We’re happy to announce the release of the Zumo 2040, our newest RP2040-based robot built on our Zumo tracked chassis!

The Zumo started out as just that chassis: a simple mechanical base designed to be the foundation of a small tracked robot (and the right size for Mini-Sumo competitions). Later, we made the Zumo Robot Kit for Arduino that lets you build a complete robot with just the addition of an Arduino board, and a while after that, we released the Zumo 32U4 featuring a main board with an integrated AVR microcontroller.

Pololu Zumo chassis kit, assembled top view, shown with motors and original white sprockets.

Assembled Zumo robot for Arduino with an Arduino Uno (with original white sprockets).

Assembled Zumo 32U4 robot.

This new Zumo 2040 is the next big step in the evolution of the Zumo family, swapping out the Zumo 32U4’s 8-bit processor for a Raspberry Pi RP2040, a 32-bit dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running at 125 MHz, along with 16 MB (128 Mbit) of flash memory. The more powerful processor (the same as on the Raspberry Pi Pico) enhances both what the Zumo can do and how you can work with it.

Assembled Zumo 2040 robot.

We particularly like how easy it is to get started programming the Zumo 2040 with MicroPython: just like with our 3pi+ 2040 Robot, you can simply connect the Zumo to a computer with a USB-C cable and start editing the included example Python programs with a text editor.

MicroPython drive showing Zumo 2040 demo programs.

The blink.py demo program in a text editor.

There are lots of pre-loaded examples that demonstrate how to use the various features on the Zumo 2040. Here’s one that uses the Zumo’s proximity sensors to locate and turn to face an opponent or other object (in this case, a 3pi+):

Although I summed up the history of the Zumo platform in a few major milestones above, that doesn’t really tell the whole story; there have been other smaller changes along the way (both accompanying and between the big releases) that have made it more of a continual process of improvement. For example, although the Zumo originally came with the white sprockets that you see in some of those pictures, we now ship the chassis and all of the robots and kits with black spoked sprockets that make assembly and disassembly easier (and look cooler). And a couple years ago, we revised the Zumo 32U4 with a better display (in the form of the Zumo 32U4 OLED), an upgrade that has carried over to this new Zumo.

The Zumo 2040’s new I2C0 connector is one such smaller improvement, but it’s something that I hope will make a difference when it comes to expanding the robot with additional electronics. This is a 4-pin JST SH-compatible connector that provides access to the RP2040’s I2C0 bus, and it has a pinout compatible with Sparkfun’s Qwiic and Adafruit’s STEMMA QT connection systems, so that should make it easier to add I²C sensors and other devices to the Zumo.

The I2C0 connector on the Zumo 2040.

The Zumo 2040 robot is available as a kit (with motors not included so you can select your own to customize performance) or as a fully assembled robot with your choice of 50:1, 75:1, or 100:1 motor options.

Related products

	Zumo 2040 Robot Kit (No Motors)
	Zumo 2040 Robot (Assembled with 50:1 HP Motors)
	Zumo 2040 Robot (Assembled with 75:1 HP Motors)
	Zumo 2040 Robot (Assembled with 100:1 HP Motors)

Our Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale is back! Visit the sale page to see all the available deals and add the necessary coupons to your cart. The sale runs through Monday, November 27,and most of the sale coupons can be used on backorders if we happen to run out of stock, but you should still get your orders in early since lead times on some popular products can get long.

Please note that during the sale, our order fulfillment times might be longer than usual, but we will do our best to get your order shipped as fast as we can. Additionally, we are closed Thursday, November 23 for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!

We are having a Labor Day sale starting now through Tuesday, September 5! 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, September 1 will be shipped on Tuesday, September 5.

We are having an Independence Day sale starting now through Wednesday, July 5! Check out the sale page for more information. Please note that we will be closed Tuesday, so orders placed after 2 PM Pacific Time Monday, July 3 will be shipped on Wednesday, July 5.

