I love the way you speak and teach. You're not too slow, and not too fast. Your voice is very easy and effortless to follow and you always explain everything in good detail without being boring. :) Ty so much!
One (or two) questions! How much did it matter which GPIO pins I use for L298N motor controller? If I want to connect more stuff on my PI at the same time, like LED matrix (4 pins plus ground if I remember correctly) and ultrasonic distance sensor HC-SR04, do I run out of GPIO pins which I can use? I'm still a bit lost with those ^__^ thanks in advance.
You can use any of the general GPIO inputs to connect to the motor controller -- look at about 5:36 in my GPIO Inputs video here ruclips.net/video/NAl-ULEattw/видео.html to see which pins they are (there is a diagram, lower screen). You will run out of available pins eventually, but not I think with the devices you list and running the L298N. :)
Mister Barnett, you do an excellent job of making the difficult to comprehend and making it quite easy too digest. You are a gifted instructor. Thank you for all of your videos.
I just discovered your channel via a comment in another channel. I am impressed a thousand fold with the presentation. I must say I wish I had you as an influence when growing up. I learned a lot from a single video (the previous one of this series) and it was my first one I have ever watched of yours. I have experimented with an Arduino, and own a kit. I was looking into the Pi as a friend said you can link them to hardware too using an IDE and special libraries, and was looking into chaining both. Had no idea how it worked as I do not own one yet. Now I need a Pi, badly! I will recommend you to anyone who wants to know more about it as you present well.
how can one person be so damn good at thinking from a noob's perspective? he basicly clears all the assumptions that have to be spoken out for my skill level.
Sir my twin children who are in 7th grade learned from your video regarding python coding. Now they are explaining to others. Do you like to see their video? There in no better tutorial in the whole of internet than yours until today
Chris, many thanks for taking the time to put this and the many other videos you have together. The RPi and good people such as yourself have helped rekindle a passion for technology I haven't really had since I purchased my Commodore 64 so many years ago.
Great vids. I just started programming Python recently. This has been a sleeping goal for way too long (over 10 years). I have found my first practical application with this series. Thanks.
You may appreciate a video I am posting on 12 June all about using GPIO pins as inputs. It is a quite a long video and features a ton of Python coding that builds on what is in this video.
Thanks for this, just started studying Computer Science Artificial Intelligence in Robotics and this video got me interested in order a Pi and some components to start toying around with in my spare time!
im really enjoying your vidoes they are fairly clear and quite easy to understand, especially for someone young like me. ive showed my friends who are also 12 (like me) and are also enjoying your tutorials. Saving up for a raspbery pi CANT WAIT
Wow! What a nice simple yet in depth discussion on robotics! It makes me wonder why it took so long for a company like Raspberry to immerge? The combination of the demonstration and the code has been a real treat. Thank you Chris for all you do and I look forward to the next generation of Pi and your next video! Moonpie
Great video and tutorial. Very easy to follow. For anyone watching this video and building along with it please be aware of your hardware. In this video the presenter is using an older RPi with only 26 GPIO pins. The RPi 2 model b and the newer RPi 3 b and b+ broads have 40 GPIO pins. I had to change pin 7 to pin 12 for code to work properly for me. pin 7 was in an on state after boot on my board. You can see the state of each pin after boot from terminal ~$ gpio readall. I learned this the hard way. On my board some gpio pins are in an "on" "up" state. As stated above when looking at my table after running ~$ gpio readall bcm: 4, wPi: 7, name: gpio. 7, mode: in, v: 1, was causing issues for my code. I change to pin 12, gpio. 1 (v: 0, this was key for me) and code executed fine. There are ways to test your gpio's for failure as well. one being gpiotest. you will need the pigpio liabary installed. www.raspberrypi,org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=180505
Thanks for this. There is no need to change the code or to us other pins with a new Pi (and indeed in follow-up videos I use a 40 GPIO pin Pi Zero with the same code). I strongly suspect that some of the pins on your Pi are damaged, and hence in a constant "up" state.
I suspected this as well that i had damaged pins. I ran GPIOtest and they all passed. But I think your right, I think at least pin 7 for me is intermittently malfunctioning. I have a new RPi 3 b I just got over the weekend That I thought about testing. Anyways I think your videos are great for learning and fun builds. I am on zumo video 4 setting up ssh. I have a tank chassis that I am going to build following your other videos. I found a 5 in touch screen for the pi that runs off usb and hdmi and doesn't interfere with the gpio pins. I want to use this so I can lunch the code directly on the robot and expand its portability. I have question when using "curses", is there a way to only have the motors turn when holding down the directional keys and they stop when released?
Christopher - This was one well made video - crisp, concise and value added - equally balanced for experts and novices. Thanks a bunch for helping me understand quite a bit about Raspberry Pi and how it can be applied! Keep doing this great work!
Like those who posted before me - love the quality of the video and the presentation. Please do more! I would especially like more on the Zumo robot using a battery pack, WiFi connection, and then some input (camera, sonar, whatever).
Great videos! The video quality is phenomenal and you're straight to the point every time. If you do happen to try mounting everything on the motor body, please upload a video. Everyone's looking forward to that!
Very good video. I have a question. Could I use any RC car (buy one) and put the Raspberry to control and sensors? RC with any voltage as: 4.5V, 6V, 12V? Thank you.
Yes, you could indeed use a Pi and an L298N to do just that. See also my follow-up videos, and info on this page: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html
Good morning I'm a beginner , you make your videos so interesting, your are a fantastic teacher the way you speak and present your videos so easy to understand, my question is can you use 2 controllers without causing harm to the PI, I await your answer, thanks
I do not want to advertise so I won't put any links, but a lot of Pololu gear can be purchased from China (actual suppliers of Pololu) for a fraction of the price. My motors had arrived and I'm 99% sure they are the same thing.
