Components & Subassemblies

Components

Components are individual physical parts tracked with serial numbers.

Component Instance Tracking

Each component instance is one physical object:

• BAT-2024-00142: One specific battery
• JX-2024-00891: One specific Jetson Xavier
• VLP16-00234: One specific LiDAR sensor

Physical Lifecycle

Components can only exist in one place at a time:

Component: VLP16-00234 (VLP-16 LiDAR)

Timeline:
Jan 1:  Created in inventory
Jan 5:  Installed in Robot "Alpha"
Feb 10: Removed from Alpha (moved to inventory)
Feb 15: Installed in Robot "Beta"
Mar 20: Removed from Beta (sent for calibration)
Apr 1:  Installed in Robot "Gamma"

Each move creates history events on both robots showing component movement.

Smart Components

Components marked as “smart” (computers/controllers) can be designated as a robot’s primary controller:

• Jetson Xavier
• Raspberry Pi
• Industrial PCs
• PLCs

Purpose: Prepares for future telemetry integration - designates which computer reports robot metrics.

Component Categories

Botbit organizes components by type:

• Compute (computers, controllers)
• Sensors (LiDAR, cameras, IMUs)
• Power (batteries, chargers)
• Motors & Actuators
• Communication (WiFi, cellular modules)
• Custom

Subassemblies

Subassemblies are groups of components that swap together as a unit.

Purpose

Some robots have modular sections that get replaced as complete assemblies:

• Navigation modules
• Sensor arrays
• Battery packs with management systems
• Compute modules

Template vs Instance

Template (Subassembly Configuration):

"Navigation Module v2.0"
Components:
├── IMU Sensor
├── GPS Module
├── Wheel Encoders
└── Compute Module

Instance (Physical Assembly):

Serial Number: NAV-001
Type: Navigation Module v2.0
Installed In: Robot "Alpha"
Components:
├── IMU Sensor (SN: IMU-123)
├── GPS Module (SN: GPS-456)
├── Wheel Encoders (SN: ENC-789)
└── Compute Module (SN: CM-012)

Swapping Subassemblies

When you swap a subassembly:

1. Select robot
2. Choose “Swap Subassembly”
3. Pick replacement subassembly instance
4. Botbit determines:
   • Same type? Conformant swap (no variant)
   • Different type? Non-conformant (creates variant)
5. Updates robot configuration
6. Logs change to history

Example:

• Swap NAV-001 (Nav Module v2.0) → NAV-003 (Nav Module v2.0): Conformant
• Swap NAV-001 (Nav Module v2.0) → NAV-005 (Nav Module v3.0): Non-Conformant → Creates variant