Getting Started with LOC

LOC are small chipboard building pieces that can be used to make building structures easily and efficiently. These were made in an effort to explore inexpensive building tools for robotics and engineering education. With iterations in design, some of these pieces can also be used to build circuits and program other components in the kit such as LEDs and servos. This getting started guide breaks down the steps to create your LOC tools kit from the laser cutting process to setting up the circuits. The process of laser-cutting your own pieces is more expensive than the materials and assumes you have access to a soldering iron and laser cutter.

Materials:

Equipment/Software:

Laser Cutter
Soldering Iron
Adobe Illustrator

Laser Cutting LOC Pieces

Step #1:
Download the Following Files

Pieces.svg
The following file contains the svg of the pieces in a kit. There are 8 different pieces in the file but feel free to adapt them to your needs.

Step #2:
Settings on Adobe Illustrator

Open the file on adobe illustrator.
Set the stroke width to 0.001 inches and make the stroke color red.

Backpack #3:
Laser-Cutter Settings

Input the following settings under set up preferences.

Speed: 50%
Power: 70%
Frequency: 500%
Be prepared to cut multiple sheets of chipboard

Laser Cutting LOC Box

Step #1:
Download the Following Files

LOCBox.svg
QRcode.svg
The following file contains the svg of the LOC box. This is not a requirement of the kit but is nice to have. The box is cut but the LOC logo and QR codes are etched onto the chipboard and thus require different settings

Step #4:
Etching

Etch the QR code to the other side by flipping the sheet such that the top is now facing downwards

Position the laser cutter at the top left corner of the rectangle. Make sure the codes are centered using the rectangle

Step #2:
File Settings

Open the file on adobe illustrator. Select the box outline and set the stroke width to 0.001 inches and make the stroke color red.

Step #5:
Folding

Using the gorilla glue or a glue gun fold the box on the dashed lines and glue the box together where needed.

Step #3:
Laser Cutter Settings

Use the above step 3 settings. Go to the color mapping option and add black to the list of colors and have it's setting as the following in order to raster the LOC logo

Speed: 100%
Power: 35%
Frequency: 500

Soldering LOC Pieces

Step #1:
Set Up Pieces

When making pieces that you wish to build to make a circuit, it is important to know the pieces you want to make beforehand. And to have mapped out how the circuit will look.

Get a role of copper tape and cut 1/2 inch pieces to go where the pieces slide into each other. Cut 1 inch pieces for corners and 1 1/2 inch pieces of copper tape for straight lines.

Step #4:
Set Up circuits

Now you can set up your pieces to build circuits.

A word of caution: it is very easy to short circuit the pieces and the Adafruit Gemma M0 because it is hard to differentiate pieces. Map out your circuit first.

Step #2:
Place Tape on the Pieces

Start by placing two 1/2 inch pieces of copper tape in either side of the interlocking edges.

Place the straight edge or corner/L-shaped pieces on the flat sides connecting them to those on the edge.

Ensure that tape on either side of the LOC pieces are not connected to avoid short-circuiting.

Step #3:
Soldering Pieces

Using a soldering iron and soldering wire, solder the edge pieces to the flat pieces, connecting them to each other.

For the L-shaped taped pieces, also solder the perpendicular joint where the two pieces meet.

If you choose to use the Adafruit Gemma M0 and wish to solder it to its board, ensure that the edges are soldered onto the pins.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.