Thanks for Your great videos! I am german but your videos are worth to remember all the english lessons at school 😃 I really would appreciate more robotics videos with the Zumo! May be You could give him some sensors? Thanks in advance!
Excellent explanation, so straightforward! I was wondering if you could explain how to control 4 motors independently of each other (like for a drone or the Rimac sports car) instead of having just two motors. Also, would the Raspberry Pi have enough computing power to receive inputs (other than positive & negative acceleration, and direction) and do calculations upon them? I would very much like to increase the capabilities of a kit I have for a 4 motor robot, but both motors of each side are connected to the same output of a L298 thus acting as one motor on each side. Thank you in advance!
I tried rebuilding it and powered the L298N with a nine-volt battery. After some seconds the motor's speeds tremendously decreased and the battery got pretty warm (not hot). What is the problem here and how do I fix it?
Now that I am retired, I'm ready to have fun with computers. I purchased my first Pi, a 3 B, last month. It is now portable with a 7" touch screen, fitted case, camera, and RPi PowerPack V1. 2. You have inspired me to experiment with robotics. I have watched all three of your Zomo Robot videos, several times. Now I am ordering parts. This brings me to my first question. The label on the motors you purchased appears to define the ratio as 286:1. Yet I cannot find these motors at your suggested sourse, or any of the other sourses I tried. Would you be so kind as to suggest another ratio and perhaps provide a video on the relationship of motor ratios to performance, given the controller used. Thank you very much for sharing so much valuable information in your videos. Best regards.
Thank goodness for this video. At last I realise I dont have to be a complete NERD to understand what is happening without being overwelmed with technical talk.
+Videogame hacks Yes, everything here that does not require a Pi 2 will work on the Zero, although you would need to solder on some GPIO pins to do the robotics stuff, and also use a combined keyboard/mouse device -- or a USB hub -- as the Pi Zero has only one USB port.
I tried building this exact thing. The first program works fine. When I try to run the second program my other motor doesn't run. Can you suggest why might this happen?
Thanks once again for another inspiring vid. Presumably one could mimic a stepper motor depending on the resolution of the time function in IDLE? I had in mind to control the spindle on a variable (butterfly/air) tuning capacitor robbed from an old radio, to be used in loop antennae etc., so the tuner could be remotely controlled. These tuners don't rotate 360° so I guess some canny coding will be required so no attempt is made to rotate the motor out of range.
It would be hard to mimic a stepper motor as yu suggest. A Pi can also be used to control servos though (and stepper motors). I did a video on servo motor control with a Pi quite recently: ruclips.net/video/xHDT4CwjUQE/видео.html
I already have a Raspberry Pi and I've ordered a Runt Rover frame (the Whippersnapper). I want a Zumo as well, but they seem to only sell them now as Arduino bots. Maybe I should double check. Anyway, the new Zumo 32U4 looks awesome you should check them out Chris! I'll totally do your LED tutorial.
I followed the link on your site to find the proper motor and it looks like you chose the 297.92:1, 360mA, without the extended shaft. It runs at 45 RPM and is 24x10x12mm. The higher power version with a 986.41:1, 1600mA runs at 32 RPM and costs the same. However it's 27.5mm long instead of 24mm. Will it still fit that chassis?
Fantastic video! I want to do the same project except using the Tamiya tracked chassis with dual motor gearbox. I made Tamiya tracked kit radio controlled a year or so ago but of course, that’s not a true robot.
hi, i wanna ask if raspberry pi can get input from its camera? bcoz i wanna make a simple robotics with raspberry pi that can be control using hand gesture recognition.
. I plan to purchase same robot, ZUmo or other same SIZED. WOULD a Pi ZERO W suffice? (I understand I need to put them on top for autonomous movement) .
Hello! I have a question. Does it matter which way the motor are placed? Like, if you switch the motors around, will it affect the program? Or will it be fixed via some programming?
Thanks for the great tutorial. The front wheels, are they supposed to be quite stuck relative to the back wheels? I haven´t connected them to the board yet, but I am not able to move them by hand. Guess this is how it should be right? Thx
Yes, this sounds right. The front wheels are connected to the gearboxes and motors; the back just spin on their axels (until the tracks are put on). Good Luck! I hope soon to make two follow-up videos to this one . . .
I don't think the motors are slipping, I think its because one motor is starting before the other. Since python is an interpreted language, going top to bottom, it activates one motor, then immediately afterwards the next motor.
Fantastic video as always. I would love to see you develop this further as you said in your video with a camera and possibly wifi controls. Wishing you the best of luck with your videos and future Pi projects.
Hi! I love your video! But I do have a question. Is there a specific reason why you chose pins 7,11,13, and 15 (GPIO 4, 17, 27, 22 respectively)? Can I use other GPIO instead? Asking because I am try to control 4 individual wheels (using two L298N). So I am trying to figure out which GPIO pins are safe for me to use. Thanks!
hi christopher great project in fact i was so interested i bought a very cheap crab kingdom chassis and used your code and instructions works great am going to add line follower and echo location at some point and maybe even a robot arm keep up the good work
Excellent -- thanks for letting me know about your success! :) This is what RUclips is all about. Note that I have various follow-up videos, including a line follower: ruclips.net/video/Z5_8Va8QxnY/видео.html
So how exactly do we connect the ENa and ENb pins if the two jumpers aren't there? I have just connected them to pins on the Pi. How should I code them if I did this?
