Linetracer

Award-winning domestic competition line tracing robot platform

An integrated line tracing robot project that combines race firmware, control electronics, PCB data, and mechanical assets in a single repository.

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Overview

Linetracer is a high-speed autonomous line tracing robot built for major domestic competition tracks in Korea. Like JP_Robotrace, this repository is not limited to firmware alone. It also preserves PCB design assets, logic references, mechanical models, manufacturing data, and supporting monitor firmware, making it a complete engineering archive rather than a source-only project.

At its core is a TI C2000-based control platform tuned for aggressive line following, sensor-driven motion control, and repeatable race setup. The repository captures both the competition robot itself and the surrounding hardware and tooling required to build, inspect, and maintain it.

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Competition History

This robot platform was developed for domestic line tracing competitions in Korea and achieved top awards across multiple events.

• Grand Prize - 20th National Intelligent Robot Competition
• Grand Prize - 26th National Line Tracer Contest
• Excellence Award - 14th Robot Fusion Festival

Those results position Linetracer as an award-winning competition robot archive, documenting a platform that was proven on real race tracks rather than only in development environments.

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Gallery

_{Competition hardware, mechanical design, and board-level implementation are preserved together in one repository.}

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Key Features

• High-speed line tracing firmware built for domestic competition environments
• Multiple run profiles including search, fast run, extreme run, and bril run
• Closed-loop control using sensor input, motor feedback, and dedicated DSP support code
• Separate monitor firmware for inspection, flash handling, and display-oriented tooling
• Hardware resources including EasyEDA projects, PADS sensor board data, logic PDFs, and Gerber outputs
• Mechanical assets including assembly visuals, robot photography, and printable STL models

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Project Structure

Linetracer/
├── Docs/                    # Component documents and technical references
├── Hardware/                # PCB design data, board images, Gerbers, and logic docs
│   ├── EasyEDA/
│   ├── Gerber/
│   ├── Logic/
│   └── PADS/
├── Mechanics/               # Mechanical assets, photos, and STL models
│   └── STL/
└── Software/                # Race firmware and monitoring firmware
    ├── _Vistan_/
    └── monitor_2809/

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Software Layout

The main race-oriented source lives under Software/_Vistan_/main/, where the firmware is organized around direct embedded functionality instead of layered abstractions. Important files visible in the project include:

• main.c - system initialization and runtime control entry point
• Motor.c - motor drive and motion control logic
• sensor.c - line sensor processing
• search.c - search-oriented driving behavior
• fastrun.c - high-speed tracing mode
• extremerun.c - aggressive race profile
• brilrun.c - top-end performance run mode
• menu.c - local configuration and menu flow
• flash.c - flash-related handling
• VFD.c - display output control
• LS7166.c - external counter or encoder-related handling

The repository also includes a separate Software/monitor_2809/ project with its own build flow and files such as flash.c, LCD.c, and VFD.c, which suggests a dedicated monitoring or support firmware used alongside the main racer platform.

From the shipped makefiles, the firmware targets include a_Vistan and a_DOUKSINI, and the codebase is built around a TI C2000 toolchain layout with Source Insight-era project artifacts still preserved.

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Hardware

This repository also captures the electrical and manufacturing side of the robot.

• Hardware/EasyEDA/ contains editable board projects and preview images for the main board and motor driver
• Hardware/PADS/ contains sensor board layout data and image assets
• Hardware/Logic/ contains circuit reference PDFs for the main board, motor driver, and sensor board
• Hardware/Gerber/ preserves manufacturing-ready outputs

That combination makes the repository useful for rebuilding the robot electronics, not only for reading the firmware.

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Mechanical Assets

The Mechanics/ directory includes both presentation material and fabrication-oriented assets.

• Assembly.png shows the chassis and mounting layout as a CAD-style assembly
• Tracer.jpg captures the real competition robot with exposed electronics and front sensor structure
• STL/ stores printable or reference geometry such as BaseBoard.STL, Wheel.STL, Gear.STL, Pinion.STL, and RE25_MotorGuard.STL

This makes the repository valuable for understanding both the robot architecture and the practical mechanical packaging used in competition.

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Technology Snapshot

Category	Details
MCU Family	Texas Instruments TMS320F2808 / TMS320F2809
Firmware Language	C, Assembly
Editor	Source Insight
Build Configuration	TI C2000-oriented make flow
Build Targets	a_Vistan, a_DOUKSINI
Repository Scope	Firmware, PCB, Gerber, STL, logic docs, component references

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Run Modes and Support Tools

Based on the preserved source layout, the project includes several competition driving strategies as well as supporting maintenance tools.

• Search for line acquisition and controlled recovery
• Fast Run for higher-speed race operation
• Extreme Run for aggressive performance tuning
• Bril Run for an additional top-end driving profile
• Monitor Firmware for flash, LCD, and VFD-centered support workflows

This split suggests a development workflow that separated race execution from monitoring, setup, or maintenance utilities.

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Build Notes

The repository contains source, project files, and make configuration, but it does not yet provide a modern step-by-step setup guide.

What can be verified from the repository:

• The project is built around a TI C2000 embedded platform
• Software/_Vistan_/main/MAKEFILE identifies the target as a_Vistan
• Software/monitor_2809/main/MAKEFILE identifies the target as a_DOUKSINI
• The source tree preserves an IAR- and Source Insight-era embedded workflow

What is still undocumented:

• Exact flashing procedure for each firmware target
• Required debugger, programmer, or download environment
• Board assembly and wiring sequence
• Parameter tuning flow for different tracks and competitions

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Why This Repository Is Interesting

Many line tracing repositories preserve only code or only hardware snapshots. Linetracer is interesting because it keeps the full competition story together: race firmware, monitor utilities, board design data, mechanical assets, and a documented award history from domestic competitions.

For anyone studying high-speed line tracers, DSP-based embedded control, or full-stack robot competition workflows, this repository is a compact record of how a proven Korean competition robot was designed and maintained.

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Credits

From the primary race firmware make configuration:

• Author: Yuk Keun Ho
• Company: MAZE

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License

This repository does not currently include a standalone license file. Add one if you want to make reuse terms explicit.