{"id":5401,"date":"2017-09-01T09:11:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T14:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/?p=5401"},"modified":"2017-10-21T14:31:57","modified_gmt":"2017-10-21T19:31:57","slug":"btbox-lego-power-functions-bluetooth-controller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/01\/btbox-lego-power-functions-bluetooth-controller\/","title":{"rendered":"BTBox &#8211; LEGO Power Functions Bluetooth Controller"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5434\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_161643_001.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I&#8217;ve been on a bit of a LEGO Technic\/Mindstorms hiatus for a while &#8211; ok, it&#8217;s been 7\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2010\/11\/13\/pulito-featuring-dflex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">years<\/a>! \u00a0 I have an excuse&#8230; I&#8217;ve been spending much of my hobby time making my own DIY projects \/ IoT stuff all while mastering Arduino. \u00a0 That changed a few weeks back when I came across <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/?p=5418&amp;preview=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">THIS<\/a>. \u00a0I&#8217;ve been thinking of getting an RC crawler for some time, but it struck me that I have 95% of the LEGO pieces, so why not make my own. \u00a0The one caveat was that I only had the standard LEGO Power Functions IR remote and receiver &#8211; which are horrible for range and power handling. \u00a0I built the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/01\/blucrawler-lego-rock-crawler-with-btbox-bluetooth-controller\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crawler<\/a>, but had to remedy the controller situation.<\/p>\n<p>After doing some research, I discovered SBrick, BuWizz &#8211; which are nice solutions if you want something out-the-box, but, if you don&#8217;t know me by now&#8230; Well, I&#8217;m seldom satisfied with status-quo, and I like the challenge making it myself. \u00a0After spending years in the Arduino world, I became used to doing things my way. \u00a0I also wanted to use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blynk.cc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blynk <\/a>on my phone (which is my go-to iOS\/Android control platform for all my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/?s=iot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IoT<\/a> projects). After a bit of research, I picked up a Bluno Beetle and sourced the rest from my existing parts supply. \u00a0 Figuring I had to give it a name, I simply came up with <strong>BTBox<\/strong> (Bluetooth in a box). Exciting isn&#8217;t it? I hope I&#8217;m not infringing on any TM.If so, I can change the name to something else.. Hmm.. Maybe SmartBrick? Doh!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note: I&#8217;m modifying BluCrawler on a regular basis &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/01\/blucrawler-lego-rock-crawler-with-btbox-bluetooth-controller\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hit the link here<\/a> to see my progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BTBox - LEGO Power Functions Bluetooth Controller\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5v0ccmenwa0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BTBox in BluCrawler\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0jLmlsZxeZ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BluCrawler Eating a Rock - With BTBox Controller\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vb0C1MD7oDE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>BTBox:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5413\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>So what does it do? \u00a0In a nutshell, lets you control your LEGO PF motors via Bluetooth. \u00a0Nothing earth shattering, I know&#8230; \u00a0 except you can do it yourself pretty easy and for &lt; $40CAD in parts.<\/p>\n<p>Inside BTBox is a Bluno Beetle Bluetooth Controller (Arduino UNO compatible), a dual-channel H-bridge motor controller, and a switching power supply. \u00a0The Blynk App (shown below) connects via Bluetooth to the Bluno. \u00a0The Bluno take commands from Blynk and translates them to\u00a0motor controller outputs for each motor. \u00a0Routines take care of how either a LEGO motor or servo are controlled. \u00a0This version only controls 2 motors, but the PF connectors easily allow me to add 2 XL motors to one connector, and 1 servo motor to the other. \u00a0I thought of doing a 4-port one, but that&#8217;s a challenge for later.<\/p>\n<p>As for PF connections, the essence of it is that the motor power pins connect directly to the battery (9V), while the inner 2 pins (C1, C2) are the control pins which the motor controller feeds +\/- signals to tell the motors which direction to turn or, in the case of non-servo motors, the speed and direction. \u00a0In the case of the Servo, it takes the <em>AnalogWrite()<\/em> values and interprets them into steps which increment from 0 to 90 degrees in either direction. I believe there are 7 steps in each direction. \u00a0So, semi-proportional (this is a limit of the LEGO Servo Motor).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specs:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Custom printed box: 4 studs wide by 6 studs long by I don&#8217;t know how many studs high (I guessed). \u00a0The enclosure was printed on my LulzBot Mini.