Robot Controllers

Pololu’s Orangutan robot controllers are combinations of microcontrollers and additional hardware useful for controlling robots. All Orangutans feature Atmel AVR microcontrollers, multiple H-bridges for direct control of DC motors, and most units have integrated LCD displays. All units except the Orangutan X2 and Orangutan SVP require external programmers such as Atmel’s AVRISP or the Pololu USB AVR programmer.

The Orangutan family currently has six members:

• Orangutan is the original Pololu robot controller based on a mega168 microcontroller and LB1836M dual motor driver that can deliver up to 1 A peak. The operating voltage is 5-10 V. This controller is currently on clearance and is being replaced by the newer Orangutan SV-328.
• Baby Orangutan packs the same basic hardware as the Orangutan SV-328 into a familiar 24-pin DIP-size package. This is the only Orangutan product without explicit LCD support, but an LCD can be connected externally. The Baby Orangutan is available with a mega48 or a mega328 microcontroller.
• Orangutan LV-168 is similar to the original Orangutan but redesigned for low-voltage (2.5 – 5.5 V) operation. A step-up regulator provides 5 V to the microcontroller (and your sensors) while a pair of discrete, low-voltage H-bridges replace the original LB1836M motor driver to deliver up to 2 A continuous to get the most power out of low-voltage motors.
• Orangutan SV-328 is intended as a replacement for the original Orangutan. It has the same pin-out and form factor as the Orangutan LV-168 but operates at a higher 6 – 13.5 V. The hardware peripherals also match those on the LV-168, except for the motor drivers, which can deliver a continuous 1 A (3 A peak) per channel, and voltage regulator, which allows the 5V bus to deliver up to 3 A—enough to power servos and other high-power peripherals for which the battery voltage would be too high.
• Orangutan SVP is our newest Orangutan robot controller and is a super-sized version of the Orangutan SV, with a built-in AVR ISP programmer, more I/O lines, and more regulated power. It is based on the ATmega324 or new ATmega1284 AVR microcontroller and features higher-power dual motor drivers (2 A continuous per channel), a bigger 16×2 LCD, and a demultiplexer for easy control of up to eight servos. The operating range is 6 – 13.5 V.
• Orangutan X2 is by far the most powerful Orangutan, and it is intended for small and medium-sized robots. The design features a dual-AVR architecture that leaves a mega1284 microcontroller almost completely available to the user while taking care of low-level motor control tasks on the pre-programmed mega328, which also doubles as a programmer for the master processor. A stacked motor driver PCB allows the compact integration of beefy motor drivers that can deliver hundreds of watts. The Orangutan X2 is available with the VNH2SP30 or VNH3SP30 motor drivers and with or without a 4-line x 20-character LCD.

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Compare Orangutan SVP Robot Controllers This is a super-sized version of our popular Orangutan SV, with a built-in programmer, more I/O lines, and more regulated power. It is based on the ATmega324 or new ATmega1284 AVR microcontroller and features higher-power dual motor drivers, a bigger 16×2 LCD, a demultiplexer for easy control of up to eight servos, and more.

Compare Orangutan X2 Robot Controllers The Orangutan X2 is the most powerful member of our Orangutan robot controller line. It is available with the VNH2SP30 or VNH3SP30 motor drivers and with or without a 4-line x 20-character LCD.

Compare Programmer Combination Deals Buy an Orangutan USB Programmer with your Orangutan, Orangutan LV-168, or Baby Orangutan and save!

	Pololu item #: 1227 Price: $64.95 Quantity:
Orangutan SV-328 Robot Controller Want to build a small robot that doesn’t look like a PCB on wheels? The Orangutan is small enough for integrating into a small robot, rather than being the small robot. With Atmel’s powerful ATmega328P AVR microcontroller, motor drivers, buttons, display, and buzzer, all you need to add is your own chassis, sensors, software… you know, the fun stuff!

	Pololu item #: 1220 Price: $19.95 Quantity:
Baby Orangutan B-328 Robot Controller The Baby Orangutan B-328 is a very compact but complete robot controller, packing a high-performance AVR microcontroller and two motor drive channels in the same 24-pin form factor as competing units that include just a microcontroller. You can connect your battery, sensors, and motors directly to this small module to make a miniature robot, or you can use the Baby Orangutan as an auxiliary controller in larger robots. This version includes Atmel’s new ATmega328P microcontroller with 32 KB of program memory and 2 KB of RAM.

	Pololu item #: 1327 Price: $99.95 Quantity:
Orangutan SVP-1284 Robot Controller (assembled) The Orangutan SVP-1284 robot controller is a super-sized version of our popular Orangutan SV, with a built-in AVR ISP programmer, more I/O lines, and more regulated power, and more memory. Based on the new ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller (128 KB flash, 16 KB RAM, 4 KB EEPROM) and featuring higher-power dual motor drivers (2 A continuous per channel), a bigger 16×2 LCD, and a demultiplexer for easy control of up to eight servos, the Orangutan SVP makes a great starting point for your robot or electronics project.

