Comments by Brandon

  • 3pi+ 2040 Robot full release with additional motor options

    3pi+ 2040 Robot full release with additional motor options

    - 25 August 2023

    Hello, Steve.

    We do not have any specific plans for a 3pi+ robot with built-in wireless communication features, though it is on a general long-term todo list. Using something like an ESP8266 or some kind of Bluetooth serial link would probably be good options for adding wireless connectivity to the 3pi+.

    Brandon

  • Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    - 24 April 2023

    Hello.

    The RP2040 has no built-in program memory, so programs are stored in an external 16MB flash chip. Like with any microcontroller, when you are writing to flash, you could easily make mistakes that would cause corruption. I recommend always storing a copy of your programs and data on a separate computer when developing firmware. If you want to restore the Micropython interpreter and example programs that it ships with, you can easily do that by following the firmware update procedure in the 3pi+ 2040 user's guide .

    Brandon

  • Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    - 10 April 2023

    Hello, Edward.

    Thank you for sharing your experience and feedback! I am glad to hear you were able to get it fully assembled and running!

    To clarify about the motor clips, they are not used in the default configuration of the 3pi+ robot; you can use them to hold the motors in place if you want to run the robot without the bumper skirt.

    Brandon

  • Kevin's mini-sumo robot: Roku

    Kevin's mini-sumo robot: Roku

    - 22 March 2023

    Hello, George.

    Please note that our company name is Pololu (not "Polulu").

    When using the speed commands in our Zumo Arduino libraries, a value of 400 corresponds to 100% duty cycle (i.e. driving the motor at the full battery voltage). So, you cannot increase the speed beyond that programatically. You might consider replacing your Micro Metal Gearmotors with different ones with a lower gear ratio.

    Brandon

  • Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    - 15 March 2023

    Hello, Edward.

    It is probably possible to solder headers to the expansion areas after the robot has been assembled, but some of them are very close to the plastic chassis (such as the ones accessible from inside the battery compartment). So, I would recommend removing the board to avoid melting the chassis.

    The chassis was designed to allow for removing the electronics after assembly. After removing the skirt and screws, you can carefully lift the PCB, motors, and battery contacts off of the chassis as one assembled unit. The motors will only be connected to the chassis by the soldered jumper wires, so I recommend being extra careful with them.

    Brandon

  • Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    Introducing the 3pi+ 2040 Robot

    - 13 March 2023

    Hello, Charles.

    That sounds awesome! We have added 3D STEP models of the chassis it to the Resources tab of the 3pi 2040 Robot product pages. The skirt is a separate body in the 3pi-plus-chassis-kit-skirt.step file, so you should be able to isolate it, but if you run into problems please email us and we can help further.

    Brandon

  • New Pololu distance sensors with digital and pulse width outputs

    New Pololu distance sensors with digital and pulse width outputs

    - 31 January 2023

    Hello, Arash.

    These boards use an 850nm emitter, so you would need to use a material that is transparent to that wavelength. I recommend looking at documentation for sensor components (e.g. like these) for more information and ideas.

    For example, they link to these, which might work for you (although please note that we have not specifically tried them).

    Brandon

  • New product: TB67H420FTG Dual/Single Motor Driver Carrier

    New product: TB67H420FTG Dual/Single Motor Driver Carrier

    - 26 January 2023

    Hello, Brenda.

    We cannot give any meaningful suggestions without more details about your setup and the problem you are having, but this is not an appropriate place to get into troubleshooting. If you post your request for help on our forum or email us and include more details about what you are doing (including pictures of your setup that show all of your connections), we would be glad to help. Additionally, you can find some general troubleshooting advice and recommendations for what information you should include when you contact us on our support page.

    Brandon

  • Raspberry Pi Solar Tracker

    Raspberry Pi Solar Tracker

    - 7 December 2022

    Hello, Robert.

    Unfortunately, we do not have any affiliation with the creator of this project or Helistat Control, so we do not have any advice or suggestions.

    -Brandon

  • Video: Getting started with the Maestro

    Video: Getting started with the Maestro

    - 2 December 2022

    Hello. Jim.

    In the video from this blog post, we just used some #2-56 screws to mount the Maestro directly to the Pololu RP5/Rover 5 Expansion Plate, but our #2-56 M-F standoffs (or #2-56 F-F standoffs if you prefer) should work to elevate it if that's what you are after. I am not sure what you mean when you say the threaded portion is too big, but if you continue having problems with it, you can post on our forum or email us with more details, such as pictures, and I would be happy to help there.

    Brandon

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15V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F15
VL53L8CX Time-of-Flight 8×8-Zone Distance Sensor Carrier with Voltage Regulators, 400cm Max
Motoron M2T550 Dual I²C Motor Controller
6V, 2.5A Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S13V25F6
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Ribbon Cable with Pre-Crimped Terminals 10-Color M-F 60" (150 cm)
3.3V Step-Up/Step-Down Voltage Regulator S8V9F3
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