<\/li>\n<li>DFRobot Bluno Beetle MCU \u00a0(Arduino UNO in the IDE). You could also use a Nano\/Trinket etc and a Bluetooth Module (i.e. HC-06)<\/li>\n<li>Motor Controller (tb6612fng)<\/li>\n<li>Switching Power supply to power the Beetle @ 5V.<\/li>\n<li>Motors are wired directly to the input from the LEGO LiIon battery box.<\/li>\n<li>USB port opening in box to allow for uploading customized configurations to the Beetle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5413 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980-258x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"258\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980-258x300.jpg 258w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980.jpg 724w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3979.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5414 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3979-300x284.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3979-300x284.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3979-768x726.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3979.jpg 912w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_5402\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5402\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5402 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3972.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5402\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Easy access to upload new sketches&#8230;.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<td>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_5403\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5403\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5403 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3971.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5403\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">3 pin beams are great for holding things in place while glue dries&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_5404\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5404\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5404 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3970.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5404\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bluno Beetle with motor controller<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<td>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_5405\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5405\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5405 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3974.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5405\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Power connections. Next &#8211; signal connections.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_5406\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5406\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5406 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3973.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5406\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Resistor leads make great PF connector mates!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5437\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2017_0831_092429_001.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Blynk &#8211; Control:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5409\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978-169x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978-169x300.png 169w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978-768x1365.png 768w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978-576x1024.png 576w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3978.png 1242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Creating the joysticks and assigning values and pins took all of 5 minutes. \u00a0The pic on the right shows the simple interface I whipped up. \u00a0When in landscape mode, the blue stick controls the drive motors, the red controls steering. \u00a0If you&#8217;re a keener, you&#8217;re probably asking how it works given each joystick has both x and y values. \u00a0I simply just use 1 axis for each. \u00a0I could easily modify this to use 1 joystick for both drive and steering &#8211; with a little code tweaking in Arduino, and done!<\/p>\n<p>Between Blynk and Arduino, you can have full control over how the motors are controlled. \u00a0You could even extend by adding custom sensors interfacing with the Bluno and receive updates in Blynk. \u00a0For example, I&#8217;m considering adding a temp sensor to the motor driver chip that will report temp on the Blynk interface.. I can even customize it to show a value + turn a LED on \/ off, or have it go from varying degrees of colour.. i.e. green = cool, red = hot etc&#8230; Sky is the limit if you know Arduino.<\/p>\n<p>If \u00a0you are into IoT and you have not heard of Blynk, you don&#8217;t know what you are missing. \u00a0IMHO, it&#8217;s by far the most flexible easy to use solution for creating apps on your smartphone to control things over WiFi or Bluetooth.