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New product: MyoWare muscle sensor and electrodes
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We are pumped to announce that we are now carrying Advancer Technologies’ MyoWare Muscle Sensor!
This sensor features a number of improvements over the older Muscle Sensor v3 including single-supply operation (no need for a negative voltage supply) and built-in snap connectors for electrodes. Other new features include a raw EMG output, reverse power protection, a power switch, LED indicators, and two mounting holes.
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For a fun example that shows how you could use the muscle sensor, take a look at this blog post, which uses one of our Maestros to monitor a bicep while it is flexing, and command a servo to imitate the motion with a tiny cardstock version of He-Man’s arm. (Note that the project uses the older Muscle Sensor v3, not this new product.) You can also head on over to Advancer Technologies’ website for more project ideas.
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The MyoWare Muscle Sensor does not ship with electrodes; they are available separately in packs of six.
Related products
HPCB micro metal gearmotors with extended motor shafts
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It has been a few months since we introduced our new high-power micro metal gearmotors with longer life carbon brushes. We now have them available with dual shafts, and we have made a corresponding update to our magnetic encoders to let them work with the larger terminals of the HPCB motors.
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You might see similar-looking motors elsewhere, but no one comes close to our offering, from the quality of the gears to the variety of winding options to the selection of gear ratios, all in stock for shipment the day you order. By bringing together Pololu’s exclusive features of high-power windings, long-life carbon brushes, and encoders for closed-loop feedback control into a single package, these latest motors and encoders really demonstrate our continual investment in this popular form factor. With ten gear ratios available, from 10:1 through 1000:1, our total selection of micro metal gearmotors has grown to nearly 70 options:
| Motor Type | Stall Current @ 6 V |
No-Load Speed @ 6 V |
Approximate Stall Torque @ 6 V |
 Single-Shaft (Gearbox Only) |
 Dual-Shaft (Gearbox & Motor) |
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| high-power, carbon brushes (HPCB) |
1600 mA | 3000 RPM | 4 oz-in | 10:1 HPCB | 10:1 HPCB dual-shaft |
| 1000 RPM | 9 oz-in | 30:1 HPCB | 30:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 625 RPM | 15 oz-in | 50:1 HPCB | 50:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 400 RPM | 22 oz-in | 75:1 HPCB | 75:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 320 RPM | 30 oz-in | 100:1 HPCB | 100:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 200 RPM | 40 oz-in | 150:1 HPCB | 150:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 140 RPM | 50 oz-in | 210:1 HPCB | 210:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 120 RPM | 60 oz-in | 250:1 HPCB | 250:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 100 RPM | 70 oz-in | 298:1 HPCB | 298:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| 32 RPM | 125 oz-in | 1000:1 HPCB | 1000:1 HPCB dual-shaft | ||
| high-power (HP) (same specs as HPCB above) |
1600 mA | 6000 RPM | 2 oz-in | 5:1 HP | |
| 3000 RPM | 4 oz-in | 10:1 HP | 10:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 1000 RPM | 9 oz-in | 30:1 HP | 30:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 625 RPM | 15 oz-in | 50:1 HP | 50:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 400 RPM | 22 oz-in | 75:1 HP | 75:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 320 RPM | 30 oz-in | 100:1 HP | 100:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 200 RPM | 40 oz-in | 150:1 HP | 150:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 140 RPM | 50 oz-in | 210:1 HP | |||
| 120 RPM | 60 oz-in | 250:1 HP | |||
| 100 RPM | 70 oz-in | 298:1 HP | 298:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| 32 RPM | 125 oz-in | 1000:1 HP | 1000:1 HP dual-shaft | ||
| medium-power (MP) |
700 mA | 2200 RPM | 3 oz-in | 10:1 MP | 10:1 MP dual-shaft |
| 730 RPM | 8 oz-in | 30:1 MP | |||
| 420 RPM | 13 oz-in | 50:1 MP | |||
| 290 RPM | 17 oz-in | 75:1 MP | 75:1 MP dual-shaft | ||
| 220 RPM | 19 oz-in | 100:1 MP | 100:1 MP dual-shaft | ||
| 150 RPM | 24 oz-in | 150:1 MP | |||
| 75 RPM | 46 oz-in | 298:1 MP | |||
| 25 RPM | 80 oz-in | 1000:1 MP | 1000:1 MP dual-shaft | ||
| low-power | 360 mA | 2500 RPM | 1 oz-in | 5:1 | |
| 1300 RPM | 2 oz-in | 10:1 | |||
| 440 RPM | 4 oz-in | 30:1 | 30:1 dual-shaft | ||
| 250 RPM | 7 oz-in | 50:1 | 50:1 dual-shaft | ||
| 170 RPM | 9 oz-in | 75:1 | |||
| 120 RPM | 12 oz-in | 100:1 | 100:1 dual-shaft | ||
| 85 RPM | 17 oz-in | 150:1 | |||
| 60 RPM | 27 oz-in | 210:1 | |||
| 50 RPM | 32 oz-in | 250:1 | |||
| 45 RPM | 40 oz-in | 298:1 | 298:1 dual-shaft | ||
| 14 RPM | 70 oz-in | 1000:1 | 1000:1 dual-shaft |
You can see all ten of the new versions below, and if there are any versions we do not yet have that you would like to see us carry, let us know in the comments!
