soldering irons, 3D printers to very expensive measuring tools and testing kits. The technical and academic support provided during troubleshooting and testing was critical during the production of the micro mouse. Additionally, the software tools required to create the PCB design (proteus commonly used in industry) is costly and fabrication of the PCB also comes at a cost. The software for circuit design and simulation costs approximately $702 and printing the PCB is maybe around $25. Since the DRV8835 motor driver was incorporated, it was imperative that we optimized software within the Raspberry Pi Pico environment, ensuring smooth motor control. These software and hardware integration efforts contributed to the project’s overall overhead. By managing the direct and overhead costs, our prototype could be considered cost-effective (Still quite expensive for the final quality of our work. However, we improved our skillset and learnt what is required of an engineer in industry).