The 3DoT Board is the brain, power, and controller of any robot - all on a 35 x 70 mm PCB. Plug your motors and servos directly into the board, and a smart, current-limited power circuit allows it to drive everything from the on-board rechargeable battery. Bluetooth connectivity even allows you control your robot directly and/or make your phone part of the robot.

3DoT Board will get your robots up and running with less hassle and cost than any other platform.

Power On-board

No need to purchase a separate battery charger. The 3DoT Board automatically charges the on-board battery to a safe level through USB.

The on-board battery can power most small robots continuously running for about 30 minutes. Since the battery is charged while USB is plugged in for programming, we find we never have to worry about battery life while developing. Combined with being able to send debug messages over Bluetooth, this really makes the development process a much more pleasant experience.

A robot charging

Custom Software

As soon as you receive the board, you can start driving robots from your phone using the open-source iOS/Android app developed specifically for 3DoT.

The mobile app also contains some really cool features such as Community Mode and custom control widgets. In Community Mode, your phone is attached to the robot, and by utilizing the phone’s cameras and Bluetooth connection to the 3DoT Board, you can control your robot from a computer anywhere in the world.

To go further, you can program the board using the popular Arduino IDE using the 3DoT Arduino library to help you get started. The library also allows you to write code to interface with controls on the mobile app.

Advanced users can, of course, also use any AVR tool of their choosing.

Designed for Makers

We have built many robots using the 3DoT Board ourselves, and it has been used at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Electrical Engineering classes for two semesters. In the process, we have been able to refine our design to be reliable and suitable for every level of maker.

The board is OSHWA certified open source hardware and all software is open source with GPL licensing. We encourage you to check out the schematics to build your own shields or other add-ons! Share your hacks in our Discord channel.

Features

• Microcontroller: ATmega32U4
• Bluetooth: FCC-certified BLE 5.0 module
• Power Management:
  • RCR123A battery holder
  • Included 600 mAh rechargeable battery
  • Microchip MCP7383 battery charge controller
  • External battery connector - for input voltages between 4 - 18 V
  • Reverse polarity protection - plug in the battery backwards? No problem
• Motors & Servos:
  • 2x JST motor connectors
  • 2x standard servo connectors
• Expansion:
  • 16-pin top female headers for shields - providing I/O, I²C, SPI, USART, 3.3 V and 5 V. See pledge levels for example shields
  • Forward-facing 8-pin female header for sensor shields - providing 4 analog pins, I²C, and 3.3 V power - for sensor shields like infrared or metal-detecting shields. Great location for headlights, lasers, ultrasonics, etc.
• Programming switch: Three-position switch for easy programming
  • No more double-tapping a button and rushing to program your board, or your robot trying to drive away while programming. Set the switch to PRG to program, RUN to execute your code.

Comparisons

The 3DoT Board is difficult to compare, as there are not many boards specifically designed for robots. The most common solution is to use a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino wired to breakout boards. If you need a ton of processing power or other specialized features, this may be the way to go, but we don’t think most robots need this.

Below is a comparison chart:

Robots!

Here is a gallery of robots made with the 3DoT board to help inspire you to greatness.

Build-a-block robot:

Goliath towing robot:

Paperbot robot:

You can see more robots built with 3DoT in action here:

https://www.humansforrobots.com/robots/

Pledge Levels

3DoT Board

Includes:

• 1x 3DoT Board with 600 mAh rechargeable battery

3DoT Board + Accessories Kit

Our collection of must-have accessories for small robots.

Includes:

• 1x 3DoT Board with 600 mAh rechargeable battery

• 2x Micro metal gearmotor, 200 RPM
• 2x Mini wheels
• 2x Micro servos
• 2x 3DoT Protoboard shield

3DoT Board + Accessories Kit + Shields Kit

Get the essential robot accessories, as well as all of our favorite shields. Shields plug into the top or front headers on the board to add features to your device

Includes:

• 1x 3DoT Board with 600 mAh rechargeable battery

• Accessories kit shown above
• Servo expansion shield - control up to 10 extra servos to your bot
• Infrared sensor shield - a staple for line-following robots
• GPIO expansion shield - add 8 extra GPIO pins for buttons, LEDS, relays, you name it
• 128 x 64 OLED - a gorgeous blue/yellow display plugged into ZIF connector on shield (allows for extension cables)
• 64 x 32 OLED - same as above, but a little smaller. Perfect for robot eyes, status indicators, etc.
• Inductive sensing shield - detect metal, such as hidden copper tape lines, or checkpoints your robot can use to navigate.

3DoT Board + Accessories Kit + Shields Kit + Chassis Kit

Get up and running immediately with a full chassis kit! The chassis is designed for 3DoT, and sensor shields fit perfectly, ready for you to start programming.

Includes:

• Accessories Kit
• Servo Kit
• Laser-cut wood chassis designed for 3DoT
• 3D-printed gears, wheels, and flexible tires
• 3D-printed ball caster holder
• All the nuts, bolts, and other hardware required for assembly

Support & Documentation

Upon receiving your 3DoT, scan the QR Code on the board to open up the 3DoT Documentation Site.

Here, you can find a simple "Getting Started" guide, all the 3DoT info you need, and the source files.

We are also always hanging out in our Discord channel, which is a great place to get quick answers to any questions you may have and discuss your robot projects with other members.

Manufacturing

We produced a small batch of 3DoTs for CSULB a few months ago with a Shenzhen-based manufacturer. They did a great job and we will be using them again for PCB production and assembly.

Once we receive the boards in Huntington Beach, we add on our Bluetooth modules and batteries. The ATmega chip and Bluetooth modules are then programmed and every function of the board is tested before we pack it.

Fulfillment & Logistics

Once the campaign is over, we pass our boards on to Crowd Supply, who will make sure each backer gets their reward as soon as possible. More information on their shipping service can be found in their guide page on ordering, paying, and shipping. Shipping within the US is free! Non-US or will have a shipping fee at checkout.

Risks & Challenges

Although we have not encountered any issues or significant delays in shipping recently, COVID-19 does still pose some risk to disrupt supply-chains. Luckily for us, most of the components used on the 3DoT board are either generic or widely-available both in the U.S. and China. For those components that are not, namely the battery holder, Bluetooth module, and motor driver, we have used and tested possible replacements in the past.

Should any other problems arise that might affect the delivery date, we will communicate quickly and be transparent with our supporters.