Robot Circuits, Step by Step
For total beginners. Build 12 real robot circuits one part at a time, see every pin and wire, watch them work, then take them apart to learn what each part does.
⚠️ Safety first
⚠️ Battery power only. Use only batteries (AA or AAA packs, a 9 V battery) or USB 5 V. Never a wall outlet (120 V AC): wall power can kill. Never open chargers, power adapters, microwaves or other appliances: some parts inside stay charged even when unplugged.
⚠️ No short circuits. Never connect + straight to − : wires and batteries get hot fast. Switch off before you change wires.
⚠️ Motors need a helper. A motor pulls far more current than a micro:bit or Arduino pin can give, and makes voltage spikes when it stops. Never connect a motor straight to a pin: use a transistor or a motor driver, a flyback diode, and its own battery pack.
⚠️ Moving parts pinch. Spinning fans, wheels and gears can pinch fingers and catch hair, strings and sleeves. Tie back long hair. Switch off before you touch. Keep fingers out of the blade path; use a guard or soft foam blades.
⚠️ Coin and button batteries: adults only. If swallowed, a button or coin battery can burn through a child's throat in as little as two hours (U.S. CPSC). Keep them, and anything that holds them without a screw-closed door, away from children. Never put a battery in your mouth. If you think anyone swallowed one: go to the emergency room right away. Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline 1-800-498-8666 or Poison Help 1-800-222-1222. Don't wait for symptoms and don't make the person throw up.
Privacy: no accounts. Your progress stays on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere. Listen uses your device's own voice. The brain board here is a generic one: use the pin names printed on your own board.