# Roboterminal — Hardware

Human: https://roboterminal.app/hardware · Agent: https://roboterminal.app/hardware.md

Buyable robotics cells. Joints and reducers first, then the chips. Compatibility is bus + known pair + reference stack — not an invented score.

## Actuate

Drives, servos, QDD.

- [TMC2209](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/tmc2209) — Silent stepper driver with StallGuard and stealthChop. UART-configurable. Buses: uart, spi, pwm. Buy: [TMC2209](https://www.analog.com/en/products/tmc2209.html)
- [ODrive S1](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/odrive-s1) — FOC servo drive for BLDC + encoders. CAN bus. Real joint torque without Dynamixel prices. Buses: can, usb, uart. Buy: [ODrive S1](https://shop.odriverobotics.com/products/odrive-s1)
- [Dynamixel XL330 / XM430](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/dynamixel) — Daisy-chained smart servos with ID, PID, and current sensing. Buses: uart. Buy: [ROBOTIS Dynamixel](https://www.robotis.us/dynamixel/)
- [PCA9685](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/pca9685) — 16-channel 12-bit PWM expander. RC servo farm over I2C. Buses: i2c, pwm. Buy: [Adafruit PCA9685](https://www.adafruit.com/product/815)
- [AS5600](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/as5600) — Cheap I2C magnetic angle encoder for joint position. Buses: i2c. Buy: [Search Digi-Key AS5600](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/position-sensors-angle-linear-position-measuring/529?s=N4IgTCBcDaIIwFYAMBmAjANjQVgLQDMAaEA)
- [AS5047P](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/as5047p) — High-speed SPI magnetic encoder for FOC loops. Buses: spi. Buy: [Search Digi-Key AS5047P](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/result?keywords=AS5047P)
- [Dynamixel XM430-W350](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/xm430) — Research-grade smart servo. Current + position + daisy chain. Open SDK. Buses: uart. Buy: [Robotis XM430](https://www.robotis.us/dynamixel-xm430-w350-t/)
- [T-Motor AK80-9](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ak80-9) — Quasi-direct-drive actuator used on open humanoids. CAN, integrated reduction. Buses: can. Buy: [T-Motor AK series](https://store.tmotor.com/)
- [VESC 6](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/vesc) — Open-source FOC drive. EVs, wheeled robots, some arms. Huge community firmware. Buses: can, uart, usb. Buy: [Trampa VESC](https://trampaboards.com/vesc--c-172.html)
- [maxon ESCON](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/maxon-escon) — Industrial servo drive. Medical and factory arms. Analog/CAN, not a hobby UART. Buses: can, uart. Buy: [maxon ESCON](https://www.maxongroup.com/maxon/view/product/control/Positionierung/ESCON)
- [Elmo Gold Twitter](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/elmo-gold) — Tiny industrial drive. EtherCAT or CAN. Collaborative-arm joints. Buses: can, ethernet. Buy: [Elmo Gold](https://www.elmomc.com/product/gold-twitter/)