Related products
New product: 12V, 2.2A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D24V22F12
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We are pleased to introduce our new 12 V, 2.2 A switching regulator, the inaugural member of the D24V22Fx family of step down voltage regulators. We expect to release other voltage versions next month, but we wanted to get a 12 V version out right away since we did not offer a 12 V buck regulator that could do more than 1 A. The compact regulator works with input voltages up to 36 V and can typically deliver up to a continuous 2.2 A. It offers integrated reverse voltage protection along with over-current and over-temperature shutoff, and a power-good output can be used to determine when the regulator cannot maintain its output voltage.
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Unlike linear regulators which waste a lot of power and generate a lot of heat in the process, this new regulator is very efficient, which means you can get the most out of your battery life:
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Until we release other voltage versions of the D24V22Fx, the closest substitutes are the similar D24V25Fx family of step-down voltage regulators:
These regulators are the same size as the D24V22F12 and they have similar current capabilities and input voltage ranges, but they do not have the same pinout and they are based on a different internal design, so there are fundamental differences in operation.
See the D24V22F12 product page for more information on this new regulator, or visit our voltage regulator category to see all of our regulator options.
Related products
New product: VL6180X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier
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There’s another new product coming out of the assembly line here at Pololu: the VL6180X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier. The VL6180 from ST Microelectronics distinguishes itself from other optical sensors by using time-of-flight measurements to determine distance: it emits pulses of infrared laser light and precisely times how long they take to reach the nearest object and reflect back to the sensor, which means it is essentially a complete short-range lidar system in a single tiny package.
With this technique, the VL6180X can accurately measure the absolute distance to a target object from 0 cm to at least 10 cm away – sometimes up to 20 cm away, depending on the target and environment – without being affected by what color the target is or how reflective it is.
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VL6180X datasheet graph of typical ranging performance. |
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Distance readings can be obtained through the sensor’s I²C interface (in units of millimeters – no complicated conversions necessary!). The VL6180X also includes an ambient light sensor; this combination of sensing capabilities is useful for applications, including smartphones, for which the VL6180 was designed.
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The VL6180X IC by itself is a challenge to use because of its small surface-mount package and particular voltage requirements, so our breakout board includes a 2.8 V regulator and level shifters that allow it to be used with 3.3 V and 5 V systems. The carrier board provides a breadboard-friendly pinout and mounting holes while remaining as compact as possible (0.5″ × 0.7″). We’ve also written an Arduino library for the VL6180X that makes it easy to get started with this board.
For more information about the VL6180X carrier, see its product page.
New product: Pololu Ball Caster with 1″ Plastic Ball and Ball Bearings
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Our ball caster with 1″ plastic ball is now available with ball bearings instead of plastic rollers for even better performance!
Related products
New Pololu 60×8mm wheels for FEETECH FS90R micro servos
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Continuous rotation servos like FEETECH’s FS90R are popular actuators for beginner robots because of their low cost and ease of use—since the motor controller is built right into the actuator, it can be controlled directly from a microcontroller or RC receiver. However, to complete the drive system, you need wheels, and that is something that we have not been able to offer for the FS90R until today. I am excited to introduce the new 60×8mm wheels for FS90R micro servos, which should make it much easier to get your FS90R-based miniature robot rolling.
