Raspberry Pi Cart Robot

March 2016

Robot cart build on top of Raspberry-Pi and Adafruit DC and stepper motor hat.

• Robot Cart Chassis Kit
• Raspberry Pi - Model A+ (chosen for its size and low power consumption, otherwise it can be any Pi)
• USB Wifi Dongle (can be any dongle which works with Linux or Pi) Selected Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter because it lists Linux compatibility and supports both infrastructure and ad-hoc modes. I intend to use Infrastructure mode to use PI as hotspot and connect to it rather than accessing it through existing hotspot inside the house.
• Adafruit DC and stepper motor hat
• Rechargeable USB Power Bank for powering Raspberry Pi (can be almost any type capable powering Pi) Selected PNY T4400 (4400 mAh) can run Pi + USB Wifi module for about 8 hours
• AA Battery case holder for powering the motors
• Screw and stand-off kit for mounting things together

• Adafruit Motor Hat Python Library
• Cart Software Github repository

1. Mount Raspberry Pi on the robot shasis using small (M3) bolts and nuts. In order to drill the mounting holes in the right places, print a template marking the Pi holes, fix it to the cart and dril through the paper marks.
2. Solder in the motor hat connectors and mount the hat on the Pi. The best way to mount the cart, Pi and the hat together is using nylon stand offs.
3. Connect power to PI
4. Wire motor hat to motors
5. Wire motor power to the motor hat
6. Mount power/battery packs to the cart using self adhesive velcro strips, I used this one, but there are cheaper options out there.