Robotics and Prototyping
The robotics and prototyping section is a very broad and rather unusual category of our catalogue, which brings together products that are addressed primarily to individual customers, mainly enthusiasts, but are also used by professionals, students, startups and manufacturers of highly specialist circuits (usually made to individual order).
This section includes modules whose key features are the simplicity of use and the widest possible tolerance in terms of electrical parameters, thanks to which they can be quickly connected to each other, to a development kit, or to a single-board computer. This makes them perfectly suited to the needs of developers of prototypes or home-made projects; they are also a great choice in education, where they facilitate the construction of circuits that illustrate basic issues in digital electronics.
Components for the construction of prototypes
If you look for individual electronic components, you will not find them among prototyping solutions. Instead, browse categories such as passive components or semiconductors. Project developers always appreciate the ability to quickly incorporate a module into a circuit. That is why many products available at TME feature their own voltage regulators and stabilisers installed on the PCBs, which means that they can operate over a wide range of voltages (most often 3.3 V and 5 V DC, which are typical values for microcontrollers). Commonly used outputs in the form of pin headers (goldpin) or those with a 2.54 mm contact pitch, which allow circuits to be set up using breadboards, are also a solution that simplifies work. Sometimes, an additional standardised output (identical for the entire product range) is used. It is usually based on serial interfaces (SPI I2C, etc.), which facilitate the integration with the most popular brands and series of microcontrollers (PIC, AVR), development boards (Arduino) and single-board computers (Raspberry Pi).
Prototyping modules
In fact, it is difficult to find a type of electronic component that is not available in a modular form.
The widest range of products are sensor modules, which are used for monitoring and collecting data on a wide variety of variables. These may include, for example, information about environmental factors: temperature, humidity or air quality. Many of the products exhibit properties that are specific to the needs of automation applications, thanks to which they help determine the presence of objects, the distance to them, their colour, etc. In the case of modules equipped with LiDaR (Light Detection and Ranging), the spatial mapping of objects is also possible. A similar function is performed by position sensors and accelerometers ‒ essential components of modern smart robotics controllers. At this point, it is worth noting that the prototyping category also includes cameras and sound transducers (both microphones and audio amplifiers).
Voltage converters and charge controllers are another important part of the assortment of modules. You can use them to adapt your project to universal power sources (e.g. desktop power supply, USB charger) or greatly simplify the construction of mobile devices that are designed to be ultimately based on energy sourced from lithium-ion or lithium-polymer cells. This group also includes the popular step-up and step-down compact switched-mode converters, whose size, thanks to miniaturisation, is the same as that of linear regulators (in some cases, they also have a similar pinout).
Another extensive group comprises actuation circuits, thanks to which a microcontroller or microprocessor can control the operation of significant loads. If you are looking for the simplest solutions of this type, go for relay modules, which almost always offer additional circuit separation (via optocouplers). Also noteworthy is a wide range of drivers, including classic H-bridges (made with specialist integrated circuits) for DC and stepper motors, as well as multiplexers for servo operation controlled via serial protocols (here, two lines are enough to manipulate, for example, 8 receivers). Thanks to these solutions, you can construct complex and innovative robots, e.g. for your graduation or competition project.
It must be noted here again that the products presented in this text should be treated as complementary items to the development kits, such as Arduino or to a wide range of communication modules and optoelectronic modules (e.g. smart displays) – product groups which are available in the semiconductor section of our catalogue.
Electromechanical and mechanical components
Of course, in addition to the controllers themselves, TME offers different models of micromotors: DC, brushless (BLDC), stepper, as well as servo motors. They are available both in miniature versions and in versions made to be truly robust (metal mechanisms and shafts), in various gear variants, allowing the user to achieve optimum speed and torque. They can be mounted with the use of standard screws (e.g. M3). Their manufacturers, through TME, offer mounting accessories, so the construction of a chassis, an arm or a so-called gimbal (camera stabiliser) will be much easier for you.
In addition to the motors themselves, the robotics section also includes wheels, tyres, tracks, grippers, ball casters, adapters, propellers and other related mechanical components. Among them, you will find universal chassis that greatly speed up work on projects, especially educational ones, as they eliminate the need for machining plastics or metals and allow the developer to focus on electrical and electronic issues.
It is worth noting that, just like modular circuits complement our assortment of semiconductors, ready-made accessories for robotics complement our extensive (comprising tens of thousands of items) range of universal mechanical components, mounting parts, enclosures, construction materials, etc. for prototyping.
3D printing
Accessories for 3D printing form an ever-growing subcategory in the prototyping section ‒ both in the TME catalogue and in the professional laboratories and home workshops. The possibility of making precision parts without tedious and cumbersome material processing has irreversibly changed the processes of designing mechanisms and machines in general.
When it comes to 3D printing, TME focuses primarily on the supply of a wide range of filaments, which are raw materials used to form models. These are supplied in the form of wire with a standardised diameter of 1.75 mm, wound on a spool. Thanks to the current impressive technological advancement in this field, 3D prints can be used in an increasing number of applications. For example, materials that are resistant to UV radiation and environmental factors can be used to make enclosures and mechanical components for outdoor devices, such as remote IoT (Internet of Things) sensors. Filaments that retain elasticity after shaping possess a set of specific properties, which make it possible to manufacture, among other things: gaskets, model tyres and cushioning/damping components, which previously required injection moulding.
The huge variety of filaments can most easily be seen when it comes to their colours. These days, customers frequently expect the material to also meet their aesthetic requirements and, rather understandably, want to avoid the painting/lacquering process. This is why we have included in the TME catalogue a wide, colourful range of raw materials, which make it possible to manufacture parts in different colours, imitating other materials (wood, metal), with non-standard texture versions (rainbow, pearlescent), and even partially transparent parts.
Important differences and parameters
Although robotics and prototyping products tend to have a wide tolerance in terms of electrical parameters, the latter still need to be kept in mind. Apart from the obvious ones, such as voltage value or polarity, it is always necessary to make sure that the current consumption, pinout, supported digital communication protocols (including their speed), etc. correspond to the specifications of the project in which they are to be applied.
Nevertheless, it must be stressed again here: products we offer in the prototyping section are the simplest way for designers and constructors to realise and develop their ideas, shortening the path from concept to the initial design as much as possible. If you are about to start your adventure with electronics, this is the right place!