Neobotics Foundation Inc.
SafetyNEORACER DOCS
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HARDWARE / SAFETY · START HERE

SAFETY RULES.

The NeoRacer is a small autonomous robot, and treated well it has a multi-year service life. A few habits keep it that way, since a careless run can damage the car, damage property, or, with the LiPo, start a fire. A few minutes here before the first run sets you up for all of them.

Worth a read firstIndoor only
01 / RULE-BY-RULE

THE FIVE RULES.

01

Indoor only

Indoor floors are where the car runs best.
The motor, , and Jetson are not rated for moisture, sand, or grit, and outdoor runs add a property and liability question on top. A known, controlled floor keeps all of that out of the picture.
02

Attended charging

Stay in the room while a pack charges.
Lithium-polymer chemistry stores a lot of energy in a small package, and its failure mode is a that lasts under a minute. Being in the room catches the early signs while there is still time to act.
03

Clear safe zone

A driving area free of people, pets, and breakables runs smoothest.
The car is capped at 6 m/s, over 20 km/h, and at indoor distances that's faster than your reaction time. About 1 m of clearance from anything you care about, yourself included, gives everyone room to stay out of the way.
04

Disconnect when idle

Unplugging the LiPo's XT60 lead at the end of a session keeps the pack healthy.
A connected pack trickles current through the regulators, and overnight that drains it into deep discharge territory and shortens its life. Disconnecting and storing at ~3.85 V/cell avoids all of that.
05

Smell, smoke, or swelling means stop

Any of the three is the moment to disconnect and isolate the pack.
LiPo failure shows clear early signs, so moving the pack to a fire-safe location and waiting is the safe move. Sometimes 30 minutes settles it, and sometimes the pack is best retired.
02 / OPERATING SAFELY

BEFORE AND DURING A RUN.

  • Keep hands and loose objects clear of the moving parts, the tires, servo, encoder, and drivetrain, while the car is powered, and ask bystanders to keep back too.
  • Switch the power off before you plug or unplug anything. Hot-plugging a connector can damage the board or whatever is on the other end.
  • Keep metal out of the interfaces, and don't charge or run during a thunderstorm.
  • The car's autonomous behaviour is uncertain by design, so someone should always be watching with the transmitter in reach. A flick of CH7 back to RC takes the wheel.
  • Avoid a stalled motor left under power (a locked rotor) and continuous running above 40 °C, both of which build heat fast.
03 / FOR EDUCATORS

CLASSROOM SUPPLEMENTS.

  • One charging adult per ~4 students charging at once keeps eyes on every pack.
  • A dedicated, fire-safe charging spot, a concrete floor or a LiPo bag, gives the chemistry somewhere safe to fail.
  • A safe driving zone marked with tape or cones tells students where the car will and won't go.
  • A first-aid kit on site and a Class D extinguisher or sand bucket within reach cover the rare bad day.
  • A printed copy of this page in the lab means the rules are there when the screen isn't.