You are a GOD!!!!!! Thank tou so much!! 2021 and still nobody has a better tutorial. Of course now we are on Python 3.7 but still. The principles are the same!!
using this method of drawing a shapes with straight edges. How could I extend it to make my Raspberry pi go round in a circle of given radius "x"or any other curved shapes such as a rose "r = (a)sin(bx)" (Polar Coordinates)?
hi there, i tried this but with a different controller board (with no 5v enable) and firstly when i try to run the python script it says an error due to the gpio's then as i am powering the RPi with a usb, then the modules with an external battery, i connect ONLY the ground to the gpio's and not the VCC (as there is no 5v enable) and when i do this even if the +5v VCC is OFF the module faintly emits light as if the ground pin is powering it? any help please. thanks Regards, Aran
Hello Everything works ok when powered from 230 V mains but with the power of the battery (robot controlled remotely via wifi). I had to change the pin 7 to 12. Pin 7 ( power from baterii) gives then still 3.3V. Raspberry B+.
Thanks for the videos. If I want to build a complex robot or for home automation that’s need more than 100 input and output signals, is it possible to do that with raspberry? Is raspberry giop expandable?
If you have everything besides the motor controller, is it still possible to have a working robot? Or do you need the controller? I'm really new to this, it kind of looks like the motor controller simply reroutes the wires. Could someone enlighten me?
+McVp You need the motor controller for two reasons. Firstly, a Raspberry Pi cannot power a motor -- try and pull that much power through the GPIO pins, and you Pi will rapidly burn out. Secondly, the motor controller permits the clever trick of enabling the motors to run in either direction according to an input logic state provided by the Pi. So in this sense, the controller is able to not just turn on and off the power to the wires, but also exchange them between the two motor terminals as required. :)
Hey. In this video you use only two settings for your LEDs and motors, on and off, true or false. Is there some way not only to control wether there is any current flowing, but how much?? I'm a complete amateur but would like to give robotics a try and was thinking about building a drone/quadcopter. This would of course require me being able to control the power output of the motors. Can you use the raspberry for this?? Thanks in advance.
Could you make an example code in python 3.4.2 where you control leds by pressing keys on the keyboard? An example would you press a on the keyboard and a led turns on. You let go of the key and it turns off.
Hello sir can you pls help me to my project .. i want to build a solar tracker using raspberry pi .. can pls make a tuitorial about ldr sensor and dc motor . Thank you
sir, how to make it move about 100 cm straight? how to calculate the time for which the motor must be in on state?....... I will be waiting for the answer.
Hey Chris. My Whippersnapper came in and I'm trying to get my head around how to begin. With 4 motors, will I need 2 bridge modules or is there another component I should look for? Any ideas?
Hi, there are motor controller boards with 4 motor slots. If you want to use the same speed for the left motors and the same speed for the right motors (which allows you to do all maneuvers), the L298N is sufficient, you can connect 2 motors in 1 slot.
I tried to implement the project using an external power supply instead of the battery. L298N comes on but raspberry no. The power supply delivers 9V max 1.2A. Is it a problem of amps?
Possibly, depending on what Pi you are using. Also, you will need to set the jumper to get 5V for your Pi via the L298N -- I power this setup via batteries (6xAA) in this video: ruclips.net/video/DyQxvfwQbTg/видео.html
This is a stupid question but what exactly does the motor control board do? Could you set up the motors to a bread board, add resistors and control the output the same way. I know additional power is required from the batteries but assuming power wasn't an issue would it be possible?
+zuber1995 You need the motor controller to (a) allow you run them in both directions, and (b) not blow up the Raspnberry Pi! :) The board cannot handle that much power.
It is a normal motor here. The key element is use of the motor controller -- the L298N. This can be hooked up to one or two motors, and then four control pins are fed signals to spin each forwards or backwards.
Ah, I see we corresonded before! :) If you have your motor connected to the L298N you should be able to turn it in either direction depending on what signals are being sent from the GPIO pins on the Pi. If things are not working, check your wiring and code.
Hey! Excellent video :D I have a question. Do you have some kind of solution to the motors to go straight and not to slip? Do you think is because of the L298N bridge?
As soon as i connected motor controller with battery, the motor starts running. Why? Using same components from vidoe with same setup of wiring just I am using 9v battery.
This will be because you have yet to execute any code -- the GPIO pins will be in a random state until you have executed the code to set up the pins, and so pull them down to an "off" state. You need to execute the code, then connect the power to the motor controller. If the Pi's own power is not turned on, this is due to the setting of a 5V enable jumper on your L298N -- see the "Important Note" on my page here: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html Or, see the videos and wiring on this page (based on the same setup): www.explainingcomputers.com/pi_devastator_videos.html
I have connected up just like the video suggests, with the rpi3 and battary pack unplug. Now I give the rpi3 power and connect the battery pack the motor starts moveing automaticly and does not stop.
Run the code (maybe with the battery pack unconnected), and let it finish (which will execute the GPIO cleanup command. Then try again. Also see the bottom of this page for info on different configurations: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html Good Luck!
Hi, I was wondering if you could help, I have wired my pi and l298n board up like you have in the video, but on starting the pi, the motor connected to pins 7 and 11 spins initially, then as the pi loads into the GUI/Cmdline its spinning constantly. I have swapped the connectors over, and it just seems to be happening on the GPIO 7 and 11 pins. I have tried it on my other raspberry Pi too, and it does the same. If I swap the pins, the opposite motor does the same, could it be a faulty L298n board?
