Open Decabot

A 3D printed two-wheeled robot powered by an ESP8266 Wemos D1 Mini, driven by two 360 servo motors and programmed with the Arduino IDE.

Wheeled
arduino
3D printable

Suggested by Robotheca, created by @triwaca (opens in a new tab), from github.com/triwaca/openDecabot (opens in a new tab). Pinned to commit 19cbfcf (opens in a new tab).

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Hardware license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Software license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Commercial use: Not allowed

A non-commercial license (CC-BY-NC) does not allow selling kits or parts. The license file (LICENSE.md) says CC BY-NC 4.0; the README says CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Robotheca shows the license file's terms.

Its license doesn't let Robotheca show its photos.

See the photos on GitHub

3D model loaded from the original files on GitHub at 19cbfcf, under CC-BY-NC-4.0. View the original files from GitHub (4.9 MB) (opens in a new tab)

What it can do

Written by Robotheca from the project's documents.

Drives two 360-degree servo motors as wheels, making it a small wheeled robot.
Controlled from a Wemos D1 Mini (ESP8266) running Arduino sketches, with Wi-Fi for remote control and telemetry.
Shows output on a LED matrix shield.
Optional extra sensors and modules can be connected, such as line-following sensors, a gyroscope/accelerometer and I2C displays, via a dedicated shield.

Bill of materials

This repository has no parts list Robotheca can read yet.

Build guide

The guide appears here as you scroll.

Guide by @triwaca (README.md). Its license (CC-BY-NC-4.0) doesn't let everyone reuse it. To reuse it, ask the creator on GitHub (opens in a new tab). Creators can ask Robotheca to remove it at contact@robotheca.org.

More guides

microPython/readme.md

Wiring and electronics

Notes written by Robotheca from the project's documents.

Main parts

Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 controller board.
Two 5V 360-degree servo motors for the wheels.
Wemos LED Matrix Shield.
Custom homemade PCB or the Decabot Mini Shield PCB linking the controller to the motors.
4 x AA battery holder supplying up to 6V to the board.
Optional buzzer, on-off switch, and sensor connectors on the Decabot Mini Shield.

Connections

Battery is connected to the 5V pin of the Wemos board.
The two servos connect to pins D0 and D6 of the Wemos board.
Servos are driven directly from the ESP8266 pins, since they contain their own driver circuitry.
The Decabot Mini Shield adds dedicated connections for servos, extra sensors, a gyroscope/accelerometer and I2C modules.

Schematics, boards and diagrams

Project information

Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated cost: Not stated
Buildability: 56/100Buildable with some effort
Parts: –
Tools: 3D printer, screwdriver, soldering iron

Buildability56/100

Buildable with some effort

How complete the published files are for rebuilding this robot, measured by Robotheca at commit 19cbfcf. It isn't a rating of the robot. Counted out of 80 points and scaled to 100: the parts that don't apply to this robot are left out. How we score

3D and CAD files10/20
18 printable parts (STL, 3MF).
Add the CAD source (STEP, or the CAD program's own files) so people can change the design.
Robot descriptionNot counted
No URDF. Not counted: the score is made of the parts that apply.
Optional: add a URDF, and the robot can be seen in 3D and tried in the browser.
Parts list0/20
No parts list in the repository or linked.
Most points to gain: Link to your parts list, or add it to the repository (a CSV or a Markdown table) with quantities, prices and where to buy each part.
Software15/15
Code in this repository, instructions to install or run it, built on arduino.
Documentation10/15
README of 5,294 characters with 7 pictures; 0 build steps.
Split the build into at least 3 steps.
SimulationNot counted
No simulation files. Not counted: the score is made of the parts that apply.
Optional: add a simulation model (MuJoCo, Gazebo, Webots or Isaac).
Licenses10/10
Hardware: CC-BY-NC-4.0; software: CC-BY-NC-4.0.

Software

Framework: arduino
Languages: Arduino, Python, C, C++
License: CC-BY-NC-4.0

Software that runs on this robot

No software from Robotheca's catalogue found in this robot's files yet. Links come from its robot.yaml, its dependency files read as text, or Robotheca's editors.

The code

How to run it

Written by Robotheca from the project's documents.

Set the Arduino IDE to manage ESP8266 boards and select Wemos D1 Mini.
Install any libraries the chosen sketch requires, as described in that sketch.
Copy the ArduinoSketch folder into your Arduino folder and open the .ino files.
Connect the robot by USB through the hatch on its upper part and upload the sketch.
For MicroPython, the documents describe flashing MicroPython firmware onto an ESP32 C3 with esptool, then copying .py driver files using Thonny or ESP IDE.

Robotheca doesn't review code. Read it before running it.

Project files

Every file of the project: code, CAD, electronics, guides, at commit 19cbfcf.

Community

Questions and improvements go to the creator's repository.

Photo and 3D model