UART-based EZ-B/ESP32 skill to control WowWee MIP, enabling ESP32-Cam camera support and flexible battery-powered integration.
How to add the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill
- Load the most recent release of ARC (Get ARC).
- Press the Project tab from the top menu bar in ARC.
- Press Add Robot Skill from the button ribbon bar in ARC.
- Choose the Movement Panels category tab.
- Press the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel icon to add the robot skill to your project.
Don't have a robot yet?
Follow the Getting Started Guide to build a robot and use the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill.
How to use the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill
The WowWee MIP robot can be controlled from Synthiam ARC by connecting to the MIP’s internal UART (serial) port. This Movement Panel robot skill sends serial commands to the MIP through an EZ-B (such as an EZ-B v4, ESP32, or ESP32-Cam) that supports a hardware UART.
What You Need
- WowWee MIP robot
- One EZ-B that has a hardware UART (supported examples: EZ-B v4, ESP32, ESP32-Cam)
- Hookup wire (3 wires minimum) and basic tools for accessing the MIP mainboard
- Optional: extra power source (for example, a 9V battery for an EZ-B v4 + camera, if needed)
Hardware Wiring (UART)
The MIP exposes a UART on the mainboard. UART uses three connections for basic communication: GND (ground reference), TX (transmit), and RX (receive).
Connect These Three Wires
- MIP GND → EZ-B GND
- MIP TX → EZ-B UART RX (cross connection)
- MIP RX → EZ-B UART TX (cross connection)
Power Options
In many setups, you can power the EZ-B from the MIP’s onboard batteries. This keeps wiring simple and ensures both devices share a common power system.
If your project requires more power (for example, an EZ-B v4 with a camera or additional accessories), you can power the EZ-B from a separate battery, such as an additional 9V source (as an example).
It does not matter where the grounds originate from (MIP battery ground or EZ-B battery ground) as long as they are connected together.
Using the Skill in ARC (Beginner Steps)
- Connect your EZ-B (EZ-B v4 / ESP32 / ESP32-Cam) to ARC as you normally would.
- Add the WowWee MIP Movement Panel skill to your ARC project.
- In the skill settings, select the hardware UART port you physically wired to the MIP. (Example: choose the UART that uses the EZ-B pins connected to MIP TX/RX.)
- Power on the MIP and the EZ-B.
- Use the Movement Panel controls to send movement commands to the MIP.
Reminder: This skill requires an EZ-B that supports a hardware UART. Software/bit-banged serial is not recommended for reliable control.
I can make some tweaks to the robot skill and it should work with iotiny. Stay tuned
Can the IoTiny be used to control the UART on a WoWee MIP robot [via serial TX only]?
I know theres a Movement Panel for EZ B v4, but it's pretty big to fit on a tiny bot like this and I'd prefer to use IoTiny.
This will also work with any EZB that uses UART. The ESP32 is a good one because there is a camera version. The ESP32-Cam would be better than an IoTiny for this.
Here's the link with firmware and instructions for ESP32-Cam: https://synthiam.com/Support/Hardware/ESP32-Cam
I would not trust the IoTiny for bit bang serial. It emulates serial with software. It "might" work but I have a doubt that it will be very stable. I might make a change to the robot skill to allow bit-bang serial, but there's nothing more we can do if it isn't reliable. I recommend the ESP32-Cam instead for this particular application.
Oh, also the ESP32 is WAY smaller than the IoTiny, so that's another positive
As always - thanks! Gonna try this out!
Let me know. I think it would be real cool. Specially since the esp32-cam is also small.
Ordered the USB one - will work on it this weekend! Trying to make a Beer Butler out of the MIP! Wife approved!
What would the wiring look like exactly (if you have time to answer)? I read the MIP skill article and understand it needs to ground to the MIP, but could it run off the onboard battery?
Yep it could, it would be the same as the wiring I listed above.
Edit* Although I don’t know if the ESP32 pins are 5V compatible. I believe the MIP has 5V TTL on the TX/RX. You might need a TTL logic level shifter.
Thanks to everyone for the assist with this; and sorry for multiple posts - busy at work and only checking back in periodically, missed a bunch! Will read through!