- [CubeMars AK70-10](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/cubemars-ak70-10) — QDD joint. 10:1 planetary, 24.8 Nm peak / 8.3 Nm rated, 24/48 V, CAN+UART, 521 g. Open quadruped and exo default next to the AK80-9. Buses: can, uart. Buy: [CubeMars AK70-10](https://www.cubemars.com/goods-1031-AK70-10.html)
- [Unitree GO-M8010-6](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/unitree-go-m8010) — The Go1 joint you can actually buy. 6.33:1 QDD, 23.7 Nm peak, RS-485, ~$370. H1 M107 knees are not sold as parts. Buses: uart. Buy: [Unitree GO-M8010-6](https://www.unitree.com/mobile/go1/motor/)
- [Damiao DM-J4310-2EC](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/damiao-j4310) — Open-humanoid QDD. 10:1, 7 Nm peak / 3 Nm rated, dual encoder, CAN MIT-mode, ~300 g, ~$140. OpenArm / Mini humanoid distal default. Buses: can, uart. Buy: [Damiao actuators](https://www.damiaokeji.com/)
- [Damiao DM-J4340-2EC](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/damiao-j4340) — Same family at 40:1. 27 Nm peak / 9 Nm rated. Medium planetary, not QDD. Proximal arm when J4310 runs out of torque. Buses: can, uart. Buy: [Damiao J4340](https://www.damiaokeji.com/)
- [Dynamixel PH54-200-S500-R](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ph54-200) — Industrial Dynamixel-P. Maxon BLDC + 502:1 cycloid, 44.7 Nm continuous, RS-485. Not backdrivable. Not an XL430. Buses: uart. Buy: [Robotis PH54-200](https://www.robotis.us/dynamixel-ph54-200-s500-r/)
- [Teknic ClearPath-EC](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/teknic-clearpath) — NEMA 23 integrated servo with EtherCAT and STO. 2.0 Nm peak / 0.4 Nm rated, no gearbox. Add a harmonic or planetary if the joint needs ratio. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [ClearPath-EC 2311](https://teknic.com/model-info/CPM-ECSK-2311H-ELSB/)
- [Westwood Panda BEAR](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/westwood-panda) — US-buyable humanoid QDD module. ~12 Nm / 30 Nm class, RS-485, optional liquid cool, $1,189. Apptronik joints are not sold. Buses: uart. Buy: [Westwood BEAR](https://www.westwoodrobotics.io/bearseries/)
- [Harmonic Drive FHA-17C](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/fha-17c) — Integrated harmonic actuator. 100:1, 24 Nm rated / 57 Nm peak, 2.5 kg. Opposite of QDD: stiff, not backdrivable. EtherCAT lives on the HD driver, not the actuator body. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [FHA-C hollow actuators](https://www.harmonicdrive.net/products/rotary-actuators/hollow-shaft-servo-actuators/fha-c)
- [Thomson Electrak HD](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/thomson-electrak) — Sealed ball-screw linear. 2.6 kN dynamic on B026, 24 V, optional J1939. AGV lifts and hatches. Not a humanoid knee unless you design the linkage. Buses: can. Buy: [Electrak HD](https://www.thomsonlinear.com/en/products/linear-actuators/electrak-hd)
- [HIWIN KK60](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hiwin-kk60) — Ball-screw linear module. ±3 µm P-grade. Motor not included. Pair a 50–200 W servo. Buy: [HIWIN positioning stages](https://www.hiwin.com/)