RaspiAnt I got the same problem, but them I inplugged and plugged again the jumpers and everything worked fine ! Really weird, in my case on wheel was turned on constantly.
how can yoiu make it wirless? also are there any joysticks you can program to move robots? because i think with a joysticj it would be easier to program, but i am just a noob i dont know
Hey Chris its Mark , for the past week i have been struggling with the problem , of encryption in python programming language. Could you tell me, how to encrypt text with an offset , instead of a key word . Also where did you get the robotics used in this video , and what real life applications does this have , apart from having fun with computing , and education. I consider my self obsessed with computing in the sense of (i do an hour of programming or using my WiFi adapter on the raspberry pi to program a lamp serve or reading about computing hardware) . I am trying to create a computer booking system for a school , could you recommend a way to connect my raspberry pi , to my computer , so i can program on it remotely , and could you possibly do a video on that .Thank you for the video on windows ten technical preview , it was really helpful
Mark Blake Hi Mark. It sounds like you do a lot more Python programming than I currently do. Many years ago I used to program a lot (mainly Z80 assembler), though today so many things compete for my time. So I can't tell you about Python encryption I'm afraid. The Zump parts come from Pololu, who make loads of great robotics stuff. Real world apps I guess are anything involving the computer control of physical stuff, and as the Internet of Things grows, this may become most mechanical things -- including 3D printers. So the Pi is a great learning tool. A video on accessing it remotely is certainly on my (long) list.
hi another question, can you only use 1 motor as I have everything setup but it is not working. I'm wondering whether it is becuase I'm only using 1 motor?
One motor can only drive one of the tracks. If you want to be able to drive something backwards and forwards, and to turn in either direction, then you will need two motors.
Excellent video - love your tutorials. Dumb question for you - how do you have 4 GPIO controlling just 2 motors? I would have thought each motor would use 1 GPIO (out) and 1 GND? Or have you wired these up differently?
+Average Man vs Pi Each GPIO output controls one motor state. The GPIO pins are not supplying power to the motors; they are telling a controller how to supply power to them (ie to make them turn forwards or backwards).
Hi Chris, thanks for all the great videos. I am just getting started and I have the motors, the L298N and the Pi wired up. As soon as I connect the battery pack to the the L298N the motors start to spin. Is that expected? At this point the Pi is not running. Oh, and if I unplug the Pi the motors stop. Any assistance would be appreciated.
This is normal -- until the Pi has booted and set GPIO levels, the motor controller will have its outputs in a random state. Hence one or other or both motors may spin. So only connect power to the motors when the Pi is up and running the code. See my recent "Raspberry Pi Devastor Robot #2" video for more on this issue.
Just so everyone knows. The motor controller 5v pin is an output pin. This is not for bringing 5v into the motor controller but for sending 5v out like powering the pi with the output. No need for his usb battery pack. He could have just run the 5v out to the 5v pin on the pi and it would have worked.
Hi, very cool tutorial! I have a Pi Model 3 B and am hoping to do a project like this one. I don't want to have it continuously plugged into the wall, but from a battery. My problem is that I fear that either the battery pack will just be too big to be portable or that either they will be too expensive. I wish I would have gotten a Pi Zero W as I have now realised that they seem to be better with these kind of projects. How would I go about doing it with a pi model 3 b? Thank you.
Everything here will work fine with a Pi 3 B! It will use more power than a Pi Zero, but will still work fine off a battery back. See this video for how it may work: ruclips.net/video/XvOONPSoglY/видео.html and this video for running everything off a set of AA cells: ruclips.net/video/j6mglfhWZrQ/видео.html Good Luck!
The power bank I used to run the Pi is I think 2100mA, and this will run a Pi Zero for a good 5-6 hours. So it should run a Pi 3 for a good two hours or so. The issue with bigger batteries -- aside from the cost! -- is the extra weight on the robot.
trust me you can't find any better tutorial on getting into robotics with pi all across youtube till this date
Many thanks. :)
Till now😊
I agree it’s so difficult for my class project, kind of really sucks!!
@@muhammedshareef2611 yeah
I hope you will do some more robotics. Your presentations are so clear.
Robert pendergast r
I love the way you speak and teach. You're not too slow, and not too fast. Your voice is very easy and effortless to follow and you always explain everything in good detail without being boring. :) Ty so much!
One (or two) questions! How much did it matter which GPIO pins I use for L298N motor controller?
If I want to connect more stuff on my PI at the same time, like LED matrix (4 pins plus ground if I remember correctly) and ultrasonic distance sensor HC-SR04, do I run out of GPIO pins which I can use? I'm still a bit lost with those ^__^
thanks in advance.
You can use any of the general GPIO inputs to connect to the motor controller -- look at about 5:36 in my GPIO Inputs video here ruclips.net/video/NAl-ULEattw/видео.html to see which pins they are (there is a diagram, lower screen). You will run out of available pins eventually, but not I think with the devices you list and running the L298N. :)
Mister Barnett, you do an excellent job of making the difficult to comprehend and making it quite easy too digest. You are a gifted instructor. Thank you for all of your videos.
Many thanks.
you are the only coherent youtuber explaining how to use a raspberry pi. actual god
I just discovered your channel via a comment in another channel. I am impressed a thousand fold with the presentation. I must say I wish I had you as an influence when growing up. I learned a lot from a single video (the previous one of this series) and it was my first one I have ever watched of yours. I have experimented with an Arduino, and own a kit. I was looking into the Pi as a friend said you can link them to hardware too using an IDE and special libraries, and was looking into chaining both. Had no idea how it worked as I do not own one yet. Now I need a Pi, badly! I will recommend you to anyone who wants to know more about it as you present well.
Thanks for your kind and positive feedback. :)
how can one person be so damn good at thinking from a noob's perspective? he basicly clears all the assumptions that have to be spoken out for my skill level.
Best Robotics and Python tutorials ever created!
Wow, thanks!
Invaluable videos. Learning what you learn in one of these videos would take you days and weeks of reading!
Sir my twin children who are in 7th grade learned from your video regarding python coding. Now they are explaining to others. Do you like to see their video? There in no better tutorial in the whole of internet than yours until today
Chris, many thanks for taking the time to put this and the many other videos you have together. The RPi and good people such as yourself have helped rekindle a passion for technology I haven't really had since I purchased my Commodore 64 so many years ago.
Great vids. I just started programming Python recently. This has been a sleeping goal for way too long (over 10 years). I have found my first practical application with this series. Thanks.
You may appreciate a video I am posting on 12 June all about using GPIO pins as inputs. It is a quite a long video and features a ton of Python coding that builds on what is in this video.