	Pololu item #: 1328 Price: $89.95 Quantity:
Orangutan SVP-1284 Robot Controller (partial kit) This partial kit gives you the flexibility make a customized Orangutan SVP-1284 with the headers and other through-hole components that best suit your project. All of the surface-mount parts are pre-soldered, including an ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller with 128 KB flash and 16 KB RAM, but nothing is soldered to the through-hole pads. The partial kit includes male and female versions of all of the header pins. An LCD is not included.

	Pololu item #: 1325 Price: $84.95 Quantity:
Orangutan SVP-324 Robot Controller (assembled) The Orangutan SVP-324 robot controller is a super-sized version of our popular Orangutan SV, with a built-in AVR ISP programmer, more I/O lines, and more regulated power. Based on the ATmega324PA AVR microcontroller (32 KB flash, 2 KB RAM, 1 KB EEPROM) and featuring higher-power dual motor drivers (2 A continuous per channel), a bigger 16×2 LCD, and a demultiplexer for easy control of up to eight servos, the Orangutan SVP makes a great starting point for your robot or electronics project.

	Pololu item #: 1326 Price: $74.95 Quantity:
Orangutan SVP-324 Robot Controller (partial kit) This partial kit gives you the flexibility make a customized Orangutan SVP-324 with the headers and other through-hole components that best suit your project. All of the surface-mount parts are pre-soldered, including an ATmega324PA AVR microcontroller with 32 KB flash and 2 KB RAM, but nothing is soldered to the through-hole pads. The partial kit includes male and female versions of all of the header pins. An LCD is not included.

	Pololu item #: 738 Price: $149.00 Quantity:
Orangutan X2 with VNH2 and LCD This robot controller is by far the most powerful Orangutan, and it is intended for small and medium-sized robots. The design features a dual-AVR architecture that leaves an ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller almost completely available to the user while taking care of low-level motor control tasks on a pre-programmed mega328, which also doubles as a programmer for the master processor. This is our top-of-the-line version, featuring VNH2SP30 motor drivers and a 4-line x 20-character LCD.

	Pololu item #: 720 Price: $139.00 Quantity:
Orangutan X2 with VNH3 and LCD This robot controller is by far the most powerful Orangutan, and it is intended for small and medium-sized robots. The design features a dual-AVR architecture that leaves an ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller almost completely available to the user while taking care of low-level motor control tasks on a pre-programmed mega328, which also doubles as a programmer for the master processor. This version features VNH3SP30 motor drivers and a 4-line x 20-character LCD.

	Pololu item #: 718 Price: $119.00 Quantity:
Orangutan X2 with VNH2 This robot controller is by far the most powerful Orangutan, and it is intended for small and medium-sized robots. The design features a dual-AVR architecture that leaves an ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller almost completely available to the user while taking care of low-level motor control tasks on a pre-programmed mega328, which also doubles as a programmer for the master processor. This version features VNH2SP30 motor drivers. It does not include an LCD.

	Pololu item #: 716 Price: $109.00 Quantity:
Orangutan X2 with VNH3 This robot controller is by far the most powerful Orangutan, and it is intended for small and medium-sized robots. The design features a dual-AVR architecture that leaves an ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller almost completely available to the user while taking care of low-level motor control tasks on a pre-programmed mega328, which also doubles as a programmer for the master processor. This version features VNH3SP30 motor drivers. It does not include an LCD.

	Pololu item #: 775 Price: $59.95 Out of stock.
Orangutan LV-168 Robot Controller The Orangutan LV-168 is a full-featured controller for low-voltage robots. Thanks to a step-up voltage regulator, you can power this Orangutan with two or three 1.2-1.5 V batteries while maintaining 5 V operation for its Atmel mega168 AVR microcontroller and your sensors. A pair of discrete, low-voltage H-bridges deliver up to 2 A continuous per channel to get the most power out of low-voltage motors.

	Pololu item #: 1215 Price: $16.95 Out of stock.
Baby Orangutan B-48 Robot Controller The Baby Orangutan B-48 is a very compact but complete robot controller, packing a high-performance AVR microcontroller and two motor drive channels in the same 24-pin form factor as competing units that include just a microcontroller. This version includes Atmel’s ATmega48 microcontroller with 4 KB of program memory and 512 bytes of RAM. Note: This version of the Baby Orangutan is now only available for high-volume orders. Please contact us for more information, or consider the Baby Orangutan B-328 as an alternative.