Want to enter Pi Wars but don’t know where to start? Got a problem with your robot you need to solve? Wondering how to tackle some of the challenges? Here are some resources to help you.
If you can think of any kits, resources or videos we haven’t listed, please leave a comment or contact us!
Basic Equipment and Know-how
For a basic robot that can enter Pi Wars, you need the following:
- A Raspberry Pi (any model will do)
- A way to communicate with your Raspberry Pi remotely. This can be using the Pi’s in-built Wi-Fi connectivity (if y you are using a Pi 3, 4 or Zero 2 W) or using a Wi-Fi dongle, for example.
- A chassis (something to attach everything to – a lot of kits come with a chassis, but you can make do with an ice cream tub or cardboard box!)
- Motors
- Wheels
- A power supply for the Raspberry Pi and a power supply for the motors. You shouldn’t run your motors off the Raspberry Pi’s pins, for technical reasons, but it is possible to get a motor controller board that will take in a power supply and split it between the Raspberry Pi and the motors. If you choose to supply power separately to the Pi and the motors, you will need something like a USB battery pack for the Pi that can give out at least 1A (if you’re using a Zero) and preferably 2.5A if you’re using a Pi 3.
- A motor controller board. There are several available, including the one that comes with CamJam EduKit 3. The Picocon from 4tronix is probably the cheapest out there. More advanced ones include the Thunderborg from PiBorg and the PiCon Zero from 4tronix. Alternatively, build your own driver with a chip.
- Wires or jumper cables to connect the controller board/circuit to the motors.
- Cable ties, scotch tape, gaffer tape, blu-tack (putty) (you need to affix everything to the chassis somehow!)
- Sensors
- to enter line follower challenges, you will need line following sensors or something like a Raspberry Pi camera module
- for vision challenges, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi camera module or Pixy camera.
- for other challenges, you may need an ultrasonic distance sensor.
- A controller of some sort (you could control your robot from a laptop keyboard, a tablet, a mobile phone, a Wii controller, a Bluetooth controller or something else!) The Pi Hut does a wireless controller which is very popular. Take a look at Brian Corteil’s excellent guide to remote control options.
GET STARTED WITH RASPBERRY PI – CHECK OUT THIS GREAT RESOURCE!
Many of you may be having trouble getting the Raspberry Pi set up. Here is a great guide to help! From the makers of the MagPi Official Raspberry Pi Magazine, this Get Starting with Raspberry Pi Free Download is ideal for beginners and contains everything you need to get started with Raspberry Pi.
