What is ARPS-2?

ARPS-2 (Arduino-Compatible Robot Project Shield version 2) is the new version of an all-in-one circuit designed to introduce beginners to electronic components, help them to learn Arduino programming, and to make it easy for them to build robots and other, more advanced projects.

ARPS-2 improves on ARPS by adding two more digital I/O headers, relocating the screw terminal strip from the middle of the PCB to the side (to reduce the possibility of its pins shorting to the USB-B connector shell on the older Arduino UNO Rev 3), and by adding a little 4-pin SONAR extender PCB between its re-designed optical floor and line sensor modules.

Created by a teacher

ARPS-2 is a classroom-proven circuit designed specifically for beginner computer technology instruction in schools, robotics clubs, and makerspaces. It's also a great choice for anyone starting to learn Arduino programming, or looking for a simple way to build their Arduino UNO into a robot or a variety of other projects.

What's so special about ARPS-2?

All of the typical beginner microcontroller circuits – pushbuttons, LEDs, a speaker, analog temperature, light, and voltage sensors, as well as a motor driver circuit – are built into ARPS-2. Having all of these parts built into a single circuit shield means that new learners can focus on developing their programming skills without the interruption of simultaneously building, debugging, and re-building breadboard circuits as they progress.

ARPS-2 Hardware Features

ARPS-2 is designed to be used with Arduino UNO R4 Minima and exactly fits the Arduino UNO form factor. It includes:

• 4 user pushbuttons (see note, below), plus a hardware reset button
• 4 user LEDs, plus a power LED
• piezo speaker
• MCP9700A analog temperature sensor
• precision resistor voltage divider circuit
• 38 kHz IR demodulator
• SN754410NE quad half-bridge motor driver
• 6-pin screw terminal strip to connect an external battery and motors
• 4x 3-pin mixed analog/digital expansion headers or a 4-pin header socket (using the socket permits an HC-SR04 ultrasonic SONAR distance sensor module to be mounted directly on-board)
• 2x 3-pin servo or digital I/O expansion headers
• 2x break-away optical sensor modules (one with a single LED and two phototransistors that can become either a light, floor, wall, or robot line-following sensor, and the other with a single LED and phototransistor that can become a light, floor, or wall sensor)
• break-away 4-pin header extender module allowing for remote mounting of the SONAR module

Note: Two of ARPS-2's four pushbutton circuits are connected to Arduino pins D0 and D1 (Rx and Tx) and will not be usable when ARPS-2 is being controlled by Arduino UNO Rev 3. All of the pushbuttons work when ARPS-2 is being controlled by Arduino UNO R4 series microcontrollers.

Build ARPS-2 in stages

Sometimes you just can't wait to get started on a new project, and at other times, most often in educational settings, there just isn't enough space or enough resources like soldering irons and tools to let all of the students build their circuits at the same time. The solution? ARPS-2 is designed to be assembled in stages, using common, through-hole components. This allows each learner to assemble a minimal part of their ARPS-2 circuit, and then start using it to learn programming skills before the circuit has been totally completed. Additional components can be added to ARPS-2 at any time, providing learners with new features and capabilities to explore.

Low cost classroom flexibility

Education users can save costs by buying bare ARPS-2 printed circuit boards and having their students partially assemble their circuits, adding only the components that are necessary for their course or application. This capability also makes it easier for instructors to support mixed grade or mixed ability classes, as well as to provide extension activities for more advanced students. The same ARPS-2 circuit and lesson activities can be use for all students in a class, while different groups or more advanced learners within the class can install different sets of parts and create different kinds of projects.

Designed for learning

A complete set of five introductory learning activities, shared in GitHub, are designed to lead learners through Arduino programming fundamentals. Each one includes a starter program, program analysis activities designed to serve as a guided exploration of new concepts, and programming activities chosen to provide a range of open-ended challenges for beginners to reinforce their learning while expanding their programming skills and abilities.

Additional line-following and Sumo robot starter program templates are also provided to provide beginners with a structured program framework to help them tackle their first complex programming project.

ARPS-2 runs in Tinkercad, too!

The Tinkercad simulator is popular in education because it features powerful electronics hardware and software simulation capabilities that can be run on classroom computers, student Chromebooks, and even iPads. In addition to being shared on GitHub, each ARPS-2 learning activity is also available as a pre-built circuit in Tinkercad, along with its own pre-loaded program code!

Running ARPS-2 programs in Tinkercad empowers beginners to get a head start on programming, and lets them develop programs for ARPS-2 without needing to have their circuit with them. It also makes it easy for instructors to demonstrate circuit and component characteristics, programming concepts, debugging techniques, and hardware/software interaction.

Try any of the ARPS-2 learning activities here:

• Introductory Activity 1 - Input and Output
• Introductory Activity 2 - Variables
• Introductory Activity 3 - Loops
• Introductory Activity 4 - Functions
• Introductory Activity 5 - Analogue Input
• ARPS2 Full Robot Circuit
• Line-Following Robot Starter Circuit
• Sumo Robot Starter Circuit

Orders are usually shipped within 1-3 days by mail from Canada. Delivery times are generally 2-5 days within Canada, 5-12 days to the USA, and may be as long as 3-4 weeks internationally, depending on the carrier and destination country.

All taxes, tariffs, and other import fees are not included in the product price and are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

Customers in the United States will currently see a 35% surcharge added to purchases (shown as a tax in Lectronz). This represents the IEEPA tariff amount to be pre-paid by shippers following the executive orders over-riding the USMCA and removing the de minimis customs import exemption.