Hardware Requirements

Bottango Solar

Currently, Bottango Solar is the only Bottango control board that supports audio playback directly.

MicroSD Card

Bottango Solar plays audio files from its microSD card. See SD Card for card size, format, and quality recommendations.

Speakers or External Audio Hardware

You can play audio from Bottango Solar using either the stereo line-out jack connected to external audio hardware or passive speakers connected to the onboard amp.

Line Out

If you are using the stereo line-out TRS (“headphone / 3.5 mm audio”) jack, connect Bottango Solar to externally powered speakers, or to an external amplifier connected to its own passive speakers.

Passive Speakers

You can use the speakers included with Bottango Solar. They are optimized for the onboard amp.

If you want to use your own passive speakers with the onboard amp, choose one of the following:

• 4 Ω speakers rated to around 2 W or a bit more
• 8 Ω speakers rated to around 1 W or a bit more

Choosing speakers with a lower watt rating than recommended may damage the speakers. Choosing speakers with a much higher watt rating will not make the audio louder, because the amp itself is the loudness bottleneck. Depending on the speaker sensitivity, substantially higher-wattage speakers may even result in lower loudness. The values above are the approximate sweet spot.

You can connect passive speakers using either:

• JST-XH 2.5 mm pitch 2-pin connectors OR
• Screw terminals

Warning!

Do not use both passive speaker connector types at the same time.

Use either the JST-XH connectors or the screw terminals, not both. Connecting four passive speakers to Bottango Solar can cause damage.

Power Supply

Using passive speakers with Bottango Solar uses the small onboard amp. The amp is powered from the same DC power input as the servos. Be sure to choose a power supply that meets the requirements.