Circuitmess MARV User manual

Introduction
The beginning
Welcome to MARV's build guide!
By following this build guide, you'll learn how to assemble your wacky robot - Marv.
Marv is a beginner-friendly 12-piece kit that will help you learn about soldering and
the difference between a pushbutton and a switch.
Age group
This product is 9+.
MARV, The Wacky Robot
Build Guide
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Make sure to have an adult helping you with the assembly process. It's okay to ask
for help.
Assembly time
It should take you approximately 1 hour to fully assemble your MARV.
Skills
You don't need to have any specific skills before getting your hands dirty with this
DIY project.
The main objective here is to have fun and learn something new.
What's in the kit?
Let's meet all the components that arrived!
In case something is missing, please contact us at[email protected].
Send us a photo of everything that came in the box, and we'll get back to you as
soon as possible to resolve the issue.  
Here's the list of components:
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1. Battery holder
2. Resistors
3. Circuit board
4. 5mm blue LEDs
5. 3V coin cell battery
6. Switch
7. Pushbuttons
Electronics 101
Let's learn something about the components
you've got!
Don't worry, it won't last long, and we will try to make it fun.
1. Circuit board
The blue head-shaped thingy you've gotten in your kit is called a circuit board.
Professionals call this a printed circuit board or PCB.
A PCB is a laminated sandwich structure of conductive and insulating layers.
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What does it do?
Your circuit board has two functions:
1. It holds all the electronic components in place.
2. It provides electrical connections between the electronic components.
Because of the circuit board, all electronic components can work together as a
team.
What are those tiny lines on my circuit board?
They allow electrical charges to flow between components. This way, electronic
components are powered, and they can do clever stuff using electricity.
What is my circuit board made of?
Circuit boards are usually made out of fiberglass-reinforced epoxy-laminated
sheets.
These are also referred to as “FR4” sheets.
The FR4 sheets are used as the insulating non-conductive material, and copper is
used as a conductive material.
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If material is conductive, it conducts electricity; electrical charge can flow
through that material easily.
FR4 and copper are both sandwiched together in thin sheets, and that’s how you
get a circuit board.
Where are PCBs used?
They’re used everywhere!
In your phone, in your laptop, in your refrigerator, air conditioner. Basically, every
electronic device you use has a unique printed circuit board that makes it work.
Did you know?
A PCB is one of the most important inventions of the last 100 years.
Space travel wouldn’t be possible without them.
PCBs were invented by Paul Eisler.
He invented it in the 1930s, but the predecessors of modern-day PCBs have been
around since the age of gramophones and vacuum tube radios, just in a
somewhat different form.
2. Resistors
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Resistors are the most basic electronic components found in almost every
electronic device.
They fall in the category of passive electronic components.
Passive electronic components do not generate electrical power and do not need
electrical power to work.
They just modify the flow of electrical energy in their own unique way.
Resistors that you have gotten in your package have a cylindrical shape and two
tiny metal legs.
We call these legs “component leads”.
Resistance
Resistors have a property of resistance - they lower the amount of electrical
energy flowing through the circuit. They “resist” the flow of electrical energy.
The unit of resistance is called ohm and it was named after German physicist
Georg Simon Ohm.
Resistors are used for tasks such as adjusting the flow of electricity through an
electronic circuit.
The exact value of a resistor is measured with a device called an ohmmeter.
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Can we compare it to something we see in everyday life?
If we make an analogy to water flowing through pipes, the resistor is a thin pipe
that reduces the water flow.
Scientists and engineers have come up with different symbols for each and
every electronic component.
This is an electronic symbol for a resistor:
This is Georg Simon Ohm:
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3. 3V coin cell battery
A battery is a source of electric power consisting of electrochemical cells.
Every battery stores chemicals. These chemicals cause chemical reactions and
generate electrical energy.
This battery is made out of a material called lithium.
Do you see the tiny “3V” written on the battery?
This is read as “three volts”.
Volts are the units used to describe electrical voltage.
You will see the number of volts written on almost every battery as it’s one of the
most important pieces of information about the battery.
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Voltage is a type of “pressure” that drives charge through an electrical circuit.
Different electronic devices have different batteries with different voltages.
For example, a mobile phone has a battery of 3.7 volts, and a car has a battery with
a voltage of 12 volts.
Useful tip:
This particular battery size and model is called a CR2032 coin cell battery.
4. Battery holder
The battery holder is not as complex as the rest of the components, but it deserves
a word or two.
It's made out of plastics and has two pins that you'll have to solder in order to keep
it on Marv's body.
The battery holder will be used for holding the battery and giving life to your wacky
robot.
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5. Switch
The switch you got in your kit is a power switch, andit helps you turn Marv on and
off. You can easily do so with one simple push.
The power switch controls the flow of power to an electric device - in other words,it
connects and disconnects an electrical circuit.
Switches are used in almost every electronic device. They are found in your mobile
phone, computer, air conditioner, etc.
Historical fun fact:
An electrical switch was invented in 1884 by John Henry Holmes, who used it for
turning lights on and off.
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