We recently added six new low-power variants to our Motoron line of basic serial motor controllers: four Mxx550 1- and 2-channel versions, as well as 3-channel versions for Arduino (M3S550) and Raspberry Pi (M3H550).

1- and 2-channel micro motor drivers

The new M1T550, M1U550, M2T550, and M2U550 are single- and dual-channel serial motor controllers in a micro footprint. With a maximum motor supply voltage of 22 V, the Mxx550 versions are a great way to control small motors powered by power supplies up to 12 V and battery packs up to 12 cells in series for alkaline, NiCd, and NiMH, or up to 4 cells in series for LiPo. These are lower-voltage, pin-compatible versions of the Mxx256 models we released earlier this year, which have a maximum motor voltage of 48 V and can deliver slightly more current but are otherwise almost identical.

Here is the full array of tiny Motoron options, including I²C and UART serial interface versions:

Motoron motor controllers micro versions
	M1T550 M1U550	M2T550 M2U550	M1T256 M1U256	M2T256 M2U256
Control interface:	I²C or UART serial
Motor channels:	1 (single)	2 (dual)	1 (single)	2 (dual)
Minimum motor supply voltage:	1.8 V		4.5 V
Absolute max motor supply voltage:	22 V		48 V
Recommended max nominal battery voltage:	16 V		36 V
Max continuous current per channel:	1.8 A	1.6 A	2.2 A	1.8 A
Available versions with I²C:	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included
Available verions with UART serial:	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included
Price:	$12.49 – $14.49	$15.95 – $17.95	$16.95 – $18.95	$23.95 – $25.95

3-channel motor drivers for Arduino and Raspberry Pi

We also released larger (but still small!), 3-channel versions in Arduino (M3S550) and Raspberry Pi (M3H550) compatible form factors. These again have a maximum motor supply voltage of 22 V and correspond to the 48 V max M3S256 and M3H256 versions we released in 2022. Here is the full line of larger Motoron serial motor controllers, including the even higher-power, dual-channel Motorons in full-size Arduino Shield or Raspberry Pi Hat form factors:

Motoron motor controllers Arduino and Raspberry Pi form factor versions
	M3S550 M3H550	M3S256 M3H256	M2S24v14 M2H24v14	M2S24v16 M2H24v16	M2S18v18 M2H18v18	M2S18v20 M2H18v20
Control interface:	I²C
Motor channels:	3 (triple)		2 (dual)
Minimum motor supply voltage:	1.8 V	4.5 V	6.5 V
Absolute max motor supply voltage:	22 V	48 V	40 V		30 V
Recommended max nominal battery voltage:	16 V	36 V	28 V		18 V
Max continuous current per channel:	1.7 A	2 A	14 A	16 A	18 A	20 A
Available versions for Arduino:	M3S550 assembled kit board only	M3S256 assembled kit board only	M2S24v14 assembled kit board only	M2S24v16 assembled kit board only	M2S18v18 assembled kit board only	M2S18v20 assembled kit board only
Available versions for Raspberry Pi:	M3H550 assembled kit board only	M3H256 assembled kit board only	M2H24v14 assembled kit board only	M2H24v16 assembled kit board only	M2H18v18 assembled kit board only	M2H18v20 assembled kit board only
Price:	$20.95 – $30.95	$34.95 – $44.95	$59.95 – $69.95	$115.95 – $124.95	$59.95 – $69.96	$95.95 – $104.95

The great thing about the Motorons is that you can easily string together or stack multiple controllers, mixing and matching sizes to fit your application. For example, you could use one high-power dual motor version for drive motors on a mobile robot and then add a smaller 3-channel motor controller for additional actuators. This arrangement with three stacked Motorons on an Arduino Uno allows simple control of up to 9 motors:

The common protocol between versions also makes it easy to change motor sizes and to reuse your code between projects. Want to make a bigger version of your first prototype? Just use a higher-power Motoron! Want to make a tiny robot next time? Use a tiny Motoron! Want to… you get the idea.

