Robot Buggy Readme

This is a project to create a robot buggy using following the instructions on Raspberrypi.org.

https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/build-a-buggy

(Robot Buggy v1)

(Robot Buggy v2)

Background

Over the past couple of months, I have been tutoring a high school student in programming. He is interested in robotics, and I have been helping him build a robot buggy using Raspberry Pis. I'm a big fan of these tiny computers, and I wanted to try this project for myself. I'm publishing my code on GitHub for his benefit and anyone else who might want to try this project.

My Methodology

I'm a big believer in systems thinking because it makes decisions easier and removes some of the emotion out of the process. Below is the four-step method that I am using with my student.

1. Get it working. A.k.a. Make a mess! In step one, the objective is to get some aspect of the project working. Can you make the wheels turn? Can you get an LED to light up? This step usually involves making a giant mess and results in ugly code or disorganized wiring.
2. Get Organized. Once we have working code or working hardware, it's time to clean up the mess we made. This could mean reorganizing the wires or refactoring our code. The objective here is to move forward with hardware/software that we know works but is not messy.
3. Get Feedback. In this stage, we test out our code to see what problems may occur. Feedback can come from other people, like when someone reviews our code. It's important to remember that we aren't going to get it right the first time, and this testing phase is an essential part of the best version of our project.
4. Revise. In this step, we start to think about improving our work in the next version of the project. This could be adding features or completely redoing some part of our project. In this stage, we take time to plan out and research what we want to do. Finally, we must embrace the fact that improving sometimes means making a mess again, so we have to be comfortable returning to step 1.

Plans for this project

• Build a working buggy
• Remote control the buggy with another pie
• Remote control buggy over VPN
• Add all-wheel drive (2 motors controller boards)
• Control the buggy using a USB gamepad
• Change buggy speed using a USB gamepad
• Create a startup script (In Progress)
• Add proximity sensors to prevent collisions

Hardware

Robot Buggy

• RPI Zero W
• SZDoit 4WD Smart Metal Robot Car Chassis Kit
• L298N Motor Drive Controller Board
• LAMPVPATH (Pack of 2) 4 AA Battery Holder

Breadboard Controller

• RPI 4 (4GB Model)
• REXQualis Electronics Component Fun Kit