intermediate · for college, hobbyist
PCB Design Starter
Design, fabricate and populate your first board
Price on request
in-stock
Request a quote for the price. The price excludes GST and shipping. Both are itemised on your written quote before you pay anything, and there are no other charges. Class-set pricing on request.
The numbers
Specification
| Controller | AW-32, 72 MHz |
|---|---|
| Supply | 7.4 V, 2S Li-ion |
| Dimensions | 200 × 150 × 70 mm |
| Mass | 340 g assembled |
| Skill level | intermediate |
| Suited to | college, hobbyist |
| Availability | in-stock |
| Assembly time | 2–3 hours |
Figures marked in grey are draft and may change before the kit ships. Your written quote confirms the exact specification.
Try the control loop
Tune it before you buy it
A real PID loop, not an animation. Too little gain and it leaves the line on the first curve. Proportional alone holds the straights but lags on the bends. Derivative tightens the corners, integral closes the remaining offset. Then push the speed up and watch a tune that worked stop working.
Try these
- Error now
- 0 mm
- Time off the line
- 0.0 s
- Laps completed
- 0
Mean cross-track error across those four presets: 157, 83, 64 and 6 mm. The sensor bar is 90 mm wide, so anything past 45 mm has lost the line entirely. The same loop runs in the lab against the simulated kit.
Bill of materials
In the box
The most-read block on any kit page, so it is the most complete. Quantities are exact.
- 1Chassis, laser-cut acrylic
- 1Controller board, assembled and tested
- 2Geared motor, 300 RPM, with encoder
- 2Wheel, 65 mm, rubber tyre
- 1Caster, ball type
- 1Sensor array, 5-channel
- 1Battery holder with protection circuit
- 1Fastener pack, labelled by size
- 1Assembly guide, printed
The contents list is indicative. Your written quote confirms the exact contents.
Why it is worth building
What you will learn
Closed-loop control
Tune a real PID against a real plant, and see what integral windup actually does to a robot.
Sensor calibration
Thresholding, ambient rejection, and why the value that worked yesterday does not work under different lighting.
Mechanical assembly
Fastener discipline, alignment, and the difference torque makes to a drivetrain.
Before you build
Simulate this kit in the Lab
Open the matching project, change the control loop, and watch what happens before a single motor turns.
Questions
Common questions
Who is the PCB Design Starter for?
It is listed as an intermediate kit for college students and hobbyists who want to design, fabricate and populate their first board.
What board is used in the kit?
The AW-32 is an 80 × 60 mm two-layer board. It has a QFN-32 microcontroller, headers, a USB-C receptacle, 0805 passives and a status LED.
Can I try the kit before buying?
Yes. The kit has a matching project in the Airoot Lab that you can open before any hardware is built.
Can schools and colleges order class sets?
Yes. Class-set pricing is available on request. Use the Request a quote button on the page to send an enquiry.