Welcome to Micromouse!
Spring 2023
Lecture: Tuesday 6PM ~ 8PM (PST)
Location: Dwinelle 182

The UC Berkeley IEEE Student Branch’s Micromouse DeCal is a hands-on course aimed at undergraduates with an interest in robotics. In the class, teams of ~2 students are formed to build and program autonomous, maze-solving cars that follow the standards set in IEEE’s Micromouse competition.

The course assumes no experience and will be based around a series of labs and project milestones that cover a wide range of robotics concepts. The course will expose students to CircuitPython programming, autonomous navigation, sensors, PID, and basic electrical engineering, while preparing them for an in-class competition at the end of each semester. Teams are also provided with the opportunity to qualify for funding to attend competitions among other schools in California and neighboring states.

All necessary parts will be provided to students at no cost.

Notices

The Micromouse Discord is live: https://discord.gg/FRWvxrTChh

This semester the Decal will take place in Dwinelle 182 on Tuesdays from 6-8PM, starting January 31st. Make sure to fill out the interest form by the 30th!

Note that the slides on this page are just for preview. They'll be updated before lecture and posted after.

Instructors
Harris
Harris Thai

Co-director

Kate
Kate Bostow

Brayan
Brayan Velasco

Co-director

Lucy
Lucy Revina

Timeline
Week Title Content Links
1
1/31
What is Micromouse? • Tournament video, rules
• Course logistics, questions
Slides
2
2/7
Lab 1: Assembly • Assemble the robot!
• Learn how to use a reflow oven
Lab Doc
Slides
3
2/14
Lab 2: CircuitPython Basics • Continue soldering the robot
• Start programming in CircuitPython
• ~Valentine's Day~
Lab Doc
Slides
4
2/21
Lab 3: Encoders • Hall effect sensors
• Polling vs. interrupts
Lab Doc
Slides
5
2/28
Lab 4: IR Sensors • ADC readings
• Sensor calibration
Lab Doc
Slides
6
3/7
Lab 5: Odometry and Motor Control • Linear and angular distance
• Spin those motors
Lab Doc
Slides
7
3/14
Buffer Week

8
3/21
Buffer Week

9
3/28
Spring Break - no class!
10
4/4
Lab 6: Intro to PID • The 'P' in PID Lab Doc
Slides
11
4/11
Lab 7: More PID • The rest of PID
• Wall following and turning
Lab Doc
Slides
12
4/18
Buffer Week (...tax day...)
13
4/25
Maze Solving (Optional) • Flood fill algorithm or whatever you come up with! Lab Doc (WIP)
Slides
14
5/2
RRR Week - Class Competition or Showcase (TBD)