We’ve just released a new open-source hardware extension for Copilot Lite: the Triple Relay board. Copilot Lite is a small device used to control the power and UART of a Device Under Test (DUT). The relay extension is a HAT-style expansion that stacks directly on top of Copilot Lite and adds three independently controllable signal relays.
What it does
Each relay is driven by a Copilot Lite GPIO pin, with onboard jumpers letting you remap which GPIO drives which relay — no rewiring needed if your pinout changes between projects.
Key specs:
- 3 independent signal relays on a single board
- GPIO-controlled, jumper-configurable pin mapping
- HAT form factor — stacks directly onto Copilot Lite, similar to a Raspberry Pi HAT or Arduino Shield
- No need for external power supply : each signal relay’s coil draws only 30mA @ 5V, so the USB power is far enough
- Rated for 1A @ 48VDC per relay channel
- Not rated for AC mains — signal/low-voltage DC switching only
Why we built it
Relay control is one of the most common asks we get from people automating physical setups with Copilot Lite — lab equipment, test rigs, home automation, sensor networks. Rather than have everyone wire up their own relay module, we designed a drop-in board that handles the level shifting and mapping for you.
Get it
Everything is open source and MIT-licensed:
- Repo
- KiCad schematic, PCB layout, and project files included
- Custom footprint libraries and reference photos of the assembled board
Clone it, fab it, or fork it for your own variant. If you build one, we’d love to hear about it — issues, PRs, and feedback are all welcome on the repo.