RotocasterKUL

JarneVG·RotocasterKUL·Electrical hardware/Electrical Design/LocalRoboCaster/LocalRoboCaster.kicad_pcb

About the RotocasterKUL PCB

RotocasterKUL is an open source RP2040/RP2350 PCB design by JarneVG, published on GitHub under the MIT license. It is a 2-layer board measuring 100 × 83 mm, with 56 components from 24 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the RaspberryPi_Pico, from the RP2040/RP2350 family. Other key parts include the Stepper Driver, Limit Switch, Rotary button and Buck Converter. By type, the board carries 18 resistors, 8 connectors, 8 capacitors, 6 modules, 5 ICs and 4 transistors.

It belongs with the robotics & motion designs in this gallery.

From the project

This is the accompanying code for the rotocasting machine, made in 2025 for the KU Leuven soft robotics research team.

I changed some of these libraries to add or change functionalities, so be sure to add the ones you find here to your Arduino -> libraries directory

You should also have the Earle Philhowers Arduino Pico core installed.

https://learn.adafruit.com/rp2040-arduino-with-the-earlephilhower-core/installing-the-earlephilhower-core

https://randomnerdtutorials.com/programming-raspberry-pi-pico-w-arduino-ide/

Main components on the RotocasterKUL

Stepper DriverLimit SwitchRotary buttonBuck Converter RaspberryPi_Pico

RotocasterKUL bill of materials (BOM)

56 components, 24 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

Qty	Part	Footprint	Refs
2	Stepper Driver	Pololu_Breakout-16_15.2x20.3mm	U1, U2
1	Limit Switch	JST_XH_B2B-XH-A_1x02_P2.50mm_Vertical	U3
1	Rotary button	JST_XH_B5B-XH-A_1x05_P2.50mm_Vertical	U4
1	Buck Converter	LM2596	U8
1	RaspberryPi_Pico	Pico	A1
1	Fan	TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal	M1
2	Stepper_Motor_bipolar	JST_XH_B4B-XH-A_1x04_P2.50mm_Vertical	M2, M4
2	PC Fan	PinHeader_1x02_P2.54mm_Vertical	M3, M5
3	IRLZ44NPBF	TO-220F-3_Vertical	Q4, Q6, Q7
1	IRL3705NPBF	TO-220F-3_Vertical	Q5
2	Conn_01x06_Pin	PinHeader_1x06_P2.54mm_Vertical	J1, J8
1	Conn_01x02_Pin	TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal	J2
3	voltage_in	TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal	J3, J6, J7
2	Conn_01x04_Pin	JST_XH_B4B-XH-A_1x04_P2.50mm_Vertical	J4, J5
1	Buzzer	Buzzer_12x9.5RM7.6	BZ1
1	Current fuse	Fuse Holder RS Pro Fuse Blade	F2
1	Current fuse	Fuse_Bourns_MF-RHT1000	F3
1	Thermistor_PTC	JST_XH_B2B-XH-A_1x02_P2.50mm_Vertical	TH1
3	1N4007	D_DO-41_SOD81_P10.16mm_Horizontal	D1, D2, D3
8	100n	C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8

Show 4 more

Qty	Part	Footprint	Refs
12	10k	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R1, R3, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 +4
1	Heater	TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal	R2
1	100k	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R4
4	100	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R13, R14, R15, R18

RotocasterKUL design files

The KiCad project lives in the JarneVG/RotocasterKUL repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

RotocasterKUL: common questions

What microcontroller does the RotocasterKUL use?

The RotocasterKUL is built around the RaspberryPi_Pico, from the RP2040/RP2350 family.

How big is the RotocasterKUL PCB?

The RotocasterKUL measures 100 × 83 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the RotocasterKUL?

56 components, from 24 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.

Where can I download the RotocasterKUL design files?

From the JarneVG/RotocasterKUL repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.

Can I use the RotocasterKUL design in my own project?

Yes, under the terms of its MIT license, which JarneVG chose for the repository.

Can I test firmware for the RotocasterKUL without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug RP2040/RP2350 firmware against it before you order a PCB.