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All that said, we still generally recommend creating custom drive systems out of individual motor drivers, DC motors, and wheels over continuous rotations servos, since that gives you much more control over performance. Continuous rotation servos are more appropriate for projects where cost and simplicity are more important than performance, and with these wheels and the FS90R, this approach is simpler and more affordable than ever.
Related products
New products: Assembled Zumo 32U4 robots
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Customers have been requesting an assembled version of our Zumo 32U4 robot kit ever since we released it in March, so it makes me very happy to be able to announce that we now have three pre-assembled Zumo 32U4 robots to choose from:
The three options differ only in their motors, and while the speed and torque vary across the three gear ratios, the peak output power is the same for all of them. You could maximize speed (i.e. 50:1 motors) or torque (100:1 motors), or perhaps you are looking for something in the middle (75:1 motors). The following table compares the gear ratio in more detail, with the first four columns showing specifications of the gearmotors by themselves and the last showing the measured top speed of a Zumo chassis loaded to a weight of 500 g:
| Micro Metal Gearmotor |
Free-Run Speed @ 6V |
Stall Torque @ 6V |
Stall Current @ 6V |
Top Zumo Speed @ 6V and 500g |
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| 50:1 HP | 625 RPM | 15 oz·in | 1600 mA | 40 in/s | (100 cm/s) |
| 75:1 HP | 400 RPM | 22 oz·in | 1600 mA | 25 in/s | (65 cm/s) |
| 100:1 HP | 320 RPM | 30 oz·in | 1600 mA | 20 in/s | (50 cm/s) |
These three gearmotors are the ones we consider best suited for typical Zumo 32U4 applications (and many of our example programs are tuned to work with 75:1 HP motors), but we have many other gear ratios available that you can use when assembling the kit version of the Zumo 32U4 robot.
At this point, you might be wondering why it took so long for us to make an assembled Zumo 32U4 robot. Well, we have been working on several improvements to the Zumo 32U4 ever since releasing the kit, and we wanted to have them all in place before coming out with these more finished assembled products. The first improvement was to the sprockets, which changed from white with solid hubs to black with spokes. These new sprockets fit better on the motor shafts and make assembly and disassembly easier, and we think they just look cooler! They might also help you hide from your opponent’s IR sensors, but the color is of course no use against other sensing technologies like sonar.
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The second improvement was to make a new component to hold and shield the IR LEDs used by the proximity sensor system. Without this, the LEDs are just supported by their leads and shielded by a piece of heat shrink (see the pictures above), and we wanted something better. Now the kit and assembled versions include a plastic LED holder that mounts directly to the front blade:
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Finally, we have improved the blade. They are now stamped rather than laser-cut, and we have added cutouts around the general-purpose mounting holes so that they can be hand-bent to new angles as desired, independent of the blade angle. This new blade also has the chassis mounting tabs pre-bent to the appropriate angle, so that’s one less step required during assembly of the kit.
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And speaking of the kit, we still strongly encourage people to get the Zumo 32U4 kit and build it themselves. We designed the Zumo 32U4 to be a starting point, and building it yourself will make you more comfortable with customizing and enhancing it. Making it yourself will also make it a little more meaningful when your robot triumphs over the competition!
Related products
Cable for Sharp GP2Y0A51SK0F analog distance sensors now available
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We are now finally carrying a cable for the Sharp GP2Y0A51SK0F Analog Distance Sensor 2-15cm. The GP2Y0A51SK0F, our shortest-range analog distance sensor, has a compact package with a unique JST ZH-style connector, so this cable will not work with any of our other distance sensors. The cable is 12 inches (30 cm) long, with wires that you can cut and terminate as necessary for your project.
For more information, see the product page.
Related products
New product: A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller with Raspberry Pi Bridge
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I am excited to announce our new A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller LV with Raspberry Pi Bridge, a general-purpose robot controller based on Atmel’s ATmega32U4 microcontroller.
