Good day everyone,

This is a special development board based on the STM32F446RET6 microcontroller. The board can be used as a standard STM32 development board by connecting external sensors and actuators to its pin headers. However, what sets this board apart is that it comes pre-integrated with sensors and actuators commonly used in mobile robots, making it ready for immediate robotics applications. Up to four DC motors (with encoders) can be driven independently and simultaneously using the onboard motor drivers.

The onboard 9-DOF IMU sensor provides accurate orientation and motion data for robotics projects. In addition, an ADC channel is available for battery monitoring and power management. To make debugging easier, an array of SMD LEDs and push buttons is included on the board.

Watch a short demo video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/gEGT3jveJEQ?si=MAZEjLscoMQkPrSM

Power and Connectivity

The board features an integrated DC-DC converter supporting input voltages up to 25 V. Power can be supplied via XT60 connector, DC barrel jack, or USB Type-C port. A power selection mechanism automatically disconnects the 5 V line from the USB-C port when a battery is connected. The board also includes a USB-A output (5 V / 5 A) to power a single-board computer such as a Raspberry Pi when running on battery power. The overall board size is comparable to other popular STM32 development boards (see the size reference image below).

ROS and ROS 2 Compatibility

The board is fully compatible with ROS and ROS 2. ROS 2 drivers are being developed using Micro-ROS on top of FreeRTOS, and will be released publicly upon completion. With Micro-ROS, the STM32 can subscribe and publish ROS topics directly to a host computer running a ROS agent. The low-level firmware already supports publishing data from onboard sensors. This setup allows users to focus on high-level robotics logic while the board handles low-level real-time control.

Educational Robotics Platform

The board is suitable for a wide range of mobile robot chassis designs. A demo differential-drive robot has been built using 3D-printed parts and a Raspberry Pi 4B as the high-level controller. Both boards can be easily integrated for a plug-and-play robotics platform that students can customize and program freely. 3D CAD files for the demo chassis are also included so that users can take it as an example for their projects.