In 1lb and 3lb combat robotics, every gram counts, so I prefer to build custom control boards to minimize weight. However, designing a new board for each robot became tedious, especially when most share the same fundamental requirements: receiving commands from a handheld controller and driving motors—both for movement and a high-current ESC/BLDC weapon system.

To streamline future builds, I designed a compact, universal control board that integrates these core functions, making it adaptable to any new robot design.

At its heart is a custom-programmed ESP32-C3-MINI, which communicates via BLE with an Xbox gamepad for seamless wireless control.