Butter Bot has a sensor on its underside that checks whether it's actually on the ground.
When you lift it, the sensor notices and Butter Bot stops its tracks so it doesn't spin around in your hand.
Smart in theory — but on some units the sensor is a little too jumpy.
It can get confused when the motors start running, or when you pick Butter Bot up and set it back down — it registers the lift just fine, but doesn't quite catch that it's landed again.
Either way, Butter Bot decides it's still floating in mid-air and politely refuses to drive anywhere, even though it's sitting right there on the ground.
The fix is a firmware update that helps Butter Bot tell more reliably when it's actually on the floor.
For this firmware update, you need a:
Linux
Mac
or Windows computer
and one of the following web browser:
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
This fix does not work with tablets (i.e. iPad) and mobile devices (i.e. iPhone or Android phones)
Before you start
Turn Butter Bot on.
Connect it to your computer with a USB cable.
Updating the firmware
Go to code.circuitmess.com.
Click the Restore Firmware button in the top-right corner.
Select Butter Bot as your device and click Restore Firmware.
Click Connect and choose the port for your device (usually it is the only available port shown)
Now the waiting part. The update takes a while — a few minutes is normal — so be patient and don't unplug Butter Bot until the upload is finished.
Once it's done, your Butter Bot will shut down. You will need to hold the power button for 3 seconds to turn it on.
Then place Butter Bot down on solid footing, give it a command, and it should happily roll off again.
If you've written your own code for Butter Bot, keep in mind that restoring the firmware puts the original software back on it, so save your work first.
Still stuck? Reach out to the CircuitMess team at [email protected] and we'll get you sorted — Butter Bot would help too, but it's still convinced it's being carried.