One of our UK distributors, Active Robots, recently had the opportunity to attend a micromouse competition at Swansea University in Wales. Students at the competition used many Pololu parts purchased through Active Robots including our laser-cut RRC01A chassis, 50:1 micro metal gearmotor LP, 42×19mm Wheel Pair, and 3/8″ Plastic Ball Caster.

Traditional micromouse competitions usually involve small autonomous robots competing to see which one can solve a maze the fastest. Swansea University’s competition didn’t include maze solving, but instead involved three tasks that the robots had to complete: line following, obstacle avoidance, and combat. You can read more about what the micromouse competition entailed and Active Robots’ visit on their blog.

Related products

	Pololu Robot Chassis RRC01A Solid Red
	50:1 Micro Metal Gearmotor LP 6V with Extended Motor Shaft
	Pololu Wheel 42×19mm Pair
	Pololu Ball Caster with 3/8″ Plastic Ball

We are having a Memorial Day sale all weekend long with site-wide discounts of up to 25%! Check out the sale page for more information. Please note that we will be closed Monday, so orders placed after 2 PM Pacific Time Friday, May 24 will be shipped on Tuesday, May 28th.

The name Pololu is simple, but over the years, we’ve noticed some customers mispronouncing our name or hesitating to say it. And if you can’t say our name, how will you tell your friends about us? So if you are unsure about how to say Pololu, I hope this little video will help you out:

Next week is National Robotics Week: a week centered on increasing awareness of the robotics industry and the impact that robotics will have on the future. To celebrate, we’re having a sale! All Pololu robot kits and their accessories are 25% off; this includes our 3pi, Zumo, Balboa, and Romi robots. Additionally, all active Pololu-brand items are 20% off, so you can stock up on motor controllers, regulators, sensors and much more! Whether you are a seasoned robot builder or just getting started in robotics, you are sure to find something in this sale for you. Check out the sale page for more information.

The 24V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F24 is the newest addition to our line of S18V20x step-up/step-down voltage regulators.

This 24 V fixed-voltage version is a minor modification of the 9 V to 30 V adjustable version we have been making for years. We can make custom-voltage versions of most of our regulators, and this particular unit was initially one of those customizations we routinely offer. However, since 24 V seems like it might be common enough to be interesting to other customers, we have made it a stock product. Since we assemble these at our Las Vegas, Nevada facility, we can often make simple customizations that only require component changes within a few days. Besides changing output voltages on regulators, these changes could include changing LED colors, omitting components such as pull-up or pull-down resistors, and substituting components with higher temperature ratings or better tolerances. (We offer more involved customizations that require modified board layouts or new firmware features, but those take longer and have higher up-front engineering costs.)

Pololu electronics manufacturing area with multiple pick and place lines.

For those of you interested in the details of the actual product, the S18V20F24 efficiently produces a fixed 24 V output from input voltages between 3 V and 30 V while allowing a typical output current of up to 2 A when the input voltage is close to the output voltage. Its ability to convert both higher and lower input voltages makes it useful for applications where the power supply voltage can vary greatly, as with batteries that start above but discharge below the regulated voltage. Other features include integrated reverse-voltage protection, over-current protection, over-temperature shutoff, and under-voltage lockout.

Typical efficiency of Pololu 24V step-up/step down voltage regulator S18V20F24.

Typical maximum output current of Pololu fixed voltage step-up/step-down voltage regulators (S18V20F5, S18V20F6, S18V20F9, S18V20F12, and S18V20F24).

Alternate versions of this regulator include a fixed 5 V, 6 V, 9 V, or 12 V output or an adjustable 4 V to 12 V or 9 V to 30 V output. Our full selection of regulators and power supplies can be found here.

Related products

	Pololu 5V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F5
	Pololu 6V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F6
	Pololu 9V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F9
	Pololu 12V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F12
	Pololu 24V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20F24
	Pololu Adjustable 4-12V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20ALV
	Pololu Adjustable 9-30V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S18V20AHV

EDN recently released their hot 100 products of 2018, and we are excited to share that the TI Robotics System Learning Kit (TI-RSLK), which is based on our Romi platform, is included in the list. For those not familar with the TI-RSLK, it is a complete robotics kit and curriculum aimed at university students. Twenty modules with lecture notes, lab activities, and over a hundred videos are all publicly available.

The kit was included in the Tools & Development section of the list, and you can read EDN’s review of the kit from earlier in the year here. Kits can be purchased from Element14.

We do a lot of laser cutting here at Pololu as part of our custom laser-cutting service, so we know first hand how tedious it can be to remove the paper masking from laser cut parts like acrylic. Check out the video below for a simple trick you can use to speed up the process.

Related products

Custom Laser Cutting Service

We now have a 5-Channel Reflectance Sensor Array designed specifically for use with the Balboa 32U4 Balancing Robot. The array mounts to the Balboa 32U4 control board and provides an easy way to add line sensing to the Balboa (but following a line while balancing is actually kinda hard—and that part is up to you, should you accept the challenge).

The array features five IR emitter/phototransistor pairs with dimmable brightness control similar to our line of QTR reflectance sensors.

As with all of our new products this year, we are offering an introductory special. The sensor by itself is already inexpensive, so just discounting that did not seem exciting enough. To make it more celebratory, we decided to offer a special promotion for the whole Balboa package: you can get a Balboa 32U4 robot kit with motors, wheels, and the new 5-Channel Reflectance Sensor Array for just $79! To get the discounted price, add this special promotion product bundle and coupon code BALBOAREFLECT to your cart. Offer is limited to the first 100 customers, limit one per customer. If you already have a Balboa, or if you want different motors or wheels than what’s included in the bundle, you can use coupon code BALBOAREFLECT2 to save 35% (limit 2 per item).

Related products

	5-Channel Reflectance Sensor Array for Balboa 32U4 Balancing Robot
	Balboa 32U4 Balancing Robot Kit (No Motors or Wheels)
	Special Promotion: Balboa 32U4 Balancing Robot Kit with Gearmotors, Wheels, and Reflectance Sensor Array

We will be closing early on Monday, December 24, so our same-day shipping cutoff will be noon Pacific time instead of the usual 2 PM. We will be closed for Christmas on Tuesday, December 25. Orders placed after noon Pacific time on Monday, December 24 will be shipped on Wednesday, December 26.

And last call for our Christmas sale — only about 12 hours to go! Merry Christmas!

Our new circuit logo T-shirts are here! They feature the Pololu logo, composed of a white printed circuit board (PCB) layout, on the front and the phrase “Engage Your Brain” on the back. These pre-shrunk cotton shirts are available in several colors (black, sapphire blue, or cardinal red) and a range of youth and adult sizes.

Black and sapphire blue Pololu circuit logo T-shirts.

Red and sapphire blue Pololu circuit logo T-shirts.

Red and black Pololu circuit logo T-shirts.