## Reduce

Harmonic, RV, planetary.

- [Harmonic Drive CSF](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hd-csf) — Cup strain-wave component set. Wrist and cobot default. Ratio 30–160. Hysteresis 1–2.5 arcmin. Flexspline is SNCM439 / 40CrNiMoA class steel, wall <1 mm. Grease SK-2 (≤sz17, lithium + Mo EP) or SK-1A (≥sz20). Rated 0.9–137 Nm on common sizes. Buy: [Harmonic Drive CSF/CSG](https://www.harmonicdrive.net/), [CSF/CSG component PDF](https://www.harmonicdrive.net/_hd/content/documents1/CSG-CSF_Component.pdf)
- [Harmonic Drive CSG-2UH](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hd-csg) — Housed CSF with a crossed-roller output. About 30% more torque and 10 kh L10 vs CSF. Cobot J1 and industrial J5/J6. Buy: [Harmonic Drive gear units](https://www.harmonicdrive.net/)
- [Harmonic Drive SHD](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hd-shd) — Silk-hat hollow strain-wave. Cables through the joint. Humanoid wrist and cobot J6. Sz14-50 rated 3.7 Nm. Buy: [CSD/SHD PDF](https://www.harmonicdrive.net/_hd/content/documents/csd-shd.pdf)
- [Leaderdrive LCS](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/leaderdrive-lcs) — Green Harmonic. CSF-compatible cup from Suzhou. ~27% of China harmonic shipments. Flexspline 40CrNiMoA, QT + nitride. Street $120–700. Unitree-class arms buy this, not Ali clones. Buy: [Leaderdrive LCS](https://www.leaderdrive.com/)
- [Leaderdrive LHD](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/leaderdrive-lhd) — Ultra-flat hollow Leaderdrive. SHD analogue. Humanoid wrist. Hysteresis about 2.5 arcmin on size 14. Buy: [Leaderdrive LHD](https://www.leaderdrive.com/product/2.html)
- [Laifual LHT-IV](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/laifual-lht) — Sealed hollow strain-wave from Shaoxing. Second China volume name. Size 14-50 rated 5.4 Nm. Lithium EP fill. Better than nameless clones, not Harmonic Drive life. Buy: [Laifual harmonic](https://www.laifualdrive.com/product/harmonic-reducer/)
- [Cone Drive Harmonic Solutions](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/cone-harmonic) — US-made strain-wave (Timken). Accudrive is a worm — this is the harmonic line. ITAR-friendly sourcing. L1 grease, hysteresis ~1–2 arcmin. Buy: [Cone Drive harmonic](https://conedrive.com/harmonic-gearing-v4/)
- [HIWIN DATORKER DSC](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hiwin-datorker) — Taiwan strain-wave, CSF envelope. Hysteresis 2 arcmin at 50:1, 1 arcmin at ≥80. Price sits between China OEM and Japan HD. Buy: [HIWIN DATORKER](https://www.hiwin.de/en/Products/Strain-wave-gears/Strain-wave-gear-DSC-DSH/c/5321)
- [Nabtesco RV-E](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/nabtesco-rv) — Two-stage RV cycloid. About 60% of medium/heavy industrial-arm J1–J3. Rated 58–4,410 Nm on RV-E. Lost motion <1 arcmin. FANUC, Yaskawa, KUKA, ABB eat this. Harmonic cannot take the shock. Buy: [Nabtesco precision gears](https://precision.nabtesco.com/en/)
- [Sumitomo Fine Cyclo F2C](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/sumitomo-fine-cyclo) — Precision cycloid, open catalog. Ratios 29–179. Zero mesh backlash, lost motion <1 arcmin. #2 Japanese cycloid after Nabtesco. Positioners and mid-payload bases. Buy: [Fine Cyclo F2](https://us.sumitomodrive.com/en-us/product/fine-cyclo-series-f2-type)
- [SPINEA TwinSpin](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/spinea-twinspin) — Slovak trochoid cycloid with an integrated output bearing. Now Timken. Compact European arms and semiconductor axes. Not the FANUC J1 part. Buy: [TwinSpin](https://www.spinea.com/en/products/twinspin)
- [Neugart PLE](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/neugart-ple) — Economy planetary. 3–512:1. Backlash 6–22 arcmin. AMR wheels and packaging — not a 6-axis joint. Buy: [Neugart PLE](https://www.neugart.com/en/gearboxes/economy-gearboxes/ple)
- [Wittenstein TP+](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/wittenstein-tp) — Helical planetary with a robot flange. Backlash down to 1 arcmin. Delta robots and high-dyn gantries. Still not an RV on shock. Buy: [Wittenstein SP+/TP+](https://www.wittenstein-group.com/int-en/product/sp)

## Perceive

Cameras, thermal, IMU, lidar.

