Replacing Vector Robot Brain Board
Worked for 1 min 54 sec
Created a project doc
Passive Wiretap Board Status
This board has been redesigned as a safe listen-only wiretap for the Vector head/body 4-wire cable. It no longer includes the ESP32-C3 or ac...
Done — I redesigned it as a passive listen-only wiretap.
What changed:
- Removed ESP32-C3 and level-shifter from the signal path.
- Kept only headers + protection resistors.
- Mapped the confirmed Vector wires:
- black
GND - red
VMAIN - white
BODY_RX - green
TX1.8
- black
- Routed the simplified PCB.
- Ran ERC/DRC checks: no errors/warnings came back in the checked categories.
Saved status here:
Passive Wiretap Board Status
Passive Wiretap Board Status
Open item:
- This is still a hand-wired/probe board, not the final drop-in Vector connector board.
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Passive Wiretap Board Status
What This Board Is Now
This board has been redesigned as a safe listen-only wiretap for the Vector head/body 4-wire cable.
It no longer includes the ESP32-C3 or active level translator in the signal path. That means this revision cannot accidentally transmit into Vector's head/body communication wires.
Confirmed Vector 4-Wire Cable Labels
Table
| Vector wire | Label on Vector board | Debug board handling |
|---|---|---|
| Black | GND | Common ground to J2 pin 3 |
| Red | VMAIN | Sense-only through 100kΩ to J2 pin 2 |
| White | BODY_RX | Listen tap through 10kΩ to J2 pin 4 |
| Green | TX1.8 | Listen tap through 10kΩ to J2 pin 5 |
Debug Board Connectors
J1 — Vector-side temporary input
Use only the first four pins:
GND/ black wireVMAIN/ red wireBODY_RX/ white wireTX1.8/ green wire
All other J1 pins are intentionally unused.
J2 — Probe/debug output
- Unused
VMAIN_SENSE_TAPthrough 100kΩGNDBODY_RX_LISTEN_TAPthrough 10kΩTX1V8_LISTEN_TAPthrough 10kΩ- Unused
Current Hardware Contents
The board now only has:
- J1 Vector-side header
- J2 probe/debug header
- R1 10kΩ BODY_RX series protection resistor
- R2 10kΩ TX1.8 series protection resistor
- R3 100kΩ VMAIN sense protection resistor
Checks Run
ERC/DRC checks requested after the redesign returned no ERROR/WARNING results for the checked categories, including airwires, overlapping copper/traces, dangling traces, under-connected vias, ERC floating/power/single-pin/no-connect checks, and missing footprints.
Important Use Warning
This board is for listening only.
Do not inject power or data into Vector through this board. Do not connect a 3.3 V ESP32 pin directly to the green
TX1.8 wire.Remaining Limitation
J1 is still a temporary generic 2.54 mm header, not the exact physical Vector connector. This is okay for a hand-wired probe/wiretap, but it is not a drop-in mechanical replacement connector yet.
What This Board Is Now
Confirmed Vector 4-Wire Cable Labels
Debug Board Connectors
J1 — Vector-side temporary input
J2 — Probe/debug output
Current Hardware Contents
Checks Run
Important Use Warning
Remaining Limitation
