Instructions

Step by step to your self-made bristlebot, very easy!

Video building instructions (german)

Parts

A. Toothbrush-Head wit double sided tape
B. 3D printed connector system
C. Vibrationmotor
D. Button cell battery and spare battery
E. Various decoration - e.g. googly eyes

Warning! Do not dispose of empty batteries in normal household waste, batteries are toxic and harmful to the environment! Use suitable collection points for disposal, e.g. Battery collection boxes at supermarket checkouts. More infos here

Advice on building Ask an adult to help you build the bristlebot!

Preparation

Open your packaging and put out all components. Keep the plastic bag in a safe place, put your robot and the battery in it, nothing will be lost, otherwise the battery will be gone in no time! You need a hot glue gun to attach the motor cables and the decoration.

1. Remove protective foil

Remove the protective foil from the double-sided tape. The toothbrush was previously treated with heat so that the bristles can be bent backwards. In this way, the robot is given a direction of travel forward and does not "whip around". Therefore, the toothbrush looks used, but it is new and pretreated as already explained.

2. Glue on the connector system

Glue the 3D printed connector system onto the toothbrush head. Make sure to place the connector system around so that the slot with the cable holes on the side points to the rear, i.e. where the toothbrush was cut off. Stick on as symmetrically as possible, in other words nicely in the middle, lengthways and straight so that the robot will drive as straight as possible.

3. Install motor

First remove the white protective foil from the motor, then put it inside the front slot. Thread the motor cables into both side holes from the outside in, one on the left and one on the right. It doesn't matter which cable goes into which hole. Be careful, the little cables can easily tear if you pull them too hard! Make sure that only the stripped metal ends of the cables look out, these then touch the contacts of your battery. Do not thread any further, otherwise the cables will tear off when the button battery is inserted.

4. Insert the battery

Put the button battery in the rear compartment of the housing and off you go! If the robot vibrates, everything has been done correctly. Please insert as far as possible to avoid a short circuit or loose contact. Then the cables can be Hot glue are fixed so that they no longer slide out.

If your battery has run out (and also your spare battery), please dispose of it properly. You can get cheap replacements in various stores such as 1 euro shops. Which battery you need is written directly on the battery.

5. Decorate your robot

Finally, your robot can be decorated according to your imagination. The supplied decoration can be used with e.g. Hot glue can be attached. Attention, loose eyes are not self-adhesive. Have fun experimenting!

You can find suggestions and inspiration on how to decorate your robot here: Decovariations

You can find game ideas with your finished robot here: Game ideas

Hint If your robot keeps falling over, push the bristles of the brush wider, e.g. press bristles apart vigorously on a table edge, this gives your robot more standing space. If your robot drives in a circle rather than straight, push the bristles back to tune the robot in a forward direction! It is also helpful to press the bristles to the right, for example, when the robot moves to the left.

If you have any questions about the building instructions, please let us know, we can help you!