4 layers66 × 44 mm
4 layers49.8 × 47.3 mm
Soft robot cam
esb8/Soft-Robotics4Custom PCB for soft robotic applications
- Size
- 49.8 × 47.3 mm
- Copper layers
- 4
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 101
- Nets
- 89
- Pads
- 332
- Tracks, vias
- 570, 235
- Pours
- 13
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 9.0 (file 20241229)
- Created
- 12 Aug 2025
- Updated
- 11 Oct 2025
Overview
Soft robot cam is an open-source printed circuit board by esb8, from the esb8/Soft-Robotics repository on GitHub. It is a 4-layer board of 49.8 × 47.3 mm with 101 parts on 89 nets, routed with 570 tracks and 235 vias.
It is built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, SY8113IADC and PZ127-2-02-Z, with the XC6206P122MR, XC6206P282MR and S8050 among its other parts. Its parts include 32 capacitors, 26 resistors, 10 connectors, 8 ICs and 4 transistors. It belongs with the robots and motor control boards and the ESP32 boards of this library.
Main components
8
ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8
SMD,25.5x18mm-103.5dBm -40℃~+65℃ 2.4GHz 20.5dBm 355mA 3V~3.6V 95mA ESP32-S3R8 On-board PCB Antenna UART、SPI、I2C、GPIO、I2S、USB SMD,25.5x18mm WiFi Modules ROHSEspressif SystemsWiFi Modules
SY8113IADC
TSOT-23-6-40℃~+85℃ 1 200uA 3A 4.2V~18V 500kHz Adjustable Buck Buck Built-in Yes TSOT-23-6 DC-DC Converters ROHS矽力杰silergyDC-DC Converters
PZ127-2-02-Z
插件,P=1.27mm-40℃~+105℃ 1.27mm 1.27mm 1A 1mm 2 2.4mm 2x2P 3.8mm 4P 500V Black Brass Square pin Through Hole Plugin,P=1.27mm Pin Headers ROHSHCTLPin Headers
XC6206P122MR
SOT-23SOT-23 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHShongjiachengUncategorised
XC6206P282MR
SOT-23-3L-40℃~+85℃ 1 150mV@(100mA) 1uA 2.8V 200mA 6V Fixed Over Current Protection Positive SOT-23-3L Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHSTorex SemiconductorVoltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) RegulatorsS8050
SOT-23-55℃~+150℃ 1 NPN 100MHz 100nA 120 25V 300mW 500mA 5V 600mV NPN SOT-23 Bipolar (BJT) ROHShongjiachengBipolar (BJT)AO3400A
SOT-23-55℃~+150℃ 1 N-channel 1.45V 1.4W 30V 48mΩ@2.5V 5.7A 50pF 630pF 75pF 7nC@10V N-Channel SOT-23 MOSFETs ROHSAlpha & Omega SemiconductorMOSFETsAO3401A
SOT-231 P-Channel 14nC@10V 30V 47mΩ@10V、60mΩ@4.5V、85mΩ@2.5V 4A 55pF 645pF 80pF 900mV SOT-23 MOSFETs ROHSAlpha & Omega SemiconductorMOSFETs
README
README.mdSoft Robotics PCB
This project features a soft-robotics controller built around an ESP32 with an onboard camera, driver stages for multiple electromagnets, photoresistor sensing, SPI breakouts, and a UART header for easy flashing all developed for bio-inspired robotics at ELXIR LAB.
Features
- ESP32 (WROOM or WROVER) with camera module (OV2640 or similar)
- 4–8 electromagnet channels with protected low-side MOSFET drivers (PWM capable)
- Photoresistor (LDR) inputs with RC dividers → ADC
- SPI header (3.3V) for add-ons (external ADCs, sensors, or LED drivers)
- Dedicated UART header for flashing (RTS/DTR optional) + USB-C or JST-PH power
- Reverse-polarity & transient protection, per-channel flyback/snubbers
- Buck Regulation for 2S LiPos
- Mounting + cable-reliefs sized for soft-robotics rigs
- Full Codebase containing all peripheral test code
Media
Schematic
PCB Layout
Front View
Back View
Setup Guidelines
- Open ArduinoIDE
- Set Baud Rate: 115200
- Set COM to whatever appears on device manager
- Set board to ESP32S3-Dev Board.
- The serial monitor must read at 115200 Baud.
Boot Guide
- Enter Bootloader
- Ensure IO46 is pulled down.
- Pull boot low (Switch ON), Pull Enable Up and Down to reset the ESP32 (Switch On -> Switch Off). During this time firmware can be uploaded.
- Boot from uploaded code
- Pull boot high (Switch OFF), Pull Enable Up and Down to reset the ESP32 (Switch On -> Switch Off).
Pinout
- CAMERA: PINS 4 to 14, 21.
