TETRIX Robotics consists of two robotic kits by Pitsco Education. The two sets are the TETRIX MAX building system and the TETRIX PRIME building system. They are intended to be used as educational robotics and for competitions such as the FIRST Tech Challenge.
History of Pitsco Education and Tetrix Robotics Kits The company that developed the Tetrix Robotic Kits, Pitsco Education is a provider of K-12 STEM educational kits, activities, curricula, educational programs, and various learning experiences.Pitsco Education. (2019). A Company Built by Educators for Educators - Pitsco Education. Pitsco Education. https://asset.pitsco.com/sharedimages/pdf/pitsco-education-media-kit-nov-2017.pdf The company is headquartered in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. Originally named the Pittsburg Industrial Teachers Service Company, Pitsco Education was founded in 1971 by three teachers, Harvey Dean, Max Lundquest, and Terry Salmans. The first five years of operations were run by the three teachers and their families. In 1975, Harvey Dean acquired the full ownership of Pitsco. In the same year, Pitsco Education partnered with the Ideas and Solutions Big Book to form the Pitsco catalogue division. In between 1990 and 2001, Pitsco Education acquired the Canadian catalogue company, Advance School Equipment, and the Hearlihy & Co., Construction Education Systems (CES). This helped Pitsco Education to expand into Canada and acquire more resources. In 1997, Pitsco Education partnered with the LEGO Educational Division. They formed LEGO Education, which was originally named Pitsco LEGO Educational Division (PLED). This partnership between Pitsco Education and the LEGO Educational Division is responsible for the development of the TETRIX Robotics. From 1997 to 2014, Pitsco Education launched numerous initiatives, institutes and educational programs, including the Technological Fluency Institute (TFI), the Kindergarten to Careers initiative, the Pitsco Engineering Academy, selling STEM products on Amazon, and the STREAM Missions. The TETRIX MAX building system was developed in 2008, followed by the TETRIX PRIME building system in 2014. Then, In 2016, Pitsco Education released the TETRIX PRIZM Robotics Controller with the TETRIX PULSE™ Robotics Controller introduced in the following year. In 2018, PItsco Education became business partners with Microburst Learning and KUBO. In 2019, the partnership extended to Arduino, Microduino, UBTECH, and Shape Robotics.
TETRIX MAX The TETRIX MAX building system is designed for students aged 14 and above. The building system uses heavy-duty aircraft-grade aluminum which aims to increase stability, durability, and reliability. The TETRIX MAX building system is also known for having stronger drive motors and more precise servo motors amongst other educational robotic kits in the market.Pitsco Education. (2021). TETRIX MAX R/C Builder’s Guide. Pitsco Education. https://asset.pitsco.com/sharedimages/resources/44715_maxbuildersguide_0721.pdf The various hardware included in the TETRIX MAX building system are compatible with most programmable controllers, allowing more versatility, and potential for various sophisticated tasks. The trademarked hole pattern in its building system enables connections at the increment of 45°. With additional building parts, the TETRIX MAX building system is also designed to be flexible and have great compatibility with other TETRIX parts, including TETRIX PRIME parts.
TETRIX MAX Robotics Parts TETRIX MAX Robotics parts can be categorized into 12 types of parts. Firstly, there are the channels. TETRIX MAX Robotics building system utilizes structural channels (C-channels) as the main building blocks of its building system. These C-channels are all included with the trademarked hole pattern on all sides. This allows them to connect to all other structural parts as well as connect to axle hubs and motor brackets for the mounting of wheels or motorized wheels. These C-channels comes in 4 lengths, 32 mm, 96 mm, 160 mm, 288 mm.Pitsco Education. (2022). TETRIX MAX R/C Robotics Set Parts Index. Pitsco Education. https://asset.pitsco.com/sharedimages/resources/tetrix-max-rc-parts-index-42146.pdf The next category of parts are bars and angles. These parts do not have the trademarked hole pattern nor the holes for connecting the axles. They only have connection points for the included screws. The TETRIX MAX Robotics building system offers the 288mm flat bar. It also has two lengths of angles (slotted angle), which are 144mm and 288mm. The next category of parts are plates and brackets. For plates, the TETRIX MAX Robotics building system offers one size of flat building plate which its main purpose is to create more connection points and building space. As for brackets, the TETRIX MAX Robotics building system offers five types in total. These are the Flat Building Bracket, the L Bracket, the Inside Corner Bracket, the Inside C Connector, and the Adjustable Angle Corner Bracket. A similarity that all of the plates and brackets share is that they all