Thanks for this, just started studying Computer Science Artificial Intelligence in Robotics and this video got me interested in order a Pi and some components to start toying around with in my spare time!
im really enjoying your vidoes they are fairly clear and quite easy to understand, especially for someone young like me. ive showed my friends who are also 12 (like me) and are also enjoying your tutorials. Saving up for a raspbery pi CANT WAIT
I hope you are still making these tutorials sir. You are such a great instructor. Thanks you very much.
I post a new video every Sunday. :)
Excellent tutorial. Certainly one of the better ones I've seen on the Pi and motor controller boards.
What an amazingly fun video! Thanks for that! Your presentation and production value is what makes it. Keep it up please!
Many thanks! There will be more videos. :)
Angelo G.
Wow! What a nice simple yet in depth discussion on robotics! It makes me wonder why it took so long for a company like Raspberry to immerge? The combination of the demonstration and the code has been a real treat. Thank you Chris for all you do and I look forward to the next generation of Pi and your next video!
Moonpie
Great video and tutorial. Very easy to follow. For anyone watching this video and building along with it please be aware of your hardware. In this video the presenter is using an older RPi with only 26 GPIO pins. The RPi 2 model b and the newer RPi 3 b and b+ broads have 40 GPIO pins. I had to change pin 7 to pin 12 for code to work properly for me. pin 7 was in an on state after boot on my board. You can see the state of each pin after boot from terminal ~$ gpio readall. I learned this the hard way. On my board some gpio pins are in an "on" "up" state. As stated above when looking at my table after running ~$ gpio readall bcm: 4, wPi: 7, name: gpio. 7, mode: in, v: 1, was causing issues for my code. I change to pin 12, gpio. 1 (v: 0, this was key for me) and code executed fine. There are ways to test your gpio's for failure as well. one being gpiotest. you will need the pigpio liabary installed. www.raspberrypi,org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=180505
Thanks for this. There is no need to change the code or to us other pins with a new Pi (and indeed in follow-up videos I use a 40 GPIO pin Pi Zero with the same code). I strongly suspect that some of the pins on your Pi are damaged, and hence in a constant "up" state.
I suspected this as well that i had damaged pins. I ran GPIOtest and they all passed. But I think your right, I think at least pin 7 for me is intermittently malfunctioning. I have a new RPi 3 b I just got over the weekend That I thought about testing. Anyways I think your videos are great for learning and fun builds.
I am on zumo video 4 setting up ssh. I have a tank chassis that I am going to build following your other videos. I found a 5 in touch screen for the pi that runs off usb and hdmi and doesn't interfere with the gpio pins. I want to use this so I can lunch the code directly on the robot and expand its portability. I have question when using "curses", is there a way to only have the motors turn when holding down the directional keys and they stop when released?
Christopher - This was one well made video - crisp, concise and value added - equally balanced for experts and novices. Thanks a bunch for helping me understand quite a bit about Raspberry Pi and how it can be applied! Keep doing this great work!
urs are the most least confusing videos and the explanation is pretty good.hope to see the next video pretty soon.
Like those who posted before me - love the quality of the video and the presentation. Please do more! I would especially like more on the Zumo robot using a battery pack, WiFi connection, and then some input (camera, sonar, whatever).
Great videos! The video quality is phenomenal and you're straight to the point every time. If you do happen to try mounting everything on the motor body, please upload a video. Everyone's looking forward to that!
Very good video. I have a question. Could I use any RC car (buy one) and put the Raspberry to control and sensors? RC with any voltage as: 4.5V, 6V, 12V? Thank you.
Yes, you could indeed use a Pi and an L298N to do just that. See also my follow-up videos, and info on this page: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html
ExplainingComputers thank you. I will see and try. I saw your video and I’m very excited to do that with a cheap RC car that I bought at Argos.
Good morning I'm a beginner , you make your videos so interesting, your are a fantastic teacher the way you speak and present your videos so easy to understand, my question is can you use 2 controllers without causing harm to the PI, I await your answer, thanks
Yes, you could use 2 -- or more! -- controllers. There are plenty of GPIO pins to drive them. :)
Thanks for the info I shall proceed with my new project
I really enjoy your videos. Very clear and entertaining. Thank you!
Thanks.
Great video, it's like listening to Michael Caine's Alfred talk to Batman.
Well paced, straight to the point.
Awesome video.
I do not want to advertise so I won't put any links, but a lot of Pololu gear can be purchased from China (actual suppliers of Pololu) for a fraction of the price. My motors had arrived and I'm 99% sure they are the same thing.
can you tell me which shops you mean pls?
same here, i already everything on china...i buy on aliexpress.
Thanks for Your great videos! I am german but your videos are worth to remember all the english lessons at school 😃
I really would appreciate more robotics videos with the Zumo! May be You could give him some sensors? Thanks in advance!
Excellent explanation, so straightforward!
I was wondering if you could explain how to control 4 motors independently of each other (like for a drone or the Rimac sports car) instead of having just two motors.
Also, would the Raspberry Pi have enough computing power to receive inputs (other than positive & negative acceleration, and direction) and do calculations upon them? I would very much like to increase the capabilities of a kit I have for a 4 motor robot, but both motors of each side are connected to the same output of a L298 thus acting as one motor on each side.
Thank you in advance!
I tried rebuilding it and powered the L298N with a nine-volt battery. After some seconds the motor's speeds tremendously decreased and the battery got pretty warm (not hot). What is the problem here and how do I fix it?
Hi, I have a question: Can this cool little robot be controlled using the Robot Operating System ?