- [ESP32-CAM](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-cam) — OV2640 or OV5640 bolted onto an ESP32. Cheap Wi-Fi camera node, not a motor controller. Buses: wifi, ble, uart. Buy: [Seeed XIAO S3 Sense](https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-ESP32S3-Sense-p-5639.html)
- [XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/xiao-s3-sense) — Thumb-size S3 with camera, mic, and SD. Clean modern ESP32-CAM. Buses: wifi, ble, uart, i2c, usb. Buy: [Seeed XIAO S3 Sense](https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-ESP32S3-Sense-p-5639.html)
- [OV2640 / OV5640](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ov2640) — Cheap 2–5 MP rolling-shutter modules. What ESP32-CAM uses. Buses: csi, spi. Buy: [Comes on ESP32-CAM / S3 Sense](https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-ESP32S3-Sense-p-5639.html)
- [IMX219 / IMX708](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/imx708) — Pi Camera v2 / Camera Module 3. CSI, good optics. Also on Jetson with a 22-pin adapter. Buses: csi. Buy: [Camera Module 3](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/camera-module-3/)
- [RealSense D435i](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/d435i) — Stereo depth + IMU. Default research depth camera. D455 longer range, D405 close range. Buses: usb. Buy: [D435i](https://www.realsenseai.com/products/depth-camera-d435i/)
- [MLX90640](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/mlx90640) — 32×24 far-IR thermal array. Person and hot-spot detection over I2C. Buses: i2c. Buy: [Adafruit MLX90640](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4407)
- [AMG8833 Grid-EYE](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/amg8833) — 8×8 thermal. Cheaper and coarser than MLX90640. Buses: i2c. Buy: [Adafruit AMG8833](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3538)
- [BNO085](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/bno085) — 9-DoF IMU with on-chip fusion: quaternion, gravity, stability classifier. Buses: i2c, spi, uart. Buy: [Adafruit BNO085](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4754)
- [BMI270](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/bmi270) — 6-DoF IMU used in wearables and drones. No magnetometer. Buses: i2c, spi. Buy: [SparkFun BMI270](https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-micro-6dof-imu-breakout-bmi270-qwiic.html)
- [VL53L1X](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/vl53l1x) — Time-of-flight, about 4 m, one zone. Cliff, dock, height. Next: VL53L5CX / L8CX multi-zone. Buses: i2c. Buy: [SparkFun VL53L1X](https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-distance-sensor-breakout-4-meter-vl53l1x-qwiic.html), [ST VL53L1X](https://www.st.com/en/imaging-and-photonics-solutions/vl53l1x.html)
- [RPLidar A1 / A2](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/rplidar) — 360° 2D lidar for indoor SLAM. Buses: uart, usb. Buy: [Slamtec RPLidar](https://www.slamtec.com/en/Lidar)
- [Livox Mid-360](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/livox-mid360) — Mid-range industrial 3D lidar. Common on Unitree-class research stacks. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [Livox Mid-360](https://www.livoxtech.com/mid-360)
- [Luxonis OAK-D Pro](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/oak-d-pro) — On-camera stereo + RGB with a Myriad X VPU. Depth and detection leave the USB cable as metadata. Buses: usb. Buy: [Luxonis OAK-D Pro](https://shop.luxonis.com/products/oak-d-pro), [Adafruit OAK-D](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5725)
- [OAK-D Lite](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/oak-d-lite) — Smaller DepthAI brick for mobile robots that cannot spend Pro money. Buses: usb. Buy: [Luxonis OAK-D Lite](https://shop.luxonis.com/collections/oak-cameras)
- [Stereolabs ZED X](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/zed-x) — GMSL2 industrial stereo for outdoor vehicles. IP-rated, locked flex, Jetson-native. Buses: csi, ethernet. Buy: [Stereolabs ZED X](https://www.stereolabs.com/products/zed-x)
- [RealSense D455](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/d455) — Longer-baseline D400. Better outdoor depth than D435i, same USB3 stack. Buses: usb. Buy: [Intel RealSense D455](https://www.intelrealsense.com/depth-camera-d455/)
- [FLIR Lepton 3.5](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/lepton-35) — 160×120 radiometric thermal core. Open-source breakouts exist; industrial housings exist too. Buses: spi, i2c. Buy: [GroupGets Lepton](https://groupgets.com/manufacturers/flir/products/flir-lepton), [Adafruit Lepton kit](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3199)
- [FLIR Boson](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/boson) — Industrial thermal module. Higher res than Lepton, shuttered, used on UAVs and sentries. Buses: usb, spi. Buy: [FLIR Boson](https://www.flir.com/products/boson/)
- [Ouster OS1](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ouster-os1) — Digital spinning lidar. Factory AMRs and outdoor mapping. Ethernet point clouds. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [Ouster OS series](https://ouster.com/products/hardware/os-lidar-sensors)
- [Hesai XT16](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hesai-xt16) — 16-beam mid-range lidar common on Chinese AMRs and robotaxis. ROS 2 drivers exist. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [Hesai XT](https://www.hesaitech.com/product/xt32-16/)
- [Hokuyo UST-10LX](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hokuyo-ust) — Industrial 2D safety/nav lidar. Factory floors. Ethernet. Tighter than hobby RPLIDAR. Buses: ethernet. Buy: [Hokuyo UST](https://www.hokuyo-aut.jp/search/single.php?serial=166)
- [VectorNav VN-100](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/vn-100) — Industrial AHRS. Calibrated, rugged, used when BNO085 is a toy. Buses: uart, spi. Buy: [VectorNav VN-100](https://www.vectornav.com/products/detail/vn-100)
- [ADIS16470](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/adis16470) — Tactical-grade IMU. Factory calibration on the package. SPI into a flight or arm controller. Buses: spi. Buy: [ADI ADIS16470](https://www.analog.com/en/products/adis16470.html)
- [OpenMV Cam H7 Plus](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/openmv-h7) — MicroPython camera for line, blob, AprilTag. Open-source firmware. Not a Jetson. Buses: usb, uart, spi, i2c. Buy: [OpenMV H7 Plus](https://openmv.io/products/openmv-cam-h7-plus)