- CAM_SDA: IO20
- CAM_SCL: IO3
- S_PWM: IO1, ADC1_CH0
- SDA: IO42
- SCL: IO41
- XSHUT: IO40
- nFault_A: I039
- nFault_B: IO4
- I_SENSE_A: IO14, ADC_CH3
- I_SENSE_B: IO2, ADC1_CH0
- IN1_A: IO38
- IN2_A: IO48
- IN1_B: IO47
- IN2_B: IO21
- LDR1: IO19
- LDR2: IO5
Calculations
Trip Current (typ.)
I_TRIP = V_REF / (R_IPROPI × A_IPROPI)
= 3.3 / (2350 × 455 × 10^-6)
≈ 3.09 A
IPROPI Current at Trip
I_IPROPI = I_TRIP × A_IPROPI
= V_REF / R_IPROPI
= 3.3 / 2350
≈ 1.40 mA
IPROPI Voltage at Trip
V_IPROPI = I_IPROPI × R_IPROPI
= 3.3 V
Parts
101| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 10kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0603 | R1, R2, R7, R8, R9, R10, R12, R13, R21, R22, R25, R26 |
| 10 | 4.7kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0603 | R3, R11, R14, R15, R16, R17, R19, R20, R23, R24 |
| 7 | 100nF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C3, C9, C11, C12, C21, C29, C30 |
| 5 | 1uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C13, C17, C18, C19, C20 |
| 5 | 2.2uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C23, C24, C25, C26, C31 |
| 5 | TestPoint_Pad_1.0x1.0mm | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_1.0x1.0mm | +7.6V, +7.6V, +7.6V, GND, GND |
| 4 | 10nF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C1, C2, C22, C27 |
| 4 | 22uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C5, C6, C10, C33 |
| 4 | Screw_Terminal_01x02 | easyeda2kicad:JST_B2B-PH-K-S | J6, J7, J9, J10 |
| 2 | 10uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_1206 | C34, C35 |
| 2 | 10uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C8, C32 |
| 2 | 200Ω | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R4, R18 |
| 2 | 22nF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C7, C28 |
| 2 | DRV8874PWPR | easyeda2kicad:HTSSOP-16_L5.0-W4.4-P0.65-LS6.4-BL-EP | U4, U5 |
| 2 | LOGO | LOGO | G***, G*** |
| 2 | S8050 | PCM_JLCPCB:Q_SOT-23 | Q1, Q2 |
| 1 | 100kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R5 |
| 1 | 220pF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0402 | C4 |
| 1 | 22kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R6 |
| 1 | 6.8uH | easyeda2kicad:IND-SMD_L6.0-W6.0 | L1 |
| 1 | AO3400A | PCM_JLCPCB:Q_SOT-23 | Q4 |
| 1 | AO3401A | easyeda2kicad:SOT-23_L2.9-W1.3-P1.90-LS2.4-BR | Q3 |
| 1 | B5B-PH-K-S-(LF)(SN) | easyeda2kicad:CONN-TH_B5B-PH-K-S-LF-SN | J12 |
| 1 | BHFUSE BSMD1206C-1700T | easyeda2kicad:F1206 | F1 |
| 1 | Conn_01x02_Pin | easyeda2kicad:HDR-TH_2P-P1.27-V-M | J5 |
| 1 | Conn_01x03 | easyeda2kicad:JST_B3B-PH-K-S | J3 |
| 1 | Conn_01x05_Pin | Connector_PinHeader_1.27mm:PinHeader_1x05_P1.27mm_Vertical | J4 |
| 1 | Conn_01x24_Socket | easyeda2kicad:FPC-SMD_AFC07-S24ECA-00 | J8 |
| 1 | Connector | Connector_AMASS:AMASS_XT30U-F_1x02_P5.0mm_Vertical | J1 |
| 1 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 | esp32:ESP32-S3-WROOM-1_EXP | U9 |
| 1 | MPU6500 | Package_DFN_QFN:QFN-24-1EP_3x3mm_P0.4mm_EP1.75x1.6mm | U3 |
| 1 | PZ127-2-02-Z | easyeda2kicad:HDR-TH_4P-P1.27-V-M-R2-C2-S1.27_MH127V-12-04-0820 | U1 |
| 1 | Red | PCM_JLCPCB:D_0603 | D2 |
| 1 | SW_DIP_x02 | easyeda2kicad:SW-SMD_4P_DSHP02TSGET | SW4 |
| 1 | SY8113IADC | easyeda2kicad:TSOT-23-6_L2.9-W1.6-P0.95-LS2.8-BL | U14 |
| 1 | XC6206P122MR | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-3 | U13 |
| 1 | XC6206P282MR | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-3 | U12 |
The 91 most common of 101 parts.
Questions
How big is the Soft robot cam PCB?
It measures 49.8 × 47.3 mm and has 4 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Soft robot cam use?
101 parts, built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, SY8113IADC, PZ127-2-02-Z and XC6206P122MR. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the Soft robot cam KiCad files?
From the esb8/Soft-Robotics repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is KiCad/soft_robot_cam.kicad_pcb and its schematic KiCad/soft_robot_cam.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Soft robot cam design in my own project?
Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask esb8 before reusing the design.
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