Now that I am retired, I'm ready to have fun with computers. I purchased my first Pi, a 3 B, last month. It is now portable with a 7" touch screen, fitted case, camera, and RPi PowerPack V1. 2. You have inspired me to experiment with robotics. I have watched all three of your Zomo Robot videos, several times. Now I am ordering parts. This brings me to my first question. The label on the motors you purchased appears to define the ratio as 286:1. Yet I cannot find these motors at your suggested sourse, or any of the other sourses I tried. Would you be so kind as to suggest another ratio and perhaps provide a video on the relationship of motor ratios to performance, given the controller used. Thank you very much for sharing so much valuable information in your videos. Best regards.
Thank goodness for this video. At last I realise I dont have to be a complete NERD to understand what is happening without being overwelmed with technical talk.
@ExplainingComputers are the #2-56 screws and nuts supplied with the chassis the same size as M2 in the uk? Thanks for any help.
Ordered my Pi 2, can't wait to try this.
+Sam “OfficialNerdsUnite” Lauer Excellent! And by the time you have, I will hopefully have made the follow-up videos I have been planning for ages!
ExplainingComputers awesome I can't wait.
+ExplainingComputers Hey there, do these tutorials you are making also work on pi zero?
+Videogame hacks Yes, everything here that does not require a Pi 2 will work on the Zero, although you would need to solder on some GPIO pins to do the robotics stuff, and also use a combined keyboard/mouse device -- or a USB hub -- as the Pi Zero has only one USB port.
+ExplainingComputers ok, thanks!
I tried building this exact thing. The first program works fine. When I try to run the second program my other motor doesn't run. Can you suggest why might this happen?
Thanks once again for another inspiring vid. Presumably one could mimic a stepper motor depending on the resolution of the time function in IDLE? I had in mind to control the spindle on a variable (butterfly/air) tuning capacitor robbed from an old radio, to be used in loop antennae etc., so the tuner could be remotely controlled. These tuners don't rotate 360° so I guess some canny coding will be required so no attempt is made to rotate the motor out of range.
It would be hard to mimic a stepper motor as yu suggest. A Pi can also be used to control servos though (and stepper motors). I did a video on servo motor control with a Pi quite recently: ruclips.net/video/xHDT4CwjUQE/видео.html
@@ExplainingComputers Ah, thanks. I did miss that one. I shall go take a look.
Do you have the code available to the public? Would a L293d work instead of an L298N?
very nice tutorials, Love it
thank you for your kind
I already have a Raspberry Pi and I've ordered a Runt Rover frame (the Whippersnapper). I want a Zumo as well, but they seem to only sell them now as Arduino bots. Maybe I should double check. Anyway, the new Zumo 32U4 looks awesome you should check them out Chris! I'll totally do your LED tutorial.
I followed the link on your site to find the proper motor and it looks like you chose the 297.92:1, 360mA, without the extended shaft. It runs at 45 RPM and is 24x10x12mm. The higher power version with a 986.41:1, 1600mA runs at 32 RPM and costs the same. However it's 27.5mm long instead of 24mm. Will it still fit that chassis?
Terje Oseberg You are correct in what you state. :) As far as I am aware, the longer motor will fit the same chasis, but I have not tried it!
This Video is very interesting plus I like robotics and this video told me how to control their motors.
Fantastic video! I want to do the same project except using the Tamiya tracked chassis with dual motor gearbox. I made Tamiya tracked kit radio controlled a year or so ago but of course, that’s not a true robot.
Thanks -- do checkout follow-up videos in this series: eg ruclips.net/video/XvOONPSoglY/видео.html
you video lectures are so clear and very informative.......................
can you please share some book with me to learn raspberry pi ????
hi, i wanna ask if raspberry pi can get input from its camera? bcoz i wanna make a simple robotics with raspberry pi that can be control using hand gesture recognition.
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I plan to purchase same robot, ZUmo or other same SIZED. WOULD a Pi ZERO W suffice?
(I understand I need to put them on top for autonomous movement)
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Sir, Is it necessary to use an external battery set of 12V. Can't we use 5V pin from raspberry pi 4 (pin#2) to feed to L298N ?
Hello! I have a question. Does it matter which way the motor are placed? Like, if you switch the motors around, will it affect the program? Or will it be fixed via some programming?
Thanks for the great tutorial. The front wheels, are they supposed to be quite stuck relative to the back wheels? I haven´t connected them to the board yet, but I am not able to move them by hand. Guess this is how it should be right? Thx
Yes, this sounds right. The front wheels are connected to the gearboxes and motors; the back just spin on their axels (until the tracks are put on). Good Luck! I hope soon to make two follow-up videos to this one . . .
I don't think the motors are slipping, I think its because one motor is starting before the other. Since python is an interpreted language, going top to bottom, it activates one motor, then immediately afterwards the next motor.
I see your point, but the time difference will be extremely slight -- less than 1/1000th of a second.
Excellent video! Do you know how to control the speed of the controller via PWM? Also with two L289N controllers can you control the speed of all 4?
+Patrick Lacson I will return to Raspberry Pi robotics fairly soon . . .
+ExplainingComputers great! Desperately waiting for it.
Fantastic video as always. I would love to see you develop this further as you said in your video with a camera and possibly wifi controls. Wishing you the best of luck with your videos and future Pi projects.
+The Kount Taking this further is on my production list for early 2016. :)
Hi! I love your video!
But I do have a question. Is there a specific reason why you chose pins 7,11,13, and 15 (GPIO 4, 17, 27, 22 respectively)? Can I use other GPIO instead?
Asking because I am try to control 4 individual wheels (using two L298N). So I am trying to figure out which GPIO pins are safe for me to use.
Thanks!
for this box How much is it?
hi christopher great project in fact i was so interested i bought a very cheap crab kingdom chassis and used your code and instructions works great am going to add line follower and echo location at some point and maybe even a robot arm keep up the good work
Excellent -- thanks for letting me know about your success! :) This is what RUclips is all about. Note that I have various follow-up videos, including a line follower: ruclips.net/video/Z5_8Va8QxnY/видео.html
Thanks for the great videos. I really enjoy them. You are so clear and concise.
