Building the MonkMakes Raspberry Pi Robot Kit

The latest product from MonkMakes is a robot kit that I have designed using the RaspiRobot Board v2 (RRB2). The kit is available from MonkMakes.

Overview

The kit comprises:
* a robot chassis, including two gearmotors and a 6 x AA battery holder.
* a RaspiRobot Board v2 (RRB2) that plugs onto the Raspberry Pi and controls the motors, as well as providing power to the Raspberry Pi itself. It uses a switch-mode power supply that can provide the Pi with up to 2A of current. Plenty for a WiFi dongle, display and pretty much anything else that you might want to attach to the Raspberry Pi.
* a HC-SR-04 Ultrasonic rangefinder
Building the MonkMakes Raspberry Pi Robot Kit
Construction

Building the robot is in three phases, first assemble the robot chassis, then fit the Raspberry Pi ad wire things up and finally install the software onto the Raspberry Pi.

Step 1. Check the Packing List

Note the bolts for the chassis come in three sizes. Lets call them short, medium and long. The short and long bolts take the same sized nuts. The middle bolts, used to attach the Raspberry Pi to the Chassis take smaller M2.5 nuts.

Chassis
1 x Laser cut robot platform
2 x Germotors
2 x Wheels
1 x Castor
8 x Short (8mm) bolts for attaching gearmotor assemblies and castor
4 x Brass spacers (10mm) for attaching the castor
8 x Nuts to fit short bolts and long bolts
2 x Medium (12mm) M2.5 bolts to attach the Raspberry Pi to the chassis
2 x Nuts to fit Medium bolts
4 x Long (30mm) bolts to make gearmotor assemblies
2 x Metal plates for fitting the gearmotors

Other
1 x RaspiRobot Board v2
1 x HC-SR-04 Ultrsonic Range Finder
1 x Battery holder for 6 x AA batteries
2 x Self-adhesive Velcro(TM) pads

Step 2. Peel the protective paper layer of the acrylic plastic chassis

The chassis is laser-cut plastic and has a protective layer of paper on both sides. Peel this off.

Step 3. Attach the Castor

Push a small bolt through each of the four holes on the castor and fit a nut behind it. Tighten the nut with pliers, holding the bolt in position with a screw driver. Then fit the remainder of the bolt onto the spacer and tighten up.

Step 4. Attach the Gearmotors

Each of the two gearmotors needs a metal plate attached to it using the long bolts and nuts. One edge of the plate has threaded holes in it which will be used to bolt the motor to the chassis. Make sure that the holes are positioned as shown below so that the motors will fit the same way arround to the chassis.

Now, you can attach the gearmotors to the chassis, with the motor end of the gearmotor towards the castor, as shown below. You can also attach the wheels now.
Be careful not to tighten up the screws too much or you will crack the acrylic chassis.

Building the MonkMakes Raspberry Pi Robot Kit

Step 5.  Attach the Raspberry Pi

Use the two thinner “medium” bolts and nuts to attach the Raspberry Pi to the chassis. Put the bolts through the two holes on the Raspberry Pi board (note that the original revision 1 boards do not have mounting holes and the Pi will have to be attached in some other way.

With the bolts in place position the Raspberry Pi on the top side of the chassis at the opposite end of the board from the castor. Place one bolt through the wide center slot at the edge of the board and the other bolt near the middle of the board will find another hole in the chassis.

Step 6. Attach the Battery Box

The battery box is attached to the chassis using self-adhesive velcro pads.
First, stick the ‘hook' part of the velcro to the bottom of the battery box in roughly the positions shown below:

Next, peel the other half of the pads off their backing paper and place them onto the parts already attached to the battery box with the adhesive side up.

 

For more detail: Building the MonkMakes Raspberry Pi Robot Kit


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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