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 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 if the motor shaft is 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.

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

Photocells