So how exactly do we connect the ENa and ENb pins if the two jumpers aren't there? I have just connected them to pins on the Pi. How should I code them if I did this?
please could you tell me which moters to buy are they 2 x Micro Metal Gearmotor (Extended back shaft) - 298:1 from pimoroni
You are a GOD!!!!!! Thank tou so much!! 2021 and still nobody has a better tutorial. Of course now we are on Python 3.7 but still. The principles are the same!!
Great Job! I loved these vídeos about raspberry robotics!
using this method of drawing a shapes with straight edges. How could I extend it to make my Raspberry pi go round in a circle of given radius "x"or any other curved shapes such as a rose "r = (a)sin(bx)" (Polar Coordinates)?
This is a very high quality video. I was very pleased to watch it fully, keep up the good work! :)
Many thanks. But can it possible to control speed of motors whith this set or just direction ? (sorry for my english)
hi there, i tried this but with a different controller board (with no 5v enable) and firstly when i try to run the python script it says an error due to the gpio's then as i am powering the RPi with a usb, then the modules with an external battery, i connect ONLY the ground to the gpio's and not the VCC (as there is no 5v enable) and when i do this even if the +5v VCC is OFF the module faintly emits light as if the ground pin is powering it? any help please. thanks
Regards,
Aran
Very professional and informative. Thanks from this end of the pond.
Hello Everything works ok when powered from 230 V mains but with the power of the battery (robot controlled remotely via wifi). I had to change the pin 7 to 12. Pin 7 ( power from baterii) gives then still 3.3V. Raspberry B+.
Thanks for clear and very interesting videos about Raspberry. I will wait new video.
Thanks for the videos. If I want to build a complex robot or for home automation that’s need more than 100 input and output signals, is it possible to do that with raspberry? Is raspberry giop expandable?
You would, I think, need to add microcontrollers (eg Arduino) for that. I've never come across expanded GPIO on a Pi.
If you have everything besides the motor controller, is it still possible to have a working robot? Or do you need the controller? I'm really new to this, it kind of looks like the motor controller simply reroutes the wires. Could someone enlighten me?
+McVp You need the motor controller for two reasons. Firstly, a Raspberry Pi cannot power a motor -- try and pull that much power through the GPIO pins, and you Pi will rapidly burn out. Secondly, the motor controller permits the clever trick of enabling the motors to run in either direction according to an input logic state provided by the Pi. So in this sense, the controller is able to not just turn on and off the power to the wires, but also exchange them between the two motor terminals as required. :)
thanks for sharing this with us u really inspire me to keep trying to accomplish my dream of becoming a computer engineer
Hey.
In this video you use only two settings for your LEDs and motors, on and off, true or false. Is there some way not only to control wether there is any current flowing, but how much?? I'm a complete amateur but would like to give robotics a try and was thinking about building a drone/quadcopter. This would of course require me being able to control the power output of the motors. Can you use the raspberry for this??
Thanks in advance.
+Edward Garemo You can, but not with the type of motor controller I use here. :)
Could you make an example code in python 3.4.2 where you control leds by pressing keys on the keyboard? An example would you press a on the keyboard and a led turns on. You let go of the key and it turns off.
Hello sir can you pls help me to my project .. i want to build a solar tracker using raspberry pi .. can pls make a tuitorial about ldr sensor and dc motor . Thank you
sir, how to make it move about 100 cm straight? how to calculate the time for which the motor must be in on state?....... I will be waiting for the answer.
Why don't you use PWM on the L298N's Enable pins to controll the motors speed?
Hey Chris. My Whippersnapper came in and I'm trying to get my head around how to begin. With 4 motors, will I need 2 bridge modules or is there another component I should look for? Any ideas?
Hi, there are motor controller boards with 4 motor slots. If you want to use the same speed for the left motors and the same speed for the right motors (which allows you to do all maneuvers), the L298N is sufficient, you can connect 2 motors in 1 slot.
help I'm trying to program a raspberry pi 3 using rc engines but I do not know how to use pygame to configure the ps3 command
I tried to implement the project using an external power supply instead of the battery. L298N comes on but raspberry no. The power supply delivers 9V max 1.2A. Is it a problem of amps?
Possibly, depending on what Pi you are using. Also, you will need to set the jumper to get 5V for your Pi via the L298N -- I power this setup via batteries (6xAA) in this video: ruclips.net/video/DyQxvfwQbTg/видео.html
This is a stupid question but what exactly does the motor control board do? Could you set up the motors to a bread board, add resistors and control the output the same way. I know additional power is required from the batteries but assuming power wasn't an issue would it be possible?
+zuber1995 You need the motor controller to (a) allow you run them in both directions, and (b) not blow up the Raspnberry Pi! :) The board cannot handle that much power.
What kind of motor is used above? Because you are able to spin motor in both directions. And I am using normal dc motor it spin only in one direction
It is a normal motor here. The key element is use of the motor controller -- the L298N. This can be hooked up to one or two motors, and then four control pins are fed signals to spin each forwards or backwards.
Ah, I see we corresonded before! :) If you have your motor connected to the L298N you should be able to turn it in either direction depending on what signals are being sent from the GPIO pins on the Pi. If things are not working, check your wiring and code.
Hey! Excellent video :D I have a question.
Do you have some kind of solution to the motors to go straight and not to slip?
Do you think is because of the L298N bridge?
Wao sir you're awesome at what you do.. Subscribed and waiting for next videos
Which battery pack did you use for the project?
As soon as i connected motor controller with battery, the motor starts running. Why?
Using same components from vidoe with same setup of wiring just I am using 9v battery.
