Build Guide Articles & Series Navigation

Date: 2026-03-29 Type: Build Log

Context

The project had architecture docs and research articles but no build guides. Needed a comprehensive, ordered set of articles that walk through the full rover build — from unboxing parts to first autonomous run. Also needed Docusaurus-style prev/next navigation so readers can move through the series without jumping back to the index.

What Changed

9 build guide articles created in docs/articles/:

File	Title
build-00-roadmap.md	Build Roadmap & Philosophy — master build order and tools list
build-01-bench-testing.md	Bench test every electronic component individually
build-02-pi-setup.md	Raspberry Pi software environment, camera/GPS/I2C deep tests
build-03-vehicle-prep.md	TRX-4 chassis prep, enclosure, camera mount, battery placement
build-04-wiring-integration.md	Replace RC receiver with Pi control, full wiring diagram
build-05-first-drive.md	Steering/throttle calibration, WASD keyboard drive, speed measurement
build-06-drag-cloth.md	Drag bar, flannel cloth, weights, permethrin treatment, drag testing
build-07-capture-navigation.md	Python modules: capture, GPS, battery, route record/replay, watchdog
build-08-data-pipeline.md	Mission controller, upload script, preflight checks, first autonomous run

Series navigation added to article detail pages — prev/next links at the bottom of each article within the same category, styled with small directional labels above the article title.

Roadmap links fixed — the build order table in Guide 0 had placeholder # links, now points to actual /docs/build-XX-slug routes.

Files Modified

• docs/articles/build-00-roadmap.md through build-08-data-pipeline.md — New build guide articles
• src/app/docs/article-index.ts — Registered all 9 articles in Build Guides category, added getSeriesNeighbors() helper
• src/app/docs/[slug]/page.tsx — Added prev/next navigation for articles (matching existing progress log nav pattern)

Key Takeaways

• Build guides alternate hardware and software work intentionally to avoid monotony
• Every guide follows "test small, then integrate" — bench test components before mounting on rover
• The getSeriesNeighbors() function works per-category, so other categories (Research, Software) get series nav automatically if they have multiple articles
• Python rover code in the guides is modular — each module (capture, GPS, battery, navigator) is independently testable before the final mission controller ties them together