A second iteration of an Arduino Nano expansion board.

The original idea for this PCB was to be a continuation of Controller Mk0, a BLE-enabled controller for RC vehicles, that’s why the it’s officially called "Controller Mk1-alpha" in EasyEDA. The new board does not directly support LILYGO T-Display ESP32 board though, so it’s not a direct replacement for Controller Mk0.

Unlike simple motor driver shields, this board is designed as a multi-purpose control platform. It not only provides motor control but also allows for flexible experimentation with sensors, input devices, and communication modules, making it well suited for robotics, custom controllers, or interactive electronics projects.

Board features:

  • Fits Arduino Nano and Arduino Pro Micro

  • Can host 2 DRV8833 dual DC motor driver boards (4 motors total)

  • 4-pin I2C socket, designed to fit a 0.91" 128×32 OLED display

  • 2 buttons for direct user input

  • 6 Troyka module locations with support for analog, I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO modules

  • Board size: 100×65 mm

Improvements over the first version

Compared to the previous Arduino Nano expansion board, the new design:

  • Adds support for the Arduino Pro Micro footprint, which opens the door to RP2040 and nRF52840 boards in the same format (commonly used in mechanical keyboards and HID devices).

  • Expands motor control with space for two DRV8833 modules, allowing up to 4 independent DC motors.

  • Provides solder pads for two potentiometers.

  • Switches motor control from a PWM1+PWM2 scheme to PWM+DIR, reducing the pin requirements to a single PWM line per motor. This makes it possible to control more motors on boards with limited pin counts (4 motors on Nano, 3 on Pro Micro).

Overall, the v2 board is physically larger, more versatile, and better suited for modular builds.

Modular Troyka Ecosystem

The most significant upgrade is the introduction of compatibility with the [Amperka Troyka module system](https://amperka.ru/page/what-is-troyka-system). With six module slots, the board becomes a swappable control surface, adaptable to different use cases depending on which modules are installed.

Example modules that work with this board:

  • 1 large button

  • 2 small buttons (D-pad style)

  • 2D analog joystick

  • Potentiometer

  • RGB LED

  • OLED display

  • H-bridge

  • Bluetooth module

Mounting a steering wheel should also be possible.