This page is a list of various bot related vendors and parts you may wish to purchase as you advance in robotic sports.
Please note: The listing here is a sample guide only and is not intended to endorse any specific products or websites. Please research and review each item before you decide to buy.
Part Vendors
- Amazon.com – Great place for cheap DC brushed or brushless motors, electrical wire, wire connectors, switches, remote control transceivers, and various other gear. They have a large selection but you may not find everything you need here.
- eBay.com – Great place to find all sorts of items. I primarily use it to find various metals and plastics that are hard to find on other websites. (e.g. 1mm thick titanium plates, carbon fiber tubing, aluminum blocks, etc.) They do also have all sorts of motors, wheels, and other bot related components.
- Robotshop.com – Great place to find all sorts of items specifically related to robotics. I usually go here to purchase electronic speed controllers and other very robot specific items.
- Mcmaster.com – Mcmaster-Carr is a well known and established company which sells just about any gear, drill bit, coupling, shaft, belt, or other mechanical component you can think of. It is not robot specific. If it’s mechanical and you can’t find it anywhere where, you can probably find it here.
- HobbyKing.com – Great place for LiPo batteries, battery chargers, and other various RC hobby components.
Examples of Various Parts w/ Links
| Part Type | Part Name and Link |
| DC Brushed Motor (for drive system) | uxcell DC 12V 45mA 500RPM 0.33Kg-cm High Torque Permanent Magnetic Gear Motor |
| Electronic Speed Controller (for a pair of DC brushed motors) | Sabertooth Dual 5A R/C 6-18V Regenerative Motor Driver (R/C) |
| Roller Ball caster (helps keep your bot from dragging on the floor if you have less than 3 wheels) | Pololu Ball Caster with 1/2″ Metal Ball |
| Simple Toggle Switch (for power) | Twidec/10Pcs AC 6A/250V 10A/125V SPST 2 Pins 2 Position ON/Off Car Boat Square Black Rocker Switch Toggle with Pre-soldered Wires |
| Simple wire connectors (JST Male/Female Wire Connectors) | RAYSUN 10 Pairs (Male & Female) 30CM 2Pin JST Wire Connector for RC Lipo Battery Discharge Esc Bec Board Line- 20AWG Silicone Cord |
| LiPo Battery (for standard 3lb combat bot) | TURNIGY 1000MAH 3S 20C LIPO PACK |
| LiPo Battery Charger | Tenergy 1S-6S Digital Battery Pack Charger for Li-Fe/Li-PO/NiCd/NiMH Packs Balance Charger Discharger w/Tamiya/JST/EC3/HiTec/Deans Connectors + Power Supply |
| LiPo Battery Bag (required at most events for safety) | COLCASE Fireproof Explosionproof Lipo Safe Bag for Lipo Battery Storage and Charging , Large Space Highly Sturdy Double Zipper Lipo Battery Guard (198x150x135mm) |
| Brushless Motor / ESC combo(for a combat weapon or some drive systems) | Hobbypower A2212 1000kv Brushless Motor + 30a ESC for Multicopter 450 X525 Quadcopter |
| Metric Screws (many bot components have fitting holes based on the metric system) | NINDEJIN 880Pcs M2 M3 M4 M5 Stainless Steel Precise Metric Hex Socket Head Cap Machine Screws,Round Flat Socket Bolts and Nuts Set and Washers Assortment Kit +Wrench (Stainless Steel, Hex Round) |
| Small Screwdriver (includes metric bits) | Syntus 63 in 1 Precision Screwdriver Set with 56 Bit Magnetic Screwdriver Kit Professional Electronics Repair Tool Kit for iPhone, Tablet, Macbook, Xbox, Cellphone, PC, Game Console, Black and Blue |
| Zip Ties (for holding wires and components in place) | Honyear Zip Ties 500 Pcs Nylon Cable Zip Ties with Self-Locking 4/6/8/10/12 Inch, Black, UV Resistant, Heavy Duty |
| Soldering Iron (for soldering wire to various electrical components) | X-Tronic Model #3020-XTS Digital Display Soldering Iron Station – 10 Minute Sleep Function, Auto Cool Down, C/F Switch, Ergonomic Soldering Iron, Solder Holder, Brass Tip Cleaner with Cleaning Flux |
| Solder (used with the soldering iron to make electrical connections) | (0.8mm,100g) Lead-free Solder Wire Flux-core Solder Welding Wire Electrical Soldering with Rosin Core,Sn99 Cu0.7 Ag0.3 0.22 lbs |
| Heat Shrink Tubing (for insulating soldered connections) | 560PCS Heat Shrink Tubing 2:1, Eventronic Electrical Wire Cable Wrap Assortment Electric Insulation Heat Shrink Tube Kit with Box(5 colors/12 Sizes) |
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