## Compute

MCUs, SBCs, NPUs.

- [RP2040 / Pico](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/rp2040) — Dual M0+ with PIO state machines. Bit-bang DShot, WS2812, quadrature. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, pwm, usb. Buy: [Raspberry Pi Pico](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico/)
- [RP2350 / Pico 2](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/rp2350) — Pico 2. Faster, more RAM, Hazard3 RISC-V option. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, pwm, usb. Buy: [Pico 2](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico-2/)
- [STM32F4](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/stm32f4) — Classic robot MCU. Timers, ADC, CAN. Nucleo or Black Pill. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, can, pwm, usb. Buy: [STM32 Nucleo](https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/stm32-nucleo-boards.html)
- [STM32H7](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/stm32h7) — Fast Cortex-M7. High-rate IMU fusion and FOC on one chip. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, can, pwm, usb, ethernet. Buy: [Nucleo-H743ZI](https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/nucleo-h743zi.html)
- [STM32G4](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/stm32g4) — Motor-control silicon. High-res timers, op-amps, comparators. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, can, pwm. Buy: [STM32G4 series](https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32g4-series.html)
- [STM32WB / WL](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/stm32wb) — WB is BLE on-die. WL is LoRa on-die. Wireless actuator nodes. Buses: ble, lora, uart, i2c. Buy: [STM32WB](https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32wb-series.html)
- [Teensy 4.1](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/teensy41) — 600 MHz M7 with dense I/O. Hobbyist board when Arduino runs out of timers. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, can, pwm, usb. Buy: [PJRC Teensy 4.1](https://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy41.html)
- [Arduino Mega 2560](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/arduino-mega) — Teaching board with many 5 V pins. Weak CPU. Useful as a dumb I/O hat. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, pwm. Buy: [Arduino Mega 2560](https://store.arduino.cc/products/arduino-mega-2560-rev3)
- [Raspberry Pi 5](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/pi5) — Linux brain for ROS 2, cameras, networking. Not hard real-time. Buses: csi, usb, uart, i2c, spi, ethernet, pwm. Buy: [Raspberry Pi 5](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/)
- [Compute Module 5](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/cm5) — Pi 5 silicon in a solder-down module for custom carriers. Buses: csi, usb, uart, i2c, spi, ethernet. Buy: [CM5](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/compute-module-5/)
- [Pi Zero 2 W](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/pi-zero2) — Tiny Linux + Wi-Fi. Telemetry brick, not a vision stack. Buses: wifi, ble, usb, csi, i2c. Buy: [Zero 2 W](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/)
- [Jetson Orin Nano Super](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/orin-nano) — ~67 TOPS CUDA box. On-robot detection, depth, small VLAs. Buses: csi, usb, uart, i2c, ethernet, can. Buy: [Jetson Orin](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/jetson-orin/)
- [Jetson Orin NX / AGX](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/orin-nx) — More GPU/CPU for multi-cam humanoids and arms. Buses: csi, usb, uart, i2c, ethernet, can. Buy: [Jetson modules](https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/jetson-modules)
- [Hailo-8 / AI HAT+](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/hailo) — PCIe NPU that straps onto a Pi 5 as AI HAT+. Buses: usb. Buy: [Raspberry Pi AI HAT+](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/ai-hat/), [Hailo](https://hailo.ai/)
- [RK3588](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/rk3588) — 8K SoC with NPU. Cheap Jetson-adjacent compute (Orange Pi 5 Plus, Rock 5B). Buses: csi, usb, uart, i2c, ethernet. Buy: [Orange Pi 5 Plus](http://www.orangepi.org/html/hardWare/computerAndMicrocontrollers/details/Orange-Pi-5-Plus.html)
- [Jetson AGX Orin](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/orin-agx) — 275 TOPS industrial brain. Multi-cam humanoids, AMRs, surgery carts. Buses: csi, usb, ethernet, can, uart. Buy: [NVIDIA AGX Orin](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/jetson-orin/)
- [AMD Kria KV260](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/kria-kv260) — Vision SOM with FPGA fabric. Industrial cameras and custom pipelines without a GPU tax. Buses: usb, ethernet, csi. Buy: [AMD Kria KV260](https://www.amd.com/en/products/system-on-modules/kria/k26/kv260-vision-starter-kit.html)
- [Coral USB Accelerator](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/coral-usb) — Edge TPU dongle. Open-source examples. Straps onto a Pi when Hailo is out of stock. Buses: usb. Buy: [Coral USB](https://coral.ai/products/accelerator), [Adafruit Coral USB](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4310)
- [NXP i.MX 8M Plus](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/imx8mp) — Industrial Linux SOM with NPU and dual CSI. Factory HMIs and compact AMRs. Buses: csi, can, ethernet, i2c, uart. Buy: [NXP i.MX 8M Plus](https://www.nxp.com/products/i.MX-8M-Plus)
- [Pixhawk 6C](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/pixhawk-6c) — Open-source flight computer. PX4 or ArduPilot. The industrial cousin is still this board in a can. Buses: can, uart, spi, i2c, pwm. Buy: [Holybro Pixhawk 6C](https://holybro.com/products/pixhawk-6c)
- [BeaglePlay](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/beagleplay) — Open Linux board with 6LowPAN/Wi-Fi and MikroE clicks. Lab and farm robots. Buses: wifi, ethernet, uart, i2c, spi. Buy: [BeaglePlay](https://www.beagleboard.org/boards/beagleplay)