While the 3-channel boards are designed to stack on Arduinos or Raspberry Pis, they are also easy to use on breadboards:

It may be easy to view the six new Mxx550 Motorons as just lower-voltage versions of the previously available Mxx256 Motorons, but I am especially excited about them because we are able to offer them at a very low price, extending the legacy of the Dual Serial Motor controllers that were among our first products over 20 years ago. We are launching the 2-channel M2T550 and M2U550 at just $15.95, a lower price than the original Dual Serial Motor controller from 2001 (without even adjusting for inflation!).

The chip shortages of the past several years have made it especially difficult to introduce new products and to keep their prices down, but things are finally seeming to get better on that front. You can see in the tables above that the higher-power 2-channel Motorons are much more expensive; those prices are still elevated because we are limited on some critical components we use there and in our other products. We should be able to manufacture plenty of the new Motorons without being constrained in a similar way.

Related products

	Motoron M3S550 Triple Motor Controller Shield for Arduino (Connectors Soldered)
	Motoron M3S550 Triple Motor Controller Shield Kit for Arduino
	Motoron M3S550 Triple Motor Controller Shield for Arduino (No Connectors)
	Motoron M3H550 Triple Motor Controller for Raspberry Pi (Connectors Soldered)
	Motoron M3H550 Triple Motor Controller Kit for Raspberry Pi
	Motoron M3H550 Triple Motor Controller for Raspberry Pi (No Connectors or Standoffs)
	Motoron M2T550 Dual I²C Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered)
	Motoron M2T550 Dual I²C Motor Controller
	Motoron M2U550 Dual Serial Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered)
	Motoron M2U550 Dual Serial Motor Controller
	Motoron M1T550 Single I²C Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered)
	Motoron M1T550 Single I²C Motor Controller
	Motoron M1U550 Single Serial Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered)
	Motoron M1U550 Single Serial Motor Controller

We have expanded our S13VxFx family of step-up/step-down voltage regulators to include options with a variety of output voltages from 3.3 V to 15 V. Like the original 5 V members of the family, these new S13V25Fx units take an input voltage from 2.8 V to 22 V and efficiently increase it or decrease it as necessary to produce the regulated output voltage. Even with their compact 0.9″ × 0.9″ size, they can deliver typical continuous output currents between 1 A and 3 A, making them our most powerful buck-boost converters. (That’s almost half the size of our previously highest-power step-up/step-down units, the S18V20Fx family, which are still being impacted by the global semiconductor shortages.) The graphs below show a more complete picture of the kinds of currents you can expect for different combinations of input and output voltages:

These new S13V25Fx versions do not include a 5V option because we already have that in the S13V30F5. They are pin-compatible with that 5V module and have the same overall board dimensions, but please note that the tall components (i.e. electrolytic capacitors and inductor) are in different locations. Here is a comparison of the new S13V25Fx regulators (left) next to the S13V30F5 (right):

Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25Fx, top view with labeled pinout.

5V, 3A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V30F5, top view with labeled pinout.

This table shows what the full family looks like now:

As a reminder, we manufacture these boards in-house at our Las Vegas facility, so we have the flexibility to make these regulators with custom fixed output voltages. If the voltage you need is not one of our standard options and you are interested in customization, please contact us.

Related products

	3.3V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F3
	6V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F6
	7.5V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F7
	9V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F9
	12V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F12
	15V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F15
	5V, 3A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V30F5
	5V, 2A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V20F5
	5V, 1.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V15F5
	5V, 1A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V10F5

We have transitioned from our initial early-adopter release to a full release of the 3pi+ 2040 Robot family! With the full release, we also have some additional motor options. Here’s the full lineup:

The Turtle Edition is a great choice for educational environments or anyplace else where slow, controlled speed is important. On the flip side, the Hyper Edition uses high-power motors with a low-gear-ratio gearbox to offer a LOT of speed, but this also means reduced control and a higher risk of the robot damaging itself, so we only recommend it for advanced users who want to push the limits of what this robot platform can do. We also make the 3pi+ 2040 control board and 3pi+ chassis available separately for those who would like to do something custom with one of our many other Micro Metal Gearmotor options.

