The first model in the Explorer Series: an ESP32-C3 powered wireless robotic tank with continuous-servo differential steering and expressive OLED eyes.
T-01: The Explorer is a compact tracked robot built around the ESP32-C3. It uses ESP-NOW for low-latency wireless communication, drives with two continuous rotation servos, and features an SSD1306 OLED display that renders animated eyes for visual feedback and personality.
This repository contains only the tank-side firmware.
- ESP-NOW wireless control receiver
- Differential steering with two continuous rotation servos
- Animated OLED eyes inspired by the Intellar style
- Motion-reactive eye behavior
- Fast real-time response
- Compact and upgrade-friendly robot platform
- ESP32-C3
- 2x continuous rotation servo motors
- SSD1306 OLED display (I2C)
- 3.7V Li-ion battery
- TP4056 charging module
- SX1308 DC-DC step-up converter
- Power switch
- Tank chassis / tracked platform
| Component | Connection | ESP32-C3 Pin |
|---|---|---|
| OLED Display | SDA | GPIO 4 |
| OLED Display | SCL | GPIO 3 |
| Left Servo | Signal | GPIO 5 |
| Right Servo | Signal | GPIO 6 |
| Module | Power Connection |
|---|---|
| Li-ion Battery | Connected to TP4056 B+ and B- |
| TP4056 Output | Connected to the power switch |
| Power Switch Output | Connected to SX1308 input |
| SX1308 Output | Powers ESP32-C3, OLED, and both servos |
| All Modules | Share a common ground |
- ESP32-C3 board support installed in Arduino IDE
- SSD1306 OLED wired over I2C
- Continuous rotation servos powered from a stable supply
- SX1308 adjusted to the correct output voltage for your build
- A separate ESP-NOW transmitter/controller
- The ESP32-C3 receives control data over ESP-NOW.
- Incoming throttle and steering values are processed by the firmware.
- The left and right servos are driven independently for differential steering.
- The OLED display updates its animated eyes based on robot motion and state.
The tank moves by controlling the speed and direction of each track side independently:
- Both servos forward: move forward
- Both servos reverse: move backward
- One side slower than the other: gradual turn
- Opposite directions: pivot in place
This repository is intended for the robot firmware only. If you later build a separate handheld controller or transmitter, that code can live in its own repository or in a separate folder.
The main firmware for the robot is in T-01-The-Explorer.ino.
This sketch handles:
- ESP-NOW receiver communication
- Differential servo drive control
- OLED eye rendering and animation
- Motion-based eye behavior
- ESP32-C3 hardware setup
Required libraries:
ESP32_NOWWiFiWireAdafruit_GFXAdafruit_SSD1306
Required board package:
esp32board package for Arduino IDE
- Install the Arduino IDE.
- Install the ESP32 board package.
- Install the required libraries listed above.
- Open T-01-The-Explorer.ino in Arduino IDE.
- Select your ESP32-C3 board from the
Toolsmenu. - Select the correct upload port.
- Power the robot safely before testing the servos.
- Upload the sketch to the board.
- This repository contains only the receiver firmware for the tank.
- A separate controller or transmitter is required to send ESP-NOW control data.
- The firmware expects a control packet containing
throttle,turn, andflags. - The tank listens on Wi-Fi channel 6 for ESP-NOW communication.
.
|-- .gitignore
|-- LICENSE
|-- README.md
|-- T-01-The-Explorer.ino
`-- images/
|-- t01-demo.gif
|-- t01-demo.jpeg
`-- t01-robots.jpeg
- Continuous rotation servos may need neutral tuning depending on the servo model.
- Power stability depends on battery condition and the SX1308 output setting.
- The repository does not yet include the controller-side ESP-NOW transmitter code.
Here are some photos of the T-01 prototype:
The CAD / printable model files for T-01: The Explorer are available here:
- OLED eye style inspired by the Intellar look
- Built and documented by Lakkur M Harshith Aradhya
This project is proprietary and is distributed under the terms described in the LICENSE file.