Documentation

Troubleshooting!

The Solarbotics Herbie the Mousebot is a pretty straightforward device, so let’s step through the list and

hopefully we’ll find your problem. If not, give us a call, and we’ll be happy to work with you to fix it.

1. “Nothing is happening!” - Even without the chip, Herbie should do something, so there must be a problem

with power. Make sure you have the soldered the power tabs on the battery board to the main board. They’re

located directly underneath the battery snaps (see step 6, photo 6B!). Oh, and did you remember to turn it on?

It should turn on with the switch moved towards the tail.

2. “Herbie is spinning really fast!” - This usually means one of the motors is installed backwards. Pick Herbie

up, and feel each motor spin. Unless if it’s in “Backup!” mode, the wheels should be trying to push Herbie

forward. When you’ve found which motor is in backwards, the easiest fix is to just cross-wire the motor

connections to the PCB. It’s much easier than prying the motor out and turning it around.

3. “Herbie is spinning in wide circles!” - This happens when either one of the motors isn’t working very well,

so check to see that the rubber didn’t creep up to rub against the motor. Or the motor shaft may be gunked up

with loose hair causing it to slow down. Or one of the motors is way out of alignment. As long as both motors

are mounted in pretty much the same way, Herbie will be perfectly happy. If one is wacky, it’ll do donuts!

4. “Why is Herbie always running in reverse?” - One of two reasons: 1) Both motors were installed backwards

(see problem 2 to fix), or 2) The “Backup!” circuit is stuck on. Listen closely when you turn Herbie on - do you

hear a “click”? If so, that’s the relay turning on, which means either your tail spring sensor or your whiskers

are making contact with the touch rings. Check each and make sure that the whiskers/tail do not touch the rings

that surround them. If this isn’t the case, make sure you didn’t accidently make a solder bridge from the tail

spring to the tail ring (see step 13, picture 13A!).

5. “Herbie isn’t responding to anything - it just runs straight!” - Betcha the LM386 chip is in backwards, or

missing!

6. “My dog chewed on Herbie, and now it’s acting strange...” - Well, wouldn’t you? What you’re seeing is dog

drool affecting the circuitry. Wipe off the top of Herbie with a paper towel and some glass cleaner or alcohol,

and let it dry. Herbie will recover just fine!

7. “My cat is rubbing her eye...” - As cute as Herbie is, it isn’t a pet toy. Don’t let Herbie poke your pets!

Relay

160

ohm

LED

Photo Diode

Eyes

LM386

Tail & Whisker

Sensors

22µF

4.7k

Power

Switch

3904

Solarbotics Herbie the Mousebot