The Pololu Zumo 32U4 OLED robot is a versatile tracked robot based on the Arduino-compatible ATmega32U4 MCU
This kit contains most of the parts you need to build one—all you need to add are a pair of micro metal gearmotors and four AA batteries.
It includes integrated dual motor drivers, a graphical OLED display, quadrature encoders, line sensors, side and front proximity sensors, and a full IMU. The assembled robot is less than 10 cm × 10 cm—small enough to qualify for Mini Sumo. This product is a kit; assembly (including soldering) is required.
The Zumo 32U4 OLED is a highly integrated, user-programmable and customizable tracked robot. It measures less than 10 cm on each side and weighs approximately 275 g with batteries (160 g without), so it is both small enough and light enough to qualify for Mini-Sumo competitions, but its versatility makes it capable of much more than just robot sumo battles.
At the heart of the Zumo 32U4 is an ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller from Microchip (formerly Atmel). The Zumo 32U4 features a USB interface and ships preloaded with an Arduino-compatible bootloader. A software add-on is available that makes it easy to program the robot from the Arduino environment, and Pololu have Arduino libraries and example sketches to help get you started. A USB A to Micro-B cable (not included) is required for programming. For advanced users who want to customize or enhance their robots with additional peripherals, the robot’s power rails and microcontroller’s I/O lines can be accessed via 0.1″-spaced through-holes along the sides and front of the main board.
The Zumo 32U4 features two H-bridge motor drivers and a variety of integrated sensors, including a pair of quadrature encoders for closed-loop motor control, a complete inertial measurement unit (3-axis accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer), five downward-facing reflectance sensors for line-following or edge-detection, and front- and side-facing proximity sensors for obstacle detection and ranging. Three on-board pushbuttons offer a convenient interface for user input, and a 128×64 graphical OLED display, buzzer, and indicator LEDs allow the robot to provide feedback.
Kit contents
With the exception of motors, batteries, and a USB A to Micro-B cable, this kit contains everything necessary to build and operate a Zumo 32U4 robot:
- Zumo Chassis Kit
- Zumo 32U4 OLED Main Board (this includes two magnetic encoder discs that work with encoder sensors integrated into the main board and a through-hole buzzer)
- Zumo 32U4 Front Sensor Array
- stainless steel Zumo 32U4 Blade and plastic IR LED holder
- graphical OLED display
See the Zumo 32U4 robot user’s guide for detailed assembly instructions.
Motors
The Zumo chassis uses two micro metal gearmotors, one for each tread. The ideal motors for your robot depend on your desired torque, speed, and current draw, so motors are not included. Pololu generally recommend using high-power (HP or HPCB, which have long-life carbon brushes) micro metal gearmotors since the tracks require a decent amount of torque to move effectively; higher gear ratios of the non-HP motors might work if you want lower current draw, but they will be slower and offer less control. Specifically, Pololu primarily recommend the 50:1, 75:1, or 100:1 HP (or HPCB) motors for use with this chassis. Additionally, be sure to get a version with extended motor shafts if you want to be able to use the Zumo 32U4’s encoders.
Batteries
The Zumo 32U4 robot runs off of four AA batteries. It works with both alkaline and NiMH batteries, though Pololu recommend using rechargeable AA NiMH cells.
Resources
Documentation and other information
- Pololu Zumo 32U4 Robot User’s Guide - User’s manual for the Pololu Zumo 32U4 robot.
File downloads
- Pololu A-Star 32U4 drivers for Windows (version 1.3.0.0) - This download contains the Windows drivers for the A-Star 32U4 and the rest of our 32U4 family of boards.
- Pinout diagram of the Zumo 32U4 OLED main board
- Schematic diagram of the Zumo 32U4 OLED
- 3D model of the assembled Zumo 32U4 OLED Robot - This model uses simplified models of the control electronics to reduce the file size. More detailed models are available separately of the Zumo 32U4 OLED main board (24MB step) and Zumo 32U4 front sensor array (4MB step).
- Dimension diagram of the Zumo 32U4 OLED Main Board
- Drill guide for the Zumo 32U4 OLED Main Board - This DXF drawing shows the locations of all of the board’s holes.
- Datasheet for the Sharp GP2S60 compact reflective photointerrupter - Datasheet for the sensor used on the QTR-3RC and QTR-3A Reflectance Sensor Arrays, the Zumo 32U4 robot front sensor array, and the Optical Encoders for micro metal gearmotors.
- Vishay TSSP77038 IR receiver module datasheet
Recommended links
- Zumo 32U4 Arduino library - The Zumo32U4 library for the Arduino IDE helps interface with the on-board hardware on the Zumo 32U4 robot.
- Zumo32U4 library documentation
- 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 our 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.
- Texas Instruments DRV8837/DRV8838 motor driver datasheet
- TPS2113A datasheet