have the trademarked hole pattern. The next category of parts are the flats. These are oblong shaped flat bars that have one row of the trademarked hole pattern. They vary in 4 lengths, 64 mm, 96 mm, 160 mm, and 288 mm. This category of parts also offer the Adjustable Angle Flat Bracket. Moving on, the fifth category of parts are the axles, hubs, and spacers. This category of parts are dedicated to the connections between wheels, axles, gears, and structural parts. There are the Motor Hub, the Axle Hub, the Axle Set Collar, the 100 mm Axle, the Bronze Bushing, the Gear Hub Spacer, the 1/8″ Axle Spacer, the 3/8″ Axle Spacer, and the Flat Round Spacer. The next category of parts are gears. The TETRIX MAX Robotics building system offers gears of two tooth count, 40-tooth and 80-tooth. The seventh category of parts are the standoffs. The TETRIX MAX Robotics building system offers standoffs in 4 lengths, 1″, 2″, 32 mm, and 16 mm. The next category of TETRIX MAX Robotics parts are servos and hardware. This includes the servomotor, its cables, various mounting brackets designated mounting brackets. To be more specific, the servomotor is the 180° Standard-Scale HS-458HB Servo Motor, the cables including the Servo Extension and the Servo Y Connector. TETRIX MAX Robotics building system also includes numerous servomotor mounting kits and brackets. These include the Single Standard-Scale Servo Motor Bracket, the Standard-Scale Pivot Arm with Bearing, the Standard Servo Mounting Kit, and the Adjustable Servo Brackets. The next Category are DC motors and hardware. These include the Motor Mount, the TETRIX MAX DC Gear Motor, and the Motor Power Cable. Moving on, the tenth category are tires and wheels. The TETRIX MAX Robotics building system provides two type of wheel. There is the standard TETRIX MAX 4″ Wheel and the TETRIX MAX 4″ Omni Wheel. The next category of parts are nuts, screws, and fasteners. These are the parts used to fasten all of the parts together. The TETRIX MAX Robotics building system provides only Kep Nuts, but have three types of screws. Firstly, there are two lengths of 6-32 Socket Head Cap Screws, 1/2″ and 5/16″. The third type of screw is the 3/8″ Button Head Cap Screw. Various TETRIX MAX Robotic kit also comes with Zip Ties. The next category of parts are Batteries and Chargers. These parts are the Battery Mounting Clips, the TETRIX MAX 12-volt 3,000 mAh Battery and the MAX 12-volt Battery Charger. Moving on, the next category are tool. TETRIX MAX Robotic kits also comes with numerous tools including, the 4-in-1 Screwdriver, the TETRIX Wrench Set, the TETRIX MAX Hex Key Pack, Miniature Ball-Point Hex Driver and the 2-in-1 Screwdriver. Lastly, the fourteenth category of parts are electronics and controls. These include the TETRIX Wireless Joystick Gamepad System with Receiver, the TETRIX MAX R/C Motor Controller, the TETRIX On/Off Power Switch, and the TETRIX R/C Components Mounting Kit.
TETRIX PRIZM Robotics Controller The TETRIX PRIZM Robotics Controller is a fully-integrated programmable controller for the TETRIX MAX building system. It has multiple ports to control motors, servos, encoders and sensors, and also provides connections intended for use with TETRIX MAX hardware. The controller is powered by the Arduino Software (IDE), available for Windows, Mac OS X 10.7 and newer, and some Linux devices.
TETRIX PRIZM Robotics Controller Specifications:Pitsco Education. (2018). TETRIX® PRIZM® Robotics Controller Quick-Start Guide and Specifications. Pitsco Education. https://asset.pitsco.com/sharedimages/resources/43167_prizm_quickstartguide.pdf
ATmega328P microcontroller 32 KB of memory 7 ports for sensors (3 for analog sensors and 4 for digital sensors) 2 ports for DC motor control 8 ports for servo control 1 expansion port for more motor connections 1 I²C port and 1 USB port 2 sets of battery connection 2 push buttons (start and stop/reset)
TETRIX PRIME The TETRIX PRIME building system is designed for students aged 12 and above. It was developed with the purpose to foster the growth of technical building skills for new or inexperienced users. The building system consists of aluminum and plastic pieces including structural elements, connectors, hubs, brackets, wheels, and gears. Designed for middle school students, It is made to be easy and quick to build. This is achieved using thumbscrews for connections. There are multiple distinct features that separates the TETRIX PRIME building system from the TETRIX MAX building system. Firstly, the TETRIX PRIME building system has smaller parts than that of the TETRIX MAX building system. Secondly, unlike the TETRIX PRIME building system utilizes square beams as the main structural element. Compared to the TETRIX MAX building system, the TETRIX PRIME building system allows for more detailed constructions. This is due to its smaller size and square shaped beams.Grissom, R. (2019). TETRIX PRIME R/C Builder’s Guide. Pitsco Education. https://asset.pitsco.com/sharedimages/resources/tetrixprime-buildersguide-0621.pdf
TETRIX PRIME Robotics Parts