The Propeller Robot Control Board features the multicore P8X32A microcontroller and 64 KB EEPROM as well as the components necessary to interface with a PC, DC motors, servos, sensors and more. With the same mounting hole placement as our other popular development boards, it is an easy upgrade for your existing projects.

The Propeller Robot Control Board provides all the necessary base circuits needed to build a very powerful mid-size robotics platform. The control board has an on-board USB serial interface to facilitate programming and communication with the Propeller chip. A dual switching supply regulates 6.5 – 20 VDC input to 3.3 V and 5 V at up to 3 A and contains green and red LEDs to indicate proper operation or an under-voltage condition. The on-board dual H-bridge motor driver makes it possible to directly drive DC motors up to 2.8 A and 20 V. The 24 available I/O pins are buffered through three 8-bit bidirectional voltage level translators providing direct 5V interface capability. The input voltage can come from a battery pack or a wall adapter using a standard 2.1mm barrel plug.

The 24 available I/O pins are connected to three TXB0108 8-bit bidirectional voltage level translators. They convert the voltage from 3.3V at the Propeller chip to 5V at the servo headers. These pins are fully bidirectional and are grouped as three ports with eight I/O lines each. Each group is brought out to a set of servo headers. A jumper selects either 5V or VIN for the group. All data pins on the servo header are at 5V signal levels, however should the need arise to directly access the Propeller chip I/O for 3.3V interfacing, solder points are provided to disable the translators and gain direct access to the I/O pins.

The 64 kB EEPROM retains 32 kB for custom data after a Propeller program is loaded. This extra memory could be used for GPS lookup tables, map data or whatever you choose. The USB interface provides a serial connection to the Propeller chip through the USB port of your PC. This interface is used for both programming and communication with the control board. Red and green LEDs indicate data flow between the controller board and the PC.

Features:

• Three 8-channel servo ports with 5 volt I/O and optional 5 volt regulated power
• Dual 2.8 amp H-bridge motor controller
• Regulated 3 amp power supplies at 5 and 3.3 volts
• Features the 32-bit 8-processor Propeller microcontroller
• 64 kB EEPROM for extra data storage

Key Specifications:

• Power requirements: 6.5 to 20 VDC
• Communication: USB
• Dimensions: 3.05 x 4.05 x 0.53 in (77.5 x 102.9 x 13.4 mm)
• Operating temp range: -40 to +185 °F (-40 to +85 °C)

Downloads & Resources:
Propeller Robot Control Board (MSR1) Documentation (.pdf)
Propeller Robot Control Board (MSR1) Schematic (.pdf)