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I built this as a challenge to see if I could replicate features and functions that are available out there in other Bluetooth controllers. \u00a0As noted, I wanted to be able to use Blynk as well as create my own sketches and customize motor drive profiles. \u00a0The unit allows for a direct connection between the motor ports and the LEGO PF LiIon battery box via the motor controller. \u00a0The controller has a max current of 2A &#8211; which is suitable for all LEGO motors and even the XL motors. \u00a0 Given I banged this together in a matter of hours, I am very impressed with how well it all worked out. \u00a0While testing it on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/01\/blucrawler-lego-rock-crawler-with-btbox-bluetooth-controller\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BluCrawler<\/a>, it has no problem providing whatever the LEGO battery box can provide. \u00a0I&#8217;ve been thinking of throwing a 3S Lipo at it but need to be careful as they charge up to just over 12V on full charge &#8211; which could be a problem for the LEGO motors (max rated at 12V). \u00a0That said, I&#8217;m probably going to have a go at it.<\/p>\n<p>The Good:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DIY. \u00a0Full customization if you have the skills.<\/li>\n<li>You can use any controller that uses Bluetooth serial output. \u00a0I&#8217;m also making an analog joystick that will pair with this.<\/li>\n<li>Less expensive than what is out there to date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drawbacks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It only has 2 ports. \u00a0I&#8217;m already thinking of a 4 port version.<\/li>\n<li>not off-the-shelf. You have to make it. \u00a0That said, if you are not the DIY type, this is not for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to Make One?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve decided to take a different approach on sharing for this project. \u00a0It was a lot of work and time determining the components, and coming up with the code as well as documenting it. \u00a0For a small PayPal donation of\u00a0<strong>$5 or more<\/strong>\u00a0(c\u2019mon, it\u2019s\u00a0a Starbucks coffee\u2026 Wait! Even those are &gt; $5 now! :-), I will\u00a0share the details on how to build one including an Arduino sketch, BOM, STLs for the top\/bottom of the box, and the circuit. \u00a0Before you make it, please be sure to read the above details to know what you are getting into. \u00a0 Also note that I&#8217;m just a guy who loves doing this stuff as a hobby. Having a full time job, being a dad and coaching soccer provides me\u00a0limited time for my hobbies. \u00a0It&#8217;s expected you know enough to understand how to put this all together. \u00a0Your donation does not cover support. \u00a0If it&#8217;s a simple clarification, I&#8217;m happy to help but please don&#8217;t expect rapid responses.\u00a0 Also keep in mind there are plenty of resources out there for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arduino.cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arduino <\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blynk.cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blynk<\/a>.\u00a0 Click donate below, and I&#8217;ll send you instructions + the Arduino sketch with 48 hrs.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5444 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Capture.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"930\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Capture.png 930w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Capture-300x31.png 300w, https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Capture-768x79.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><\/p>\n<pre>\u00a0<code><!-- Begin PayPal Donations by https:\/\/www.tipsandtricks-hq.com\/paypal-donations-widgets-plugin --> <form action=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/cgi-bin\/webscr\" method=\"post\"> <div class=\"paypal-donations\"> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"cmd\" value=\"_donations\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"bn\" value=\"TipsandTricks_SP\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"business\" value=\"AU2MLEMVKZY4Y\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"item_name\" value=\"&quot;BTBox\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"item_number\" value=\"&quot;Plastibots.com&quot;\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"rm\" value=\"0\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"currency_code\" value=\"USD\" \/> <input type=\"image\" style=\"cursor: pointer;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypalobjects.com\/en_US\/i\/btn\/btn_donateCC_LG.gif\" name=\"submit\" alt=\"PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online.\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypalobjects.com\/en_US\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/> <\/div> <\/form> <!-- End PayPal Donations --><\/code><\/pre>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve been on a bit of a LEGO Technic\/Mindstorms hiatus for a while &#8211; ok, it&#8217;s been 7\u00a0years! \u00a0 I have an excuse&#8230; I&#8217;ve been spending much of my hobby time making my own DIY projects \/ IoT stuff all while mastering Arduino. \u00a0 That changed a few weeks back when I came across THIS. \u00a0I&#8217;ve been thinking of getting an RC crawler for some time, but it struck me that I have 95% of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/01\/btbox-lego-power-functions-bluetooth-controller\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,57,119,129],"tags":[174,133,173,159],"class_list":["post-5401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arduino-electronics","category-electronics","category-iot","category-lego","tag-beetle","tag-bluetooth","tag-bluno","tag-iot","has_thumb"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3980.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pK41j-1p7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}