You'll notice my frame is a bit messy, I use a lot of hotglue, which usually comes off clean in most projects when used with plastic parts, but with the frame's powder coat. The glue doesn't always come off clean.

Building up the frame is pretty straight forward, following the downloadable instructions, but since you may be using a different rover, i won't get into that.

I started with standard GM9 gear motors.  Which can be ran on just even a dual 1A motor controller, But they are slow, and not very strong.

So i kicked it up a notch and replace the actual motors with some high power Solarbotics RM2s from Pololu. These motors can really draw some current.

You can see in the pictures (click to enlarge) Each motor has three 0.1uF ceramic capacitors to help reduce EMI noise. Which can cause problems with just about everything robot related.

Soldering on the capacitors can be tricky. Solder 1 capacitor between the metal shell and each of the motor's connectors. and then 1 between the two motor connectors. The tricky part, is to make sure you heat the motor's shell enough so the solder will bind. I've read some suggestions of using a pocket torch for a few seconds, being careful not to melt the plastic.

With capacitors on, wires soldered down, go ahead and reassemble the GM9s. For these small motors, always use capacitors with the motors.

 Mounting the GM9 gear motors is pretty straight forward, the only difficult part of the frame itself, is assembling all the tracks. the pins can be stuborn to get in.

Now i built this rover before Basic Micro offered their Tank-Track kits. Which is a major bummer, Basic Micro's track links are far superior to the ones i have. 

The problem with my tracks, is they are smooth. So they don't climb over obstacles very well. The treads just slip. BasicMicro's rubberized tracks would definitely win hands down. I may replace my tracks in the future, but short term i'll probably just use some rubber-foam tape and a little super glue. I'm often building on a tight budget.

Mounting the Botboard 2   

For this i had to drill a new hole, and using an old PC motherboard raise, mount the botboard free floating on just 2 screws, you must be careful at this stage. After making sure it was all set right, i went ahead and removed the botboard, and attacked the RoboClaw 2×5. Which has since been upgraded and overhauled. Hence why mine may not look the same as yours.

Wiring up the RoboClaw is very simple, the motors just connect to the intended lines. If you find your command is right, but your motor is going in reverse, you can either alter the command, or simply switch the wires around.

I'm using a Radioshack hobby enclosure to house my power switch and battery. The battery i'm using is a 2cell, 20C, 800mAh li-po, same kind used in my Universal controller. Again i made holes for the charging connector, (which is moved over from where it is in this photo) and a switch. And the power wires of course.

Now connecting the RoboClaw to the Botboard.

Using an IO line and Software Serial, controlling the RoboClaw is easier than ever. And you have many other options to choose from, From PWM, or even RC pulse. 

The Side of the enclosure is a large ferrite choke, I do not believe it is actually required, but due to my wireless camera system that i often play with, reducing noise where ever i can, is always important.  The power goes from the battery to the roboclaw, and then back up to the botboard.