Build TJBot
You can make your own TJBot 3D print or laser cut by downloading the design files and print the parts yourself. If you don't have a 3D printer or laser cutter check with your local library.
3D Print
- Download the TJBot 3D design file
Laser Cut
- Download the TJBot laser cut design file
💡 The laser cut design only supports the Raspberry Pi 3 models. We are in the process of updating the design files to be compatible with the newer Raspberry Pis, check back soon!
There are a number of components you can add to TJBot to bring him to life. Not all of these are required for all recipes.
💡 TJBot only works with Raspberry Pi 3 models and above
- Raspberry Pi 3 + SD card preloaded with NOOBS. This is a required component to make TJBot work! 🤖
- LED. We recommend the NeoPixel RGB LED (8mm), although TJBot supports Common Anode LEDs as well. Note that if you are not using a NeoPixel LED, you may also need to add resistors between it and the Raspberry Pi. Neopixel LEDs do not require resistors.
- Female-to-male and Female-to-female jumper wires. TJBot will only need 3 of each of these tyupe of wires, so you’ll have extra.
- USB Microphone. Other brands of USB microphones should also work.
- Mini Speaker. We recommend any small speaker with the ability to connect to a 3.5mm audio jack. You can also use a Mini Bluetooth Speaker, with dimensions <= 1 and 3/4 inch cube to fit in the TJBot.
💡 For the best audio experience, we recommend using a USB Audio Adapter to avoid audio interference with the LED and to avoid difficulties in making Bluetooth speakers work reliably.
- Servo Motor. Note that the red (middle) wire is 5v, the brown wire is ground, and the orange wire is data.
- Raspberry Pi Camera. Either the 5MP or 8MP camera will work.
Once you have obtained your TJBot card board cutout, please refer to the following assembly instructions to put it all together.
For reference, here is the wiring diagram to hook up a Neopixel LED and servo to your Raspberry Pi.
TJBot expects LEDs and servos to be connected to specific kinds of pins, including voltage (+3.3v or +5v), ground, and data. See https://pinout.xyz for a complete pin diagram. The tables below shows the default pins expected for different components, although these pin numbers can be overridden in TJBot's configuration.
| PIN type | PIN Name | Physical PIN |
|---|---|---|
| Data | GPIO 18 | Physical 12 |
| Power | +3.3v | Physical 1 |
| Ground | Ground | Physical 6 |
💡 Be careful when connecting the LED! If it is connected the wrong way, you may end up burning it out. The Neopixel LED has a flat notch on one side; use this to orient the LED and figure out which pin is which.
| PIN type | PIN Name | Physical PIN |
|---|---|---|
| Red | GPIO 19 | Physical 35 |
| Power | +3.3v | Physical 17 |
| Green | GPIO 13 | Physical 33 |
| Blue | GPIO 12 | Physical 32 |
💡 Common Anode LEDs and Neopixel LEDs can both be connected to TJBot at the same time and will shine the same color. However, TJBot's head only has room for one LED!
| PIN type | PIN Name | Physical PIN |
|---|---|---|
| Data (orange) | GPIO 7 | Physical 26 |
| Power (red) | +5v | Physical 2 |
| Ground (brown) | Ground | Physical 14 |