

We've been a little quiet lately. There's a reason. ⚙️🌱👀
After the Kilikawi Challenge, Team Pentagon went straight back to the workshop. 🔧🛠️
The last few weeks have been about something much less glamorous than winning competitions: iteration. 🔄⚙️
Our Integrated Smart Control & Drive System had to move from a competition prototype toward something that could actually survive the field. 🌾🚜
First up: the electronics. ⚡🔌💻
Our first version lived on a cracked perfboard with hand-soldered components — more of an experiment than a product. 😂🔩 But it worked, and that gave us something to build on.
From there: V2 → V3 → V3.5 → V4 (2-layer) → V4 (4-layer). ⚙️📐🔌
Every version brought something new to fix, simplify, or improve. 🔄🛠️
As a Mechanical Engineering student, I never imagined having an EasyEDA account, designing PCB layouts, and soldering boards like it's nobody's busines or having people mistake me for an Electrical Engineer — Sarah Kendall included! 😂⚡
Engineering doesn't always respect discipline boundaries. You start with what you know, then learn what the problem demands. 🧠⚙️
A very huge part of that learning, designing and reviewing came from Silard Liptak, and Adrian on electronics, while Sarah Kendall continues guiding us toward real-world testing. 🌱🛠️A good part of my PCB design journey was also stirred by Glenn Gatiba and @Collins Goti who happen to already have a good foundation from their mechatronics backgrounds.
Shoutout to our behind-the-scenes engine: • @BluePack nova: Sourcing essential components ⚡📦 • Bersher Guyanda: Procurement & logistics 🛒🔧 • @Declan: Crucial mechanical hacks 🛠️💡
You don't always start with the skills you need. You start with a problem, find the people who know what you don't, and learn fast enough to keep up. 🧠⚙️🔥
The goal now is bigger than a working prototype: build a machine that genuinely earns its place on a farm. 🌾🚜🌍
Thank you to Kilikawi, SONGA Mobility, Toyota Mobility Foundation, and the entire Team Pentagon family for pushing this forward. ❤️⚙️
We're learning. We're building. We're iterating. And we're getting closer. 🚀
More on the PCB journey tomorrow. 👀🔌⚡
Thibaut D. Peter Frykman Wamburu Ndirangu Kiptoo Eluid
#TeamPentagon #KilikawiChallenge #SongaMobility #ToyotaMobilityFoundation #Engineering #Agritech #PCBDesign #EasyEDA #Robotics #EngineeringForImpact #Kenya
18 Agosto 2026 à 21h12
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