This will be because you have yet to execute any code -- the GPIO pins will be in a random state until you have executed the code to set up the pins, and so pull them down to an "off" state. You need to execute the code, then connect the power to the motor controller. If the Pi's own power is not turned on, this is due to the setting of a 5V enable jumper on your L298N -- see the "Important Note" on my page here: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html Or, see the videos and wiring on this page (based on the same setup): www.explainingcomputers.com/pi_devastator_videos.html
@@ExplainingComputers
Really happy to see your fast response.. And thank you for your instant help.. 😍😍
I have connected up just like the video suggests, with the rpi3 and battary pack unplug. Now I give the rpi3 power and connect the battery pack the motor starts moveing automaticly and does not stop.
Run the code (maybe with the battery pack unconnected), and let it finish (which will execute the GPIO cleanup command. Then try again. Also see the bottom of this page for info on different configurations: www.explainingcomputers.com/rasp_pi_robotics.html Good Luck!
Does this give 5V to the raspberry Pi also?
Hi, I was wondering if you could help, I have wired my pi and l298n board up like you have in the video, but on starting the pi, the motor connected to pins 7 and 11 spins initially, then as the pi loads into the GUI/Cmdline its spinning constantly. I have swapped the connectors over, and it just seems to be happening on the GPIO 7 and 11 pins. I have tried it on my other raspberry Pi too, and it does the same. If I swap the pins, the opposite motor does the same, could it be a faulty L298n board?
RaspiAnt I got the same problem, but them I inplugged and plugged again the jumpers and everything worked fine ! Really weird, in my case on wheel was turned on constantly.
how can yoiu make it wirless?
also are there any joysticks you can program to move robots?
because i think with a joysticj it would be easier to program, but i am just a noob i dont know
+paulaxa1 These are very reasonable questions which I will cover in a video fairly soon now! :)
Hey Chris its Mark , for the past week i have been struggling with the problem , of encryption in python programming language. Could you tell me, how to encrypt text with an offset , instead of a key word . Also where did you get the robotics used in this video , and what real life applications does this have , apart from having fun with computing , and education. I consider my self obsessed with computing in the sense of (i do an hour of programming or using my WiFi adapter on the raspberry pi to program a lamp serve or reading about computing hardware) . I am trying to create a computer booking system for a school , could you recommend a way to connect my raspberry pi , to my computer , so i can program on it remotely , and could you possibly do a video on that .Thank you for the video on windows ten technical preview , it was really helpful
Mark Blake Hi Mark. It sounds like you do a lot more Python programming than I currently do. Many years ago I used to program a lot (mainly Z80 assembler), though today so many things compete for my time. So I can't tell you about Python encryption I'm afraid.
The Zump parts come from Pololu, who make loads of great robotics stuff. Real world apps I guess are anything involving the computer control of physical stuff, and as the Internet of Things grows, this may become most mechanical things -- including 3D printers. So the Pi is a great learning tool. A video on accessing it remotely is certainly on my (long) list.
Can you do a "live" input capture from the keyboard to control it in "real-time"?
Yes, this is possible! But I have not tried it yet. :)
hi another question, can you only use 1 motor as I have everything setup but it is not working. I'm wondering whether it is becuase I'm only using 1 motor?
One motor can only drive one of the tracks. If you want to be able to drive something backwards and forwards, and to turn in either direction, then you will need two motors.
it' s possible to control pwm too with the other two covered pins in the right side of l298n ???
Excellent video - love your tutorials.
Dumb question for you - how do you have 4 GPIO controlling just 2 motors? I would have thought each motor would use 1 GPIO (out) and 1 GND? Or have you wired these up differently?
+Average Man vs Pi Each GPIO output controls one motor state. The GPIO pins are not supplying power to the motors; they are telling a controller how to supply power to them (ie to make them turn forwards or backwards).
Oh of course, see, I told you it was a dumb question! I completely forgot about the motor controller.
Thanks again - looking forward to more videos.
What battery pack should I use for my motor controller? (I'm using the same one as in the video)
Hi Chris, thanks for all the great videos. I am just getting started and I have the motors, the L298N and the Pi wired up. As soon as I connect the battery pack to the the L298N the motors start to spin. Is that expected? At this point the Pi is not running. Oh, and if I unplug the Pi the motors stop. Any assistance would be appreciated.
This is normal -- until the Pi has booted and set GPIO levels, the motor controller will have its outputs in a random state. Hence one or other or both motors may spin. So only connect power to the motors when the Pi is up and running the code. See my recent "Raspberry Pi Devastor Robot #2" video for more on this issue.
That did it. Thanks again for such a quick response!
What is the difference between using this and an arduino?
Just so everyone knows. The motor controller 5v pin is an output pin. This is not for bringing 5v into the motor controller but for sending 5v out like powering the pi with the output. No need for his usb battery pack. He could have just run the 5v out to the 5v pin on the pi and it would have worked.
Thanks for your videos.
Hi, very cool tutorial! I have a Pi Model 3 B and am hoping to do a project like this one. I don't want to have it continuously plugged into the wall, but from a battery. My problem is that I fear that either the battery pack will just be too big to be portable or that either they will be too expensive. I wish I would have gotten a Pi Zero W as I have now realised that they seem to be better with these kind of projects. How would I go about doing it with a pi model 3 b? Thank you.
Everything here will work fine with a Pi 3 B! It will use more power than a Pi Zero, but will still work fine off a battery back. See this video for how it may work: ruclips.net/video/XvOONPSoglY/видео.html and this video for running everything off a set of AA cells: ruclips.net/video/j6mglfhWZrQ/видео.html Good Luck!
ExplainingComputers Thank you! Just one last question, would it be beneficial to use a similar battery to yours or to use a bigger battery?
The power bank I used to run the Pi is I think 2100mA, and this will run a Pi Zero for a good 5-6 hours. So it should run a Pi 3 for a good two hours or so. The issue with bigger batteries -- aside from the cost! -- is the extra weight on the robot.