This review is from: Smart Video Car Kit for Raspberry Pi with Android App, Compatible with RPi 3, 2 and RPi 1 Model B+ (Pi Not Included) (Wireless Phone Accessory)
Summary ————-
Pros – Kid you not, I’ve had my Raspberry Pi B+ and (2) li-ion 18650 batteries lying around doing nothing, so this is an awesome application of both. Great teaching tool for the technically minded to pass on the legacy to their children. Came with all hardware with extra screws & nuts.
Cons – Shoddy quality in some areas. Paper / PDF documentation missing critical steps. Edit — Discovered Sunfounder has full videos for assembly and software setup on YouTube. Just search for product name and company for 4 videos. I didn’t need them but I’m sure others will. Minus another star for the ease of removal of the clip — two years later, I wish I kept the clip as the tape has long since fallen off and I’ve had to reapply a couple of times.
Before you start ———————
Read the manual from start to end in PDF format with my child to make we knew what we were getting into. If you don’t understand sections — learn it before you buy this — the forums are very sparse and nobody will take the time to teach you what you can learn from a bit of research on the Internet.
This project will take 3-4 hours for assembly and if starting from scratch with a new Raspberry Pi, likely another 2-4 hours for software setup.
Assembly ————-
I took inventory and made sure I had all the parts. Every single screw and nut had +2 pieces than needed, kudos to the manufacturer for that – +1 star. While there is an included screwdriver in the kit, you’ll also need a PH00 phillips head screwdriver for the M1.25*5 head and needle nose pliers for where the wrench doesn’t fit.
Getting the paper backing off the acrylic took more effort than needed, likely due to old sheets of acrylic used at the factory. Tweezers didn’t work so I had to soak the pieces in warm water before removal.
Assembly required constant review of the manual to ensure the right pieces were placed in the right spots and flipping through the manual to ensure the wires were facing the right way. Due to careful observation I didn’t have to do any re-work and remove any part to change orientation. My hands are small and I needed to use pliers because the spaces are tight.
While using the M1.25*5 screws for camera servo setup,, I managed to have one perfect install with all 4 screws intact and one rocker arm where the screw heads torqued off and broken in the acrylic as they’re really soft and cheap metal. I used the extras to compensate but only wound up with two fully screwed in. Used the perfect component for vertical movement since gravity is more of a challenge and the botched install for lateral. No problems so far – edit a month later…
The clip on the camera came off when attempting to squeeze the camera into the slot. I was able to put the clip back together, but still wasn’t able to push the clip into position without the clip falling off. It was easier to ghetto rig it with cellophane tape.
The wiring colors are off on some components. Just use different colors than what he manual says and wire accordingly.
Software Installation —————————
I only realized this after install — you should start with the software section first until you get to calibration. The HDMI port is blocked on the car, so you’ll need to unmount it use video. Unless you have an existing Raspbian setup, you’ll need to install Raspbian and setup WiFi to connect to the Pi remotely, which is easier when connected to a keyboard, monitor and wired network connection.
Since I had Raspbian already via wired network, it took about 15 minutes of disassembly to get it connected back to my computer and 30 minutes of google-fu to enable wireless for my my hidden SSID.
It took another 15 minutes to get the software up and running on the Pi. Had to find a forum post to complete the i2c installation as there are obvious missing steps when the sunfounder forum itself refers to Adafruit pages. FYI — your Pi is the server and the client is your remote PC.
My first day ——————————-
I’ve been playing with this for a 12 to 18 hours now and the servo motors aren’t exact enough to drive in a straight line and needs constant re-adjustments. I suppose I’m used to rack & pinion steering. Originally my dc motor driver leads kept falling out, causing all sorts of power instabilities, but I torqued the heck out of it to make sure it didn’t any longer and servo & motor stability increased.
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This review is from: Smart Video Car Kit for Raspberry Pi with Android App, Compatible with RPi 3, 2 and RPi 1 Model B+ (Pi Not Included) (Wireless Phone Accessory)
This is the most fun project I have found for the Raspberry pi. I bought is for a grandson (16 year old boy) and may have to order another for myself. The setup instructions are complex but well documented – probably not suitable for a younger person without help from a Java/Python/Unix savy adult. Friends of mine (other Raspberry Pi hackers, also retired and still fascinated with this fun project) are also getting one for grandchildren and perhaps themselves. Great fun for the price.