This new robot controller is the latest model in our A-Star line of Arduino-compatible USB microcontroller boards. We started with the A-Star 32U4 Micro and have been gradually expanding the line, adding peripherals and various form-factor and voltage options, with the goal of eventually replacing our older Orangutan robot controllers. The Zumo 32U4 was a major step in that direction, since its controller board is essentially an A-Star 32U4 plus extra peripherals for motor control and sensing. But while the Zumo 32U4 is a complete robot kit, this board is for people who want to design their own robot.
The A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller LV includes most of the features of the A-Star 32U4 Prime LV, including an Arduino-compatible USB bootloader, an efficient step-up/step-down regulator, and handy peripherals like the buzzer and buttons, and it expands on the A-Star line by adding a pair of Texas Instruments DRV8838 1.8 A motor drivers, the same motor drivers as on the Zumo. All of the AVR’s GPIO lines are broken out, and we have included handy power and ground rails so you can easily connect lots of things like servos and sensors:
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This board is well-suited for small robots that would have otherwise used an Orangutan controller like the SV-328 or SVP-1284. While we did not include an LCD like on the Orangutans, you can get far better display, monitoring, or data logging by making use of the Raspberry Pi connection, which I will talk about next.
Using the robot controller with a Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a great board for an embedded project that needs serious computational power or connectivity. We have released a couple of Raspberry Pi motor driver boards over the past year, which give you a way to get started exploring robotics with your Raspberry Pi. But robotics projects tend to use a lot of analog sensors, timing-sensitive devices like servos, and other peripherals that are not compatible with the limited I/O capabilities of the Raspberry Pi. These types of things are what microcontrollers are designed for, so you can do a lot more if you pair your Raspberry Pi with a complete microcontroller board.
That’s why instead of using the standard Arduino form factor like the Prime, we built the A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller LV to double as a Raspberry Pi HAT:
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A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller LV with Raspberry Pi Bridge on a Raspberry Pi Model B+. |
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The Robot Controller fits on top of a Raspberry Pi A+/B+/2, powers the Pi, and connects to it as an I²C slave device, giving you a bidirectional channel of communication between the two processors. We have broken out all of the GPIO of the Raspberry Pi, and there are a few general-purpose level-shifters included on the board to help you experiment with other communications protocols or interface other hardware to your system. We even include the EEPROM required by the HAT specification, though we have not found it to be particularly useful – we ship it blank and unlocked for you to experiment with.
For more information about the A-Star 32U4 Robot Controller LV, or to order, see the product page. You can also check out our open-source A-Star 32U4 Arduino library, which provides easy access to the main features of the Robot Controller, including its motor drivers; we will be adding examples showing I²C communication with the Raspberry Pi soon.
Related products
New products: 12V versions of the 25D mm metal gearmotors
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Our 25D mm metal gearmotors are now available with 12 V motors in three power levels: High-Power (HP 12V) (5.5 A stall), Medium-Power (MP 12V) (2.1 A stall), and Low-Power (LP 12V) (1.1 A stall). The new 12 V LP motor can deliver approximately the same power as its 6 V counterpart, but since the voltage is doubled, it only requires half the current to do so, which means you can control it with lower-current, higher-voltage motor drivers like the DRV8801 or MAX14870 motor driver carriers. At their respective nominal voltages, the 12V HP motor has nearly the same free-run speed as the 6V HP motor, but it produces approximately twice the torque, which in turn means approximately double the output power. The 12V MP motors fall nicely between the 12V LP and HP options, offering a significantly more power than the LPs without the large current draw of the HPs. All five motor variants are the same size, which makes it easy to swap one for another if your design requirements change.
As with our original 6 V options, we have paired these new motors with a variety of gearboxes spanning gear ratios from 4.4:1 through 378:1. The result is 26 new versions, bringing our total selection of 25D mm metal gearmotors to more than 50 options. Unfortunately, we do not have encoder options for the 12 V motors yet, but we should have those later this year.
