This custom PCB is designed to serve as a control and interface board for projects using the Bottango motion and animation control firmware.
It provides robust connectivity, servo control, and expandability for animatronics or motion-based systems.
Note: This is a community project and not designed / maintained / officially supported by Bottango.
- ESP32 microcontroller
- USB-C connector for power and programming
- Selectable power source for the ESP32:
- USB-C
- 5 V rail (from WS2812B)
- 4 user buttons — freely assignable, e.g., for selecting animations
- 1 stop button — emergency or animation stop
- Potentiometer input — for audio volume control
- 4 status LEDs — indicate board or animation states
- Line-out audio output
- 6 servo connectors (powered by dedicated power input)
- WS2812B output — supports addressable RGB LEDs
- Selectable power source for audio section:
- USB-C
- 5 V rail (from WS2812B)
- LED power indicators for:
- 5 V
- 6 V
- USB-C
- 3.3 V
- I²C (Qwiic-compatible connector) — for sensor or peripheral expansion
- RS485 interface — for robust long-distance serial communication
| Function | Voltage | Source Options |
|---|---|---|
| ESP32 | 5 V | USB-C / 5 V line |
| Audio Output Circuit | 5 V | USB-C / 5 V line |
| WS2812B LEDs | 5 V | External supply |
| Servos | 6 V | External supply |
This board is designed for use with Bottango firmware, providing smooth integration with Bottango Studio for real-time motion and animation control.
Learn more at: https://www.bottango.com/
Note: This is a community project and not designed / maintained / officially supported by Bottango.
This hardware design is released under the
CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 – Weakly Reciprocal (CERN-OHL-W).
© 2025 Martin Klein
You are free to:
- Use, study, modify, and manufacture this design
- Distribute modified versions under the same license
- Incorporate this board into larger, closed-source systems, as long as modifications to this board itself remain open-source
For more information, see the LICENSE file or the full text at CERN-OHL-W
Copyright Martin Klein 2025.
This source describes Open Hardware and is licensed under the CERN-OHLW v2
You may redistribute and modify this PCB and make products using it under the terms of the CERN-OHL-W v2 (https:/cern.ch/cern-ohl). This PCB is distributed WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, INCLUDING OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Please see the CERN-OHL-W v2 for applicable conditions.
Source location: https://github.com/Dschadu/Geistwerk-BigCore
As per CERN-OHL-W v2 section 4.1, should You produce hardware based on these sources, You must maintain the Source Location visible in its documentation.
Special thanks to the Bottango team for providing an intuitive open platform for animatronic motion control.