Pololu 3pi Robot

The 3pi robot is designed to excel in line-following and maze-solving competitions. It has a small size (9.5 cm/3.7″ diameter, 83 g/2.9 oz without batteries) and takes just four AAA cells (not included), while a unique power system runs the motors at a constant 9.25 V independent of the battery charge level. The regulated voltage allows the 3pi to reach speeds up to 100 cm/second while making precise turns and spins that don’t vary with the battery voltage.

The 3pi robot makes a great platform for people with C programming experience to learn robotics, and it is a fun environment for ambitious beginners to learn C programming. At its heart is an ATmega328P AVR microcontroller from Microchip (formerly Atmel) running at 20 MHz and featuring 32 KB of flash program memory, 2 KB RAM, and 1 KB of persistent EEPROM memory. The popular, free GNU C/C++ compiler works perfectly with the 3pi, Atmel Studio provides a comfortable development environment, and an extensive set of libraries provided by Pololu makes it a breeze to interface with all of the integrated hardware. The 3pi is also compatible with the popular Arduino development platform. We provide a number of sample programs to show how to use the various 3pi components, as well as how to perform more complex behaviors such as line following and maze solving.

The diagrams below highlight the important features of the 3pi. Click on either picture for an expanded view.

For instructions on setting up and programming the 3pi, including sample code, contest ideas, and more, see the 3pi User’s Guide.

Please Note: Batteries and LCD are not included in the package.

Dimensions

General specifications

Notes:

1. Digital I/O lines PD0 and PD1 are available; two more analog inputs and one analog/digital pin can be made available by removing jumpers and disabling special features of the board.
2. Designed for use with 4 x AAA NiMH or Alkaline cells. A step-up regulator boosts the motor voltage to 9.25 V.

Documents:

• Pololu 3pi Robot User’s Guide (Printable PDF)
• Pololu AVR Programming Quick Start Guide (Printable PDF)
• Sample Project: 3pi Wall Follower (Printable PDF)