## Connect

Radio, GNSS, EtherCAT.

- [ESP32](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32) — Dual-core MCU with Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth. Default radio + glue chip for small robots and telemetry. Buses: wifi, ble, uart, i2c, spi, pwm. Buy: [Espressif SoCs](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs), [Digi-Key ESP32](https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/platforms/e/esp32)
- [ESP32-S3](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-s3) — ESP32 family workhorse. Vector instructions for tiny ML, USB, camera and LCD buses. Buses: wifi, ble, uart, i2c, spi, usb, pwm. Buy: [ESP32-S3](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-s3), [S3-EYE kit](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/devkits)
- [ESP32-C3](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-c3) — Single-core RISC-V, Wi-Fi + BLE. Cheap sensor nodes. Buses: wifi, ble, uart, i2c, spi. Buy: [ESP32-C3](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-c3)
- [ESP32-C6](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-c6) — Wi-Fi 6 + BLE + 802.15.4 Thread/Zigbee. Factory-floor mesh and Matter. Buses: wifi, ble, thread, uart, i2c, spi. Buy: [ESP32-C6](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-c6)
- [ESP32-H2](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-h2) — Thread / Zigbee / BLE without Wi-Fi. Low-power radio endpoint. Buses: ble, thread, uart, i2c. Buy: [ESP32-H2](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-h2)
- [ESP32-P4](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-p4) — High-end RISC-V with MIPI-CSI/DSI and H.264. Edge vision without a Pi. Buses: uart, i2c, spi, usb, csi, ethernet. Buy: [ESP32-P4](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-p4)
- [ESP32-S2](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/esp32-s2) — Wi-Fi + USB OTG, no Bluetooth. Buses: wifi, uart, i2c, spi, usb. Buy: [ESP32-S2](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-s2)
- [nRF52840](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/nrf52840) — Best BLE 5 / Thread MCU. Remotes, teach pendants, body-worn IMUs. Buses: ble, thread, uart, i2c, spi, usb. Buy: [nRF52840 DK](https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF52840-DK)
- [MCP2515 / TCAN](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/mcp2515) — CAN controller / transceiver. Robot nervous system when the MCU lacks native CAN. Buses: can, spi. Buy: [Adafruit CAN Pal](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5708)
- [SX1262 / SX1276](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/sx1262) — LoRa radio for field robots past Wi-Fi range. Buses: lora, spi. Buy: [Adafruit RFM95 / SX1276](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3072)
- [u-blox ZED-F9P](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/zed-f9p) — RTK GNSS. Centimeter outdoor pose for mowers, boats, survey UGVs. Buses: uart, i2c, usb. Buy: [SparkFun GPS-RTK-SMA](https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-gps-rtk-sma-zed-f9p.html), [u-blox ZED-F9P](https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/zed-f9p-module)
- [Qorvo DW3000](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/dw3000) — UWB ranging. Indoor docks and tool tracking when GNSS is dead. Buses: spi, uart. Buy: [Qorvo DW3000](https://www.qorvo.com/products/p/DW3110)
- [Microchip LAN9252](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/lan9252) — EtherCAT slave controller. How industrial arms and IO slices talk, not Wi-Fi. Buses: ethernet, spi. Buy: [Microchip LAN9252](https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/lan9252)

