Product Description: This kit contains the V3 PCB and all the parts needed to build the µBotino controller. Optional, you can choose a keyed FTDI connector instead of regular pin headers, in case you purchase the USB-serial cable with a keyed connector.
Price: $27.00
Before you check out, please choose the Shipping method.
The µBotino controller allows a robot builder to easily build a small robot that uses 2 small geared DC motors for driving, directly plug in 6 analog sensors, 5 digital sensors, 5 servos. It has an on board LDO voltage regulator, power switch, reset button, power LED, Arduino pin D13 LED, 16 MHz crystal, ISP programmer connector and FTDI cable connector. The ATmega328P microcontroller has the Arduino bootloader and the Blink sketch uploaded. The board features 3 jumpers, one to select power for the servo pins (in case you want to use sensors and no servos), one to disable the D13 LED (in case you need to connect a servo to that pin) and another jumper to disable power to the motors (so they don’t move when testing). The 5cm x 5cm size of the board and Arduino software compatibility makes this board a perfect candidate for small robots.
Optional, you can choose a keyed connector instead of the regular 6 pin header, in case you purchase the USB-serial cable with a keyed connector so you don’t have to worry about plugging the cable the wrong way. The good part of these connectors is that they allow you to plug in regular 6 pin female headers, in case you want to plug in an xBee regulated board.
Here is a picture of the assembled board:
Download the Assembly Guide here.
The µBotino controller can be purchased assembled from our distributor, Creatron Inc.
Video of assembly (V2, but little differences in V3):
I’m not sure which version I got but it has the different jumper positions. The vid and PDF I was directed to and used to build it show different positions and now I’ve screwed the board trying to desolder the caps that were soldered into the jumper positions. Please update the instructions or at least make it very obvious that there are different versions of the board layout. A board and half the parts are now in the bin
Stephen,
I’m sure you got an orange looking board and it is marked on the right side uBotino Rev.3. The video I made some time ago was for the Rev. 2. The pdf assembly guides are separate for V2 and V3, the one linked to the uBotino V3 is the correct one. Also, the board has a well marked silk screen, I can see trouble installing the LEDs correctly, but not for the capacitors. They are marked 0.1u on the board and have a little vertical bar between the holes; the jumper pins are marked J1-J3 and have a outline trace around the holes. I’m sorry you had trouble assembling the board, if things were unclear, why didn’t you ask?
If you ship the parts back to me, I’ll refund it.
sorry mate, didn’t mean to give you a hard time. It was totally my fault for not looking closer at the board as I went. The board is marked correctly, but I went by the pix and didn’t double check first. Luckily I bought 2 kits and now my son reckons he can salvage the other.
I failed to follow the rule, measure twice, cut once. Kind of
clear skies
G’day Ro-Bot-x,
well just did a test run of the beast and using the supplied code, it runs like a dream. I had to tune the motor speeds as one was slightly faster than the other. Now it runs very close to dead straight.
I used 2 of the polou 130mm round chassis disks and a 3Pi top deck with 2 polou motors and atv wheels. Moves very quickly and I’m very impressed with it. My son is almost finished with his and should have it over for next w/end.
I’m ordering a few more
thanks mate,
Stephen
Hi Ro-Bot-X,
The µBotino looks awesome! I’m been looking for such a board for a while.
Would you mind uploading the schematics (or contact me)? I think that this would be very helpful, especially for people who, like me, are just starting out.
Thanks in advance,
– Vincent
Hi Vincent,
The schematics and PCB artwork are on my blog, you can see latest versions here: http://seriousrobotics.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/almost-out-of-stock/
The “open hardware” concept is pretty funny to me. Perhaps it works for bigger and more complex hardware, but for such a little board I feel is just a copy cat gold mine. Personally, I have never downloaded and used other people’s schematic and PCB artwork. I always get inspired, then do it on my own, using the parts I want, arrange them like I want. I feel that I don’t learn anything by just getting the gerber files and send them to a fab house for manufacturing. Now, if one takes the time to re-do my work and make a perfect clone after one of my boards, then that person worked hard to copy it and he deserves credit for it. I’m sure he learned Eagle in the process, so in the future he can create new designs on his own.
If one wants to manufacture one of my designs, he needs to have it done in a fabhouse, because the design is 2 layers and it can’t be done at home without modifications. For a single board, one will have to resort to SparFun’s BatchPCB The cost would be $10 setup fee, plus $2.5 per square inch, that means $2.5 times 2 square inch for the uBotino, that makes $15 for one PCB and I’m selling it for $5. Only if one will order 10 boards from SeeedStudio he will get them at $9.90 (2 layer 2 square inch green boards) for 10 boards.
With that being said, if you really need the Eagle files, I’ll email them to you.
In fact I was NOT asking for the original .sch and .brd files. Just a PDF or an image. Of course, I do NOT want to make a rip off version of your hard work. I’m just too inquisitive/curious. And your prices (as well as shipping fees) are way more than OK, believe me.
I’m really sorry for the bad wording on my part. English is not my native language, you know. And as I wrote earlier, I’m just starting out and I just want to check the wiring of the motor driver (which I don’t know, I’m “used” to the L293D chip) and the possibility to work with a different voltage source for motors, etc.
Vincent, don’t worry about how you sounded in English. It’s not my first language either, so perhaps I let the impression that I was offended by your inquiry. I was not, in fact I like to give a helping hand to people in need, I even sent out boards with little defects for free. I explained my position about the Open Hardware concept that to me seems weird in some way, so any people that read it understand why I feel that way. I guess I should quote it in a dedicated blog post. Anyway, the schematic also should be at the end of the Assembly Guide for each of my (newest) products as a reference, to be able to visualize the hardware connections better. The H-bridge chip I’m using is pin to pin compatible with L293D, but with one Amp per motor. The control method is a hybrid between Sign Magnitude and Locked Antiphase. Read more about this here: http://www.barello.net/Papers/Motion_Control/index.htm
I realize that I overlooked the schematic at the end of the Assembly Guide.
And thank you very much for the link.
Hi
I am looking for a controller board for robots with a couple (~3) of servos. I want the board to cater for the secondary power supply so I don’t need to hot wire an external power. Looking from the above it seems to fit my requirement. Would you be kind enough to confirm this ?
Secondly I need to have bluetooth access. Is there a board that has built in bluetooth ? If not can I plug in a bluetooth module ?
FYI this is what I want to build
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/418204_10150534137176715_1547987008_n.jpg
Many Thanks.
The uBotino controller can control up to 5 servos from a single 6V power supply. You can definitely use it for the robot in the picture. Use 2 AA or AAA battery holders as the feet, connect them in series and you’re good to go. The controller has a FTDI connector with GND, NC, Vcc, Rx, Tx, Dtr pins. You can connect a Bluetooth module to these pins and connect it to the mobile phone. SparkFun sells a BlueSmirf module that has exactly this pin configuration so it’s plug and play. The uBotino controller also has the serial pins available to the bottom of the board so you can connect the Bluetooth module there and keep the FTDI connector free for the programming cable. You will need to add 1k resistors in series with the Tx and Rx pins to the Bluetooth module to be able to keep it connected while programming the controller with the FTDI cable.
Hi Thank you for your reply.
I do not want a complete board rather than doing the soldering myself as I might be need quite a few in the future. This product does not seem to be listed in Creaton. Would you see the whole board.
P.S. Is there a way I can PM you or email you privately ?
I mean I want a complete board and not a kit. Thanks.
Do you have google talk thanks.