To recap from our early adopter release announcement, this robot combines our 3pi+ chassis with the power of the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, and it’s full of cool features:

We have a comprehensive set of example Python programs to help get you started using all of these features, and we expect to continue adding more over time. Let us know if there’s something in particular you would want to see that is not already covered!

MicroPython drive showing 3pi+ 2040 demo programs.

The blink.py demo program in a text editor.

Related products

	3pi+ 2040 Robot - Standard Edition (30:1 MP Motors), Assembled
	3pi+ 2040 Robot - Turtle Edition (75:1 LP Motors), Assembled
	3pi+ 2040 Robot - Hyper Edition (15:1 HPCB Motors), Assembled
	3pi+ 2040 Robot Kit with 30:1 MP Motors (Standard Edition Kit)
	3pi+ 2040 Robot Kit with 75:1 LP Motors (Turtle Edition Kit)
	3pi+ 2040 Robot Kit with 15:1 HPCB Motors (Hyper Edition Kit)
	3pi+ 2040 Control Board
	3pi+ Chassis Kit (No Motors or Electronics)

This hypnotic video from customer Alain Haerri shows Kinetic Little Rain, a moving sculpture that was inspired by the sculpture Kinetic Rain in the Changi Airport in Singapore. Alain’s sculpture features 100 blown glass drops that are moved by stepper motors. Each motor is driven by its own Tic T500 Stepper Motor Controller and the whole setup is controlled by an Arduino Mega 2560.

Related products

Tic T500 USB Multi-Interface Stepper Motor Controller (Connectors Soldered)

If you have followed the electronics industry or even general news, you’ll know that for the past several years we’ve been dealing with parts shortages, rationing, and associated price increases. We are relieved to finally be getting net increases in parts on hand! In the past few months we have taken hundreds of products off rationing, and we are celebrating and highlighting them in our Memorial Day Sale. Use coupon code MEMORIALDAY23 to save 23% on all non-rationed Pololu-brand products with an “Active” or “Active and Preferred” status, limit 5 units per item, now through Tuesday, May 30.

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 26 will be shipped on Tuesday, May 30.

50:1 scale model of the James Web Space Telescope model with laser-cut and etched gold-mirror acrylic and gold-mirror styrene parts.

Retired aerospace engineer Robert Maier shared with us this awesome 50:1 scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) he made with his brother Mark and a little help from our custom laser cutting service. We cut the JWST’s main mirrors for him out of 1.5 mm gold mirrored styrene sheets from Midwest Products, and the hexagon patterns were laser etched onto the surface. He also had us laser cut various silicone bands to hold the moving pieces of the structure as the model folds/unfolds.

JWST model, partially unfolded, with plastic figure to show 50:1 scale.

JWST model with thermal insulation Mylar, partially unfolded.

We more commonly work with 3 mm mirrored acrylic, but the model’s mirror required something thinner, and the more expensive styrene was perfect for the job. For comparison, the spiral label sitting beneath the figurine’s feet was cut from gold mirror acrylic.

Spiral label for a JWST model, laser cut end engraved on 3 mm gold mirror acrylic.

Gold mirrored acrylic.

Mark uses the model in the Astronomy 101 classes he teaches at San Jacinto College in Southern California. He recently wrote an article about the model, which is published in the April 2023 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine (it’s on page six). Additional photos of the model are included below, and even if you’re not a subscriber to the magazine, you can preview the article online.

JWST model, folded as it would be inside the Ariane 5 payload bay.

50:1 scale models of the James Web and Hale Telescopes

A close up of the unfolded JWST model’s primary mirrors, laser-cut from gold mirrored styrene.

Do you have a fun idea in mind that can benefit from laser-cut parts? Submit a quote request or contact us to discuss how we can help.

Related products

Custom Laser Cutting Service