## Power

Sense the pack.

- [INA219 / INA260](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ina260) — Bus voltage + current. Battery and stall detection. Buses: i2c. Buy: [Adafruit INA260](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4226)
- [TI INA228](https://roboterminal.app/hardware/ina228) — Precision bus monitor. Industrial packs and 48 V arms where INA260 is too coarse. Buses: i2c. Buy: [TI INA228](https://www.ti.com/product/INA228)

## Reference stacks

### ESP32 field node

Battery robot that sees heat, heading, and cliffs, then radios home.

- Radio + glue: ESP32-S3 — Wi-Fi/BLE host, USB, enough RAM for sensors.
- Orientation: BNO085 — On-chip fusion over I2C. No heading math on the MCU.
- Cliff / dock: VL53L1X — Same I2C bus, 4 m ToF.
- Thermal: MLX90640 — I2C thermal grid. Person vs background.
- Power sense: INA219 / INA260 — Watch the pack before the brownout.

### Wi-Fi camera scout

Throw a camera on the network. Do not ask it to torque a joint.

- Vision SoC: XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense — Camera + mic + SD already on the board.
- Fallback cam: ESP32-CAM — Cheaper OV2640 brick if size is not the constraint.
- Heading: BNO085 — Tell the stream which way the lens pointed.

### Thread factory mesh

Many endpoints, one Matter/Thread fabric, no Wi-Fi tax per node.

- Mesh radio: ESP32-C6 — Wi-Fi 6 plus 802.15.4 on one chip.
- Endpoint: ESP32-H2 — Thread/BLE only. Cheaper sleepy nodes.
- Range: VL53L1X — Dock and presence on each cell.

### Joint + radio

Real-time motor loop on STM32, radio off-board on ESP32.

- Motor MCU: STM32G4 — Timers and analog front-end built for FOC.
- Stepper drive: TMC2209 — UART from the G4. Silent, stall-aware.
- Encoder: AS5047P — SPI angle into the current loop.
- Radio: ESP32-C6 — CAN or UART uplink. Do not close FOC on the ESP.
- Bus: MCP2515 / TCAN — If the radio board has no native CAN.

### BLDC research arm

Torque joints with ODrive, brain on Jetson or Pi.

- Brain: Jetson Orin Nano Super — Perception and policy.
- Drive: ODrive S1 — FOC + encoder over CAN.
- Encoder: AS5047P — High-rate joint angle.
- Radio / I/O: ESP32-C6 — Teach pendant, estop telemetry.

### Pi ROS desk robot

Linux + ROS 2 + a camera + optional NPU. Motors stay on a Pico.

- Brain: Raspberry Pi 5 — ROS 2, networking, CSI.
- NPU: Hailo-8 / AI HAT+ — Detection without a Jetson.
- Camera: IMX219 / IMX708 — Official CSI module.
- Scan: RPLidar A1 / A2 — Indoor 2D SLAM.
- Realtime: RP2350 / Pico 2 — Steppers and PWM off the Linux box.