| Rated Voltage |
Motor Type | Stall Current @ Rated Voltage |
No-Load Speed @ Rated Voltage |
Approximate Stall Torque @ Rated Voltage |
 With Encoder |
 Without Encoder |
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| 6 V | high-power (HP) |
6.5 A | 9800 RPM | 2 oz-in | 1:1 HP 6V w/encoder | |
| 2200 RPM | 8 oz-in | 4.4:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 4.4:1 HP 6V | |||
| 1000 RPM | 17 oz-in | 9.7:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 9.7:1 HP 6V | |||
| 480 RPM | 36 oz-in | 20.4:1 HP 6V | ||||
| 285 RPM | 60 oz-in | 34:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 34:1 HP 6V | |||
| 210 RPM | 80 oz-in | 47:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 47:1 HP 6V | |||
| 130 RPM | 130 oz-in | 75:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 75:1 HP 6V | |||
| 100 RPM | 160 oz-in | 99:1 HP 6V w/encoder | 99:1 HP 6V | |||
| 57 RPM | 260 oz-in | 172:1 HP 6V | ||||
| 6 V | low-power (LP) |
2.4 A | 6100 RPM | 1 oz-in | 1:1 LP 6V w/encoder | |
| 1400 RPM | 5 oz-in | 4.4:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 630 RPM | 11 oz-in | 9.7:1 LP 6V w/encoder | 9.7:1 LP 6V | |||
| 300 RPM | 24 oz-in | 20.4:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 180 RPM | 40 oz-in | 34:1 LP 6V w/encoder | 34:1 LP 6V | |||
| 130 RPM | 50 oz-in | 47:1 LP 6V w/encoder | 47:1 LP 6V | |||
| 82 RPM | 85 oz-in | 75:1 LP 6V w/encoder | 75:1 LP 6V | |||
| 62 RPM | 110 oz-in | 99:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 36 RPM | 170 oz-in | 172:1 LP 6V w/encoder | 172:1 LP 6V | |||
| 27 RPM | 220 oz-in | 227:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 16 RPM | 250 oz-in | 378:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 12 RPM | 300 oz-in | 499:1 LP 6V | ||||
| 12 V | high-power (HP) |
5.5 A | 2200 RPM | 23 oz-in | 4.4:1 HP 12V | |
| 1000 RPM | 44 oz-in | 9.7:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 480 RPM | 85 oz-in | 20.4:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 285 RPM | 120 oz-in | 34:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 210 RPM | 165 oz-in | 47:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 130 RPM | 240 oz-in | 75:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 100 RPM | 300 oz-in | 99:1 HP 12V | ||||
| 12 V | medium-power (MP) |
2.1 A | 1750 RPM | 11 oz-in | 4.4:1 MP 12V | |
| 800 RPM | 22 oz-in | 9.7:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 375 RPM | 42 oz-in | 20.4:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 225 RPM | 63 oz-in | 34:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 165 RPM | 85 oz-in | 47:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 100 RPM | 125 oz-in | 75:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 77 RPM | 165 oz-in | 99:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 45 RPM | 250 oz-in | 172:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 34 RPM | 320 oz-in | 227:1 MP 12V | ||||
| 12 V | low-power (LP) |
1.1 A | 1250 RPM | 8 oz-in | 4.4:1 LP 12V | |
| 570 RPM | 15 oz-in | 9.7:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 270 RPM | 29 oz-in | 20.4:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 160 RPM | 43 oz-in | 34:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 115 RPM | 60 oz-in | 47:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 75 RPM | 85 oz-in | 75:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 55 RPM | 115 oz-in | 99:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 32 RPM | 180 oz-in | 172:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 24 RPM | 240 oz-in | 227:1 LP 12V | ||||
| 15 RPM | 320 oz-in | 378:1 LP 12V | ||||
Keep in mind that stalling or overloading gearmotors can greatly decrease their lifetimes and even result in immediate damage. For these gearboxes, the recommended upper limit for instantaneous torque is 200 oz-in (15 kg-cm), and we strongly advise keeping applied loads well under this limit. Stalls can also result in rapid (potentially on the order of seconds) thermal damage to the motor windings and brushes, especially for the versions that use high-power (HP) motors; a general recommendation for brushed DC motor operation is 25% or less of the stall current.
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Brushed DC motor performance curves. |
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We list stall torques and currents for our gearmotors because these are end points of approximately linear DC motor performance curves shown above, and with them you can determine how the motor will behave as the voltage or load changes. For more information about how to generate specific performance curves for our gearmotors from the specifications we provide, see the first frequently asked question on any of the motor product pages.
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