Controlling the Morph3DBot With the Calliope Mini – Your First Modular Learning Robot

The Morph3DBot is a modular, 3D-printed educational robot designed for schools and makerspaces. In this tutorial, I will guide you step by step through building and programming the Morph3DBot using a Calliope mini.

The guide is aimed at beginners and is especially suitable for students from grade 7 upwards, as well as for workshops or project days.

By the end, your robot will be able to drive, react to buttons or movement, and can easily be extended with additional modules.

Before we start building and programming, let’s take a look at the materials you will need. Make sure you have all components ready so you can follow the steps smoothly and without interruptions.

3D Printed Parts:

1. 3 x Cube_1x1_Gray_v4
2. 1 x Mount_Ball_Gray_v4
3. 1 x Mount_9VBattery_Yellow_v4
4. 1 x Mount_CalliopeMiniV3_Yellow

Electronics:

1. 1 x Calliope mini (v3)
2. 2 x Gearmotor
3. 1 x Batterie pack

Other:

1. 2 x Wheels
2. 20 x Lego Technic Pin 6279875 - 2780
3. 4 x M3 x 25 mm Screw
4. 4 x M3 Nut
5. 1 x Table Tennisball

Start by attaching the 3D-printed components of the Morph3DBot. Connect the modular parts to form the basic structure of the robot and make sure they fit together securely. Check that all parts are properly aligned and firmly connected before moving on to the next step.

The motors are attached to the bracket on the right and left with two screws each. The nuts are inserted from the inside to secure the screws.

Parts:

1. 1 x Mount_TwoGearMotors_Red_v4:
2. 4 x M3 x mm Screw
3. 4 x M3 Nut
4. 2 x GearMotor
5. 2 x Weel

The table tennis ball is placed in the holder with light pressure.

Parts:

1. 1 x Mount_Ball_Gray_v4
2. 1 x Table Tennis Ball

The Calliope mini is pressed into the holder with a little pressure. If it sits too loosely, you can additionally secure it with a small piece of double-sided adhesive tape.

Parts:

1. 1 x Mount_CalliopeMiniV3_Yellow
2. 1 x Calliope mini (v3)

Next, insert the batteries into the battery holder. Then place the battery holder into the designated mount.

Parts:

1. 1 x Mount_9VBattery_Yellow_v4
2. 1 x Batterie pack

To assemble the robot, first attach the ball mount underneath one cube and the motors underneath the other cube. Then connect these two cubes using the locking pins.

Once your robot is standing, place the Calliope mini on top of the motors and attach the battery pack to the back of the robot.

Now connect the cables. Attach each motor to the corresponding motor pins on the Calliope mini.

Make sure the connections are secure and that the cables are routed neatly so they do not interfere with the wheels or moving parts.

Connect the positive wire of the first motor to M0+ and the negative wire to M0−.

Then connect the positive wire of the second motor to M1+ and the negative wire to M1−.

To start programming, go to the Calliope MakeCode website.

There, create a new project (new sketch) to begin writing the code for your robot.

Here is a small example of what you could do:

1. Open the Calliope MakeCode website and create a new project.
2. Go to the Input category and drag the block “when pin … pressed” into the workspace four times.
3. Set the pins for the four blocks as follows:
4. first block: pin P0
5. second block: pin P3
6. third block: pin P1
7. fourth block: pin P2
8. Go to the Motor category and build the following sequences inside each “when pin … pressed” block:

For pin P0 (only motor M0):

1. set motor M0 to 100 %
2. pause (ms) 200
3. set motor M0 to 0 %

For pin P1 (both motors forward):

1. set motor M0 & M1 to 100 %
2. pause (ms) 200
3. set motor M0 & M1 to 0 %

For pin P2 (both motors backward):

1. set motor M0 & M1 to -100 %
2. pause (ms) 200
3. set motor M0 & M1 to 0 %

For pin P3 (only motor M1):

1. set motor M1 to 100 %
2. pause (ms) 200
3. set motor M1 to 0 %

1. Upload the program to the Calliope:
2. connect the Calliope via USB
3. click Download
4. transfer the file to the Calliope
5. With this program, the robot moves for a short time (200 ms) whenever a pin is triggered.