Middle Plate
The middle plate is located in the middle of the robot, it is connected to the top plate with six metal supports. It is supported by the four motor mounts. The middle plate is 3D printed with PETG.
The rectangular hole in the middle of the motor mounts is for the cable that goes from the front assembly PCB to the power board. There is also room at the front to slide in the ball sensor and the Lipo battery, as shown in this figure of the middle assembly. The big cut-outs are meant for the wheel PCB's and the cables of the wheel motors and encoders. The cables of the kicker and the chipper solenoid fit exactly in the cut-outs at the edge of the middle plate.
At the back of the plate, is a holder for the capacitor that is connected to the kicker/chipper PCB. This holder makes sure that the capacitor is well supported and does not vibrate too much during driving.
In 2022-2023 the thickness of the middle plate has been increased to improve structural stability.