Mini Mars

Jan 5, 2023

Geeky Gadgets 9:55 am Raspberry Pi enthusiasts searching for a little inspiration for their next project might be interested in a fantastic remote control mini Mars rover robot created by Nikodem Bartnik. Who designed the robot rover from scratch using 3D printing parts and CNC machining all designed in CAD. Powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico W mini PC it is possible to control it through a Wi-Fi connection and simple Python script. “Attracted by Raspberry Pi Pico W’s built-in Wi-Fi and the ability to program it in MicroPython, Nikodem Bartnik knew he had to make a project with one, but wasn’t sure exactly what. Inspiration struck when he attended a CubeSat Summer School in Belgium. On a visit to the Euro Space Center, he saw a field with mini Mars rovers. Nikodem was determined to make his project as clean and small as possible “for aesthetics reasons, but also for its safety and functionality,” he underlines. He also wanted to be able to share his work with others and make it easy to replicate, so he chose to make his own custom PCB, using a cheap CNC machine he’d modified. “The best part about this setup is: in the morning I design a PCB and, by the afternoon, I have it ready for soldering.” – says the Raspberry Pi website. Raspberry Pi Mars rover robot Nikodem Bartnik explains more about the project. “All parts were designed in such a way that you can print them on the most popular FDM 3D printers and you don’t need a huge build plate,” he says. “The bottom plate was machined on my DIY CNC machine – IndyMill… The principle of how it works is very simple; designing and 3D printing it is not.” “For controlling the micro servo motors, I am simply using 50Hz PWM signal. For DC motors I am using popular and cheap drivers, L298N, and control them through PWM and digital pins,” he explains. He also added an FPV camera system to the build, which turned out to be far simpler than he’d imagined. “I had no experience with FPV systems before; it was completely new to me, but it turned out to be super-straightforward and it works great.” For more information jump over to the official Raspberry Pi magazine website by following the link below.