Boe-Bot Robot Kit – USB + Serial

Build your own rolling robot with a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller brain. Just follow the clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations with the included book, Robotics with the Boe-Bot. No programming or electronics experience is needed!

The Boe-Bot Robot takes about 1-2 hours to put together.   Each project in the Robotics text provides a unique new experience of wiring and source code tuning. Completing the entire set of projects takes 50 hours and is suitable for anybody over 13 years of age. The USB Board of Education (and BS2-IC) may also be removed to be used as your platform for other projects.

You can find Boe-Bot robots in middle and high schools, vocational schools and colleges, robotics clubs, and hobbyists’ homes. They are great companions for learning or teaching technology, mechatronics, and STEM programs.  It’s also an approved platform for the Boy Scouts of America Robotics Merit Badge. This kit can be used as a California A-G approved elective course. Assessment material is available to verified educators; contact education@parallax.com for details.

This kit contains the Serial version of the Board of Education development board.  A USB to Serial Adapter and cable are included to connect the robot to your computer’s USB A port for programming. Pro tip: leave the adapter connected to the cable when you disconnect the robot after programming. That leaves the communication port open on your computer for the best programming connection.

Key Features:

• Beginner-friendly –  No programming experience needed
• Open platform – Exposed circuitry allows you to learn and create your own electronic circuits
• Solder-free – Experiment with custom circuits on the breadboard (no special-brand connectors)
• Understandable – Included text provides easy-to-follow tutorials
• Programmable – PBASIC is easy to learn and introduces concepts found in most programming languages
• Autonomous – Touch, light and infrared sensors let the Boe-Bot navigate on its own
• Expandable – Additional sensors and hardware expansion kits are available to get the most our of your robot
• Affordable – Priced for 1-2 students per robot, with no additional fees for software or curriculum
• Program with the free BASIC Stamp Editor for Windows (*see below for Chrome & Chromebook)

Boe-Bot Robot Kit – USB + Serial Kit Contents:

• Board of Education development board with a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller  (#28803)
• Durable brushed-aluminum chassis with mounting holes for servos and accessories  (#700-00022)
• Parallax continuous rotation servos for the drive wheels  (#900-00008)
• An Small Robot Electronics Pack with:
  • Sensors including whisker-switches, phototransistors, and infrared emitter/receiver pairs
  • LEDs and a piezospeaker for audio and visual feedback
  • All the resistors, capacitors, and jumper wires needed to build the circuits
• A hardware pack with all the screws, nuts, washers, spacers, and grommet needed to build the Boe-Bot
• Parallax #1 Phillips/flathead screwdriver
• USB to Serial Adapter and USB A to Mini-B cable to connect the Boe-Bot to a Windows computer for programming
• Note: Requires four 1.5 V AA batteries, not included.

About Chromebook Support

• Looking for a long-term Chromebook compatible robot? See the cyber:bot robot with micro:bit.
• The BASIC Stamp programming tool Parallax IDE for Chrome has a limited lifespan. See details here.