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This review is from: Smart Video Car Kit for Raspberry Pi with Android App, Compatible with RPi 3, 2 and RPi 1 Model B+ (Pi Not Included) (Wireless Phone Accessory)
This kit has served me well as a base for my radiation topology robot building adventure. Currently in the process of completely rebuilding it with 3D printed structures as the steering is loose, and the access to the hdmi port is impossible without taking screws out, pulling the board off, checking what’s going on, then putting it back together to drive around again, etc, etc. I am happy I bought it as it provided a basis to start building off of and prototyping with. Boards and sensors are easily stack-able (although this makes the before mentioned access issue even worse). Control over wifi is seriously laggy, ~1-3 seconds behind, so installed some ultrasonic rangers to prevent collisions. If you’re looking for an RC car, definitely not this one, but as something to toy with to learn the code for motion and prototyping something, solid choice.
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From start to finish – the full journey – 4.5 stars,
————-
Pros – Kid you not, I’ve had my Raspberry Pi B+ and (2) li-ion 18650 batteries lying around doing nothing, so this is an awesome application of both. Great teaching tool for the technically minded to pass on the legacy to their children. Came with all hardware with extra screws & nuts.
Cons – Shoddy quality in some areas. Paper / PDF documentation missing critical steps. Edit — Discovered Sunfounder has full videos for assembly and software setup on YouTube. Just search for product name and company for 4 videos. I didn’t need them but I’m sure others will. Minus another star for the ease of removal of the clip — two years later, I wish I kept the clip as the tape has long since fallen off and I’ve had to reapply a couple of times.
Before you start
———————
Read the manual from start to end in PDF format with my child to make we knew what we were getting into. If you don’t understand sections — learn it before you buy this — the forums are very sparse and nobody will take the time to teach you what you can learn from a bit of research on the Internet.
This project will take 3-4 hours for assembly and if starting from scratch with a new Raspberry Pi, likely another 2-4 hours for software setup.
Assembly
————-
I took inventory and made sure I had all the parts. Every single screw and nut had +2 pieces than needed, kudos to the manufacturer for that – +1 star. While there is an included screwdriver in the kit, you’ll also need a PH00 phillips head screwdriver for the M1.25*5 head and needle nose pliers for where the wrench doesn’t fit.
Getting the paper backing off the acrylic took more effort than needed, likely due to old sheets of acrylic used at the factory. Tweezers didn’t work so I had to soak the pieces in warm water before removal.
Assembly required constant review of the manual to ensure the right pieces were placed in the right spots and flipping through the manual to ensure the wires were facing the right way. Due to careful observation I didn’t have to do any re-work and remove any part to change orientation. My hands are small and I needed to use pliers because the spaces are tight.
While using the M1.25*5 screws for camera servo setup,, I managed to have one perfect install with all 4 screws intact and one rocker arm where the screw heads torqued off and broken in the acrylic as they’re really soft and cheap metal. I used the extras to compensate but only wound up with two fully screwed in. Used the perfect component for vertical movement since gravity is more of a challenge and the botched install for lateral. No problems so far – edit a month later…
The clip on the camera came off when attempting to squeeze the camera into the slot. I was able to put the clip back together, but still wasn’t able to push the clip into position without the clip falling off. It was easier to ghetto rig it with cellophane tape.
The wiring colors are off on some components. Just use different colors than what he manual says and wire accordingly.
Software Installation
—————————
I only realized this after install — you should start with the software section first until you get to calibration. The HDMI port is blocked on the car, so you’ll need to unmount it use video. Unless you have an existing Raspbian setup, you’ll need to install Raspbian and setup WiFi to connect to the Pi remotely, which is easier when connected to a keyboard, monitor and wired network connection.
Since I had Raspbian already via wired network, it took about 15 minutes of disassembly to get it connected back to my computer and 30 minutes of google-fu to enable wireless for my my hidden SSID.
It took another 15 minutes to get the software up and running on the Pi. Had to find a forum post to complete the i2c installation as there are obvious missing steps when the sunfounder forum itself refers to Adafruit pages. FYI — your Pi is the server and the client is your remote PC.
My first day
——————————-
I’ve been playing with this for a 12 to 18 hours now and the servo motors aren’t exact enough to drive in a straight line and needs constant re-adjustments. I suppose I’m used to rack & pinion steering. Originally my dc motor driver leads kept falling out, causing all sorts of power instabilities, but I torqued the heck out of it to make sure it didn’t any longer and servo & motor stability increased.
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|This is the most fun project I have found for the Raspberry pi,
Was this review helpful to you?
|Good base for prototyping a moving sensor base,
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|