Maker Mini Sumo Controller

Want to take part in a robotics/Sumo robot competition but don’t want to get your hands dirty dealing with electronics? The Maker Mini Sumo Controller is the ultimate board for you – whether you’re a beginner or a professional robot builder.

Cytron have put in hours of research and effort designing this controller board to make it as beginner-friendly as possible, and at the same time enable it to fulfil the stringent requirements of any professional sumo robot builder. To achieve this, they even teamed up with Team Ikedo Kogeki, the winner of multiple Sumo robot competitions locally and internationally.

Let’s take a look at the features…

Arduino Uno/Nano Compatible

Why? Because this is the most widely used Arduino in the world. Powered by ATMEGA328P, Maker Mini Sumo Controller is 100% compatible with Arduino Uno/Nano and can be programmed from Arduino IDE.

Library and example programs are also provided via Arduino IDE’s Libraries Manager.

Powerful Motor Driver

The motor driver can handle up to 6A maximum current per channel for a battery voltage of7V – 18V, thanks to its discrete MOSFETs H-Bridge design. This will maximize the torque and performance of the motor especially during face-to-face pushing in competitions.

Reverse Polarity Protection

Have you ever connected a battery in the wrong polarity and toasted your board? This is a very common mistake made by a lot of beginners (and even the professional robot builder).

Fear not! The Maker Mini Sumo Controller has reverse polarity protection. If you connect the battery the wrong way, just change the polarity to the correct one and it will work again.

Solderless Connection

A lot of people do not have good soldering skills. We know that! That’s why we designed this board with screw terminals which provide a fast and secure connection to the sensors and motors.

If something breaks during your competition, you can just replace it on the spot without the need for a soldering iron.

Shock Proof On/Off Switch

A Sumo robot is very prone to shock/vibration, especially during collisions. Mechanical switches tends to lose connection due to excessive vibration, particularly after they wear out. We do not want our robot to lose power momentarily and reset itself during any competition. Thus, Cytron have come up with our unique shock-proof on/off circuitry.

When the power is turned on, loss of connection or a disconnected slide switch will not turn the circuit off. Instead, it will need to connect to the opposite contact point to turn the power off.

Generous I/O Ports

• 5 x digital inputs for opponent sensors
• 2 x analogue inputs for edge/border sensors
• 1 x digital input for start module (with an onboard start button)
• Extra port for RC servo
• 2 x General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) ports which can be configured as analogue input, digital input or digital output

Supports RC mode

By connecting an RC receiver to the extra GPIO ports on the Maker Mini Sumo Controller, you can turn your robot into an RC controlled robot (Cytron provide example code for this). The best part is, it doesn’t use up any existing port for sensors and this allows you to participate in both RC and autonomous category with the same robot.

Easy Troubleshooting

Motor Test Buttons and LEDs allow us to test the motor direction and connection without writing any code. Opponent Sensors Status LEDs show us whether the opponent is detected and allows us to adjust the sensor detection range easily.

The onboard programmable User LED, potentiometer and mode selection 3-Way DIP switch give us the convenience to test and fine-tune our code.

…and the fun part is, the piezo buzzer allows us to play a melody and add some personalities to our robots!

Compact Size

Measuring only 92mm x 36mm, the Maker Mini Sumo Controller can be fit easily into any robot. Even the international Sumo robot competition 500g category is not a problem.

Features

• Arduino Nano/Uno Compatible (Powered by ATMEGA328P).
• Vin: 7V – 18V
• Reverse polarity protection on Vin
• Shockproof on/off switch with MOSFET latching circuit
• Battery voltage can be read programmatically
• Switching regulator for +5V reduce heat and increase efficiency
• Motor: 3A continuous, 6A peak
• Test buttons and status LED for motors
• 5 x Opponent Sensors Input (Digital) with LED state indicator
• 2 x Edge Sensors Input (Analog/Digital)
• 2 x General Purpose Input Output (Analog/Digital Input or Digital Output)
• 1 x Start Module Input (Digital), with LED and onboard start button
• 1 x Servo Output
• 1 x Programmable LED
• 1 x Onboard Potentiometer
• 1 x Mode Selection DIP Switch (3 Ways)
• 1 x Piezo Buzzer (Able to play melody)

Resources

• Datasheet

• Arduino library and examples