Home
Shop
3pi+ 32U4 Control Board

Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

3pi+ 32U4 Control Board

SKU: POLOLU-3735 Brand: Pololu

This is the control board for the 3pi+ 32U4 robot, and it is included as part of the Standard Edition, Turtle Edition, and Hyper Edition 3pi+ 32U4 kits ...

$154.95 AUD, inc GST

$140.86 AUD, exc GST

Available with a lead time
Expect dispatch between Oct 30 and Nov 03

Quantity Discounts:

5+ $135.23 (exc GST)
10+ $131.00 (exc GST)

New version available! Pololu have released an updated 3pi+ 32U4 OLED Robot that includes an OLED display with better graphical capabilities than the LCD used by this original 3pi+ 32U4 robot. The 3pi+ 32U4 OLED Control Board can be used as a replacement part for a 3pi+ 32U4 OLED robot, and Pololu recommend using the newer OLED version for new custom robot builds. This original version of the control board will only be available by special order once Pololu's existing stock runs out.

The 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board is designed to be assembled with a 3pi+ Chassis Kit and a pair of 6V Micro Metal Gearmotors with extended motor shafts to create a 3pi+ 32U4 robot. This product is primarily intended as a replacement product for the 3pi+ 32U4 robots and kits that already include it or for those who want to build a 3pi+ 32U4 robot with different gearmotor versions than the ones offered with those complete kits and assembled robots.

This control board is already included as part of the following 3pi+ 32U4 assembled robots and kits:

This is the control board for the original 3pi+ 32U4 Robot with an LCD. The newer 3pi+ 32U4 OLED Control Board is designed to work with an graphical OLED display.

Included components

The 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board ships with all of its surface-mount components populated, and it includes the following through-hole parts and mounting hardware:

one buzzer
jumper wires for soldering motors to the board
two magnetic encoder discs
one low-profile 2×7 male header for use with an 8×2 character LCD (not included)
four single battery contacts
four 3/16" #2-56 screws and nuts for mounting the board to a 3pi+ Chassis

Please note that assembly (including soldering) is required; see the user’s guide for assembly instructions.

What else you will need

To build a robot with the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board, you will need a few additional parts:

a 3pi+ Chassis Kit
two Micro Metal Gearmotors with extended motor shafts (6V MP or 6V HPCB versions recommended)
four AAA batteries: the 3pi+ chassis and control board work with both alkaline and NiMH batteries, though Pololu recommend rechargeable NiMH cells
a USB A to Micro-B cable to connect the robot to your computer for programming and debugging
tools to help with kit assembly; see the user’s guide for a list of specific tools

Optional accessories

You might also consider getting these for your 3pi+ 32U4 robot:

an 8×2 character LCD
more sensors
connectors (headers, jumper wires, etc) for adding those sensors or other peripherals to the 3pi+ 32U4 expansion ports

3pi+ 32U4 versions

The original version of the 3pi+ 32U4 (which uses this control board) includes an 8×2 character LCD, while the newer 3pi+ 32U4 OLED incorporates a graphical OLED display instead. The name “3pi+ 32U4” can generally be used to refer to both the original (LCD) and OLED versions, and the documentation in Pololu's updated user’s guide covers both versions.

Pololu's Arduino library for the 3pi+ 32U4 generally allows code written for the LCD version to work on the OLED version with minimal changes (and the reverse is also true as long as your code does not make use of the OLED’s graphical capabilities).

3pi+ 32U4 Robot, top view.

3pi+ 32U4 OLED Robot, top view.

Comparison with the original 3pi

The 3pi+ 32U4 offers many major improvements over the original 3pi, including:

ATmega32U4 microcontroller with Arduino-compatible bootloader can be programmed directly through a USB connection
Quadrature encoders on both motors for closed-loop position and speed control
Full 9-axis IMU (three-axis gyro, accelerometer, and compass)
Bottom-loading battery holders keep batteries accessible even if additional levels are added
Full wrap-around bumper to protect electronics from collisions
Two bump sensors on the front

The 3pi+ 32U4 uses a different microcontroller with different pin mappings compared to the older 3pi, and some of the software library interfaces are different, so programs written for the original 3pi will not work on the 3pi+ 32U4 without modification.

Dimensions

Size:	2.6" × 3.4"
Weight:	20 g¹

General specifications

Processor:	ATmega32U4 @ 16 MHz
RAM size:	2560 bytes
Program memory size:	32 Kbytes²
Motor driver:	DRV8838
Motor channels:	2
Minimum operating voltage:	2.7 V
Maximum operating voltage:	6.5 V
Continuous output current per channel:	1.8 A
Logic voltage:	5 V
Reverse voltage protection?:	Y
External programmer required?:	N

Identifying markings

PCB dev codes:	3pi03a
Other PCB markings:	0J13071

Notes:

1: Without included hardware.
2: Note that 4 KB of the MCU's 32 KB of flash memory is used by the pre-installed USB bootloader. All 32 KB is available when programming via the ISP header rather than the bootloader.

Documentation and other information

Pololu 3pi+ 32U4 User’s Guide (Printable PDF)

User’s manual for the Pololu 3pi+ 32U4 robot.

File downloads

Pololu A-Star 32U4 drivers for Windows (version 1.3.0.0) (7k zip)

This download contains the Windows drivers for the A-Star 32U4 and the rest of Pololu's 32U4 family of boards.
Pinout and power distribution diagrams of the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board (1MB pdf)
Schematic diagram of the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board (584k pdf)
Dimension diagram of the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board (1MB pdf)
Dimension diagram of the 3pi+ 32U4 Robot (1MB pdf)
3D model of the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board (28MB step)
3D models of the 3pi+ 32U4 Robot (18MB zip)

This model uses simplified models of the control electronics to reduce the file size. A more detailed model of the 3pi-plus-32u4-control-board (28MB step) is available separately.
Front, top, and side views of the 3pi+ 32U4 Robot (471k zip)

These DXF drawings make it possible to get various dimension measurements of the 3pi+ 32U4 Robot.
Drill guide for the 3pi+ 32U4 Control Board (216k dxf)

Recommended links

Pololu3piPlus32U4 Arduino library
Pololu3piPlus32U4 library documentation
Arduino Software

Arduino integrated development environment (IDE) software
A-Star repository on GitHub

This repository contains Arduino add-on files, Windows drivers, and bootloaders for the A-Star 328PB, A-Star 32U4, and the rest of Pololu's 32U4 family of boards.
ATmega32U4 documentation

Microchip’s product page for the ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller, with links to its datasheet, application notes, and other resources.

Product Comments

Start the conversation

Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page (no login required).

Products that weigh more than 0.5 KG may cost more than what's shown (for example, test equipment, machines, >500mL liquids, etc).

We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

$3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
$7+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
$11+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

$12+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
$16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

40 Aruma Place
Cardiff
NSW, 2285
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

Have a product question? We're here to help!