### Humanoid perception

Depth + 3D lidar + CUDA on the torso. Limbs are a different stack.

- Brain: Jetson Orin Nano Super — 67 TOPS, CSI + USB3.
- Depth: RealSense D435i — Stereo + IMU, research default.
- Lidar: Livox Mid-360 — Mid-range 3D on Ethernet.
- Body IMU: BNO085 — Redundant attitude if the depth IMU drops.

### Smart-servo neck

Dynamixel daisy chain for a head or gripper. Linux talks serial.

- Brain: Raspberry Pi 5 — Protocol 2.0 from userspace.
- Servos: Dynamixel XL330 / XM430 — ID, PID, current on the wire.
- Camera: IMX219 / IMX708 — Look where the neck points.

### OAK mobile scout

Open vision on a Pi. Depth leaves the camera. Motors stay off Linux.

- Brain: Raspberry Pi 5 — ROS 2 host.
- Vision: Luxonis OAK-D Pro — Depth + detect on the VPU.
- Realtime: RP2350 / Pico 2 — Drive PWM off the Pi.
- Power: INA219 / INA260 — Watch the pack.

### Industrial joint slice

EtherCAT drive + industrial Linux. No Wi-Fi in the loop.

- Brain: NXP i.MX 8M Plus — Factory Linux SOM.
- Bus: Microchip LAN9252 — EtherCAT slave.
- Drive: Elmo Gold Twitter — Joint torque.
- Sense: Hokuyo UST-10LX — Cell-level lidar.

### Outdoor UGV

RTK pose, spinning lidar, Jetson policy. Open stack, industrial sensors.

- Brain: Jetson Orin NX / AGX — Multi-sensor CUDA.
- GNSS: u-blox ZED-F9P — RTK when the sky is clear.
- Lidar: Ouster OS1 — Outdoor clouds.
- Stereo: Stereolabs ZED X — GMSL cameras that survive weather.
- AHRS: VectorNav VN-100 — Heading when GNSS glitches.

### Open humanoid leg

QDD actuators + research brain. The open counterpart to a closed vendor chain.

- Brain: Jetson Orin Nano Super — Policy + vision.
- Actuator: T-Motor AK80-9 — CAN QDD joint.
- IMU: BNO085 — Cheap body attitude while you bring up VN-100.
- Depth: RealSense D435i — Foot and scene depth.

### PX4 airframe

Open flight stack. Pixhawk closes the loop; GNSS and IMU are industrial.

- FC: Pixhawk 6C — PX4 / ArduPilot.
- GNSS: u-blox ZED-F9P — RTK for survey.
- IMU: ADIS16470 — Better gyro than the board default.
- Link: SX1262 / SX1276 — Long-range command.

### Six-axis industrial arm

RV on the base, harmonic on the wrist. That is the actual BOM, not a Pi and a servo.

- J1–J3: Nabtesco RV-E — Shock and moment. ~60% of this slot worldwide.
- J4–J6: Harmonic Drive CSF — Strain-wave wrist. Mass and zero mesh backlash.
- Drive: Elmo Gold Twitter — EtherCAT joint torque.
- Brain: NXP i.MX 8M Plus — Factory Linux, not a Jetson toy.

### Open QDD leg

Backdrivable joints. Feel the ground. Harmonic would hide the impact.

- Hip / thigh: T-Motor AK80-9 — 9:1 QDD, 48 V, community firmware.
- Sibling: CubeMars AK70-10 — 10:1, documented CAN.
- Body IMU: BNO085 — Attitude while the policy learns.
- Brain: Jetson Orin Nano Super — Policy + vision on the torso.

### CN humanoid arm

Named China harmonic plus a cheap QDD distal. Not an Ali no-name cup.

- Shoulder cup: Leaderdrive LCS — Production strain-wave, 40CrNiMoA flexspline.
- Wrist hollow: Leaderdrive LHD — Cables through the joint.
- Distal QDD: Damiao DM-J4310-2EC — 10:1, dual encoder, CAN.
- Brain: Jetson Orin Nano Super — Same stack as the open humanoid leg.