Instructions | ZeroBot - Raspberry Pi Zero FPV Robot

1

Installing The Latest Raspbian Image

DISCLAIMER: This is not a comprehensive step-by-step tutorial. Some previous experience with electronics / Raspberry Pi is required. I am not responsible for any damage done to your hardware.

I am also providing an easier alternative to this setup process using a SD card image: https://hackaday.io/project/25092/log/62102-easy-setup-using-sd-image

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/

This tutorial is based on Raspbian Jessie 4/2017

Personally I used the Win32DiskImage for Windows to write the image to the SD card. You can also use this program for backing up the SD to a .img file.

IMPORTANT: Do not boot the Raspberry Pi yet!
2
Headless Setup
Access the Raspberry via your Wifi network with VNC:

Put an empty file named "SSH" in the boot partiton on the SD.

Create a new file "wpa_supplicant.conf" with the following content and move it to the boot partition as well:
```
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
network={
    ssid="wifi name"
    psk="wifi password"
}
```
Only during the first boot this file is automatically moved to its place in the Raspberry's file system.

After booting, you have to find the Raspberry's IP address using the routers menu or a wifi scanner app.

Use Putty or a similar program to connect to this address with your PC.

After logging in with the default details you can run
```
sudo raspi-config
```
In the interfacing options enable Camera and VNC

In the advanced options expant the file system and set the resolution to something like 1280x720p.

Now you can connect to the Raspberry's GUI via a VNC viewer: https://www.realvnc.com/download/viewer/

Use the same IP and login as for Putty and you should be good to go.

Installing the required software (update 2018)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install apache2 node.js npm
git clone https://github.com/CoretechR/ZeroBot Desktop/touchUI
cd Desktop/touchUI
sudo npm install express
sudo npm install socket.io
sudo npm install pi-gpio
sudo npm install pigpio

Run the app.js script using:

cd Desktop/touchUI
sudo node app.js

You can make the node.js script start on boot by adding these lines to /etc/rc.local before "exit 0":

cd /home/pi/Desktop/touchUI
sudo node app.js&
cd

The HTML file can easily be edited while the node script is running, because it is sent out when a host (re)connects.

4
Install mjpg-streamer
sudo apt-get install libjpeg62-turbo-dev
sudo apt-get install cmake
cd
git clone https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer.git ~/mjpg-streamer
cd mjpg-streamer/mjpg-streamer-experimental
make clean all
sudo mkdir /opt/mjpg-streamer
sudo mv * /opt/mjpg-streamer

Copy the following line in the file /etc/rc.local before the line "sudo node app.js&"
```
bash start_stream.sh
```
Remove -vf and -hf inside the file start_stream.sh to rotate the camera picture 180 degrees.
5
Wifi Access point (optional)
Before you do this, make a backup of your SD as it is very difficult to go back to the previous state.

Download and run this script: https://gist.github.com/Lewiscowles1986/fecd4de0b45b2029c390
```
sudo bash Desktop/rPi3-ap-setup.sh YourWifiApName YourWifiApPassword
```
6

Hardware Wiring (Standard version)

If you are unsure about voltages or connections, check with a multimeter to be safe.
7
Changes for the ZeroBot Pro upgrade
If you want to upgrade an existing robot to the new code you can download the files from github or use:
```
git clone https://github.com/CoretechR/ZeroBot Desktop/touchUI
```
Important: The stream settings are now located in the file start_stream.sh in Desktop/touchUI instead of rc.local. This will make it necessary to remove this line which calls the mjpg-streamer on bootup:
```
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/mjpg-streamer/ /opt/mjpg-streamer/mjpg_streamer -i "input_raspicam.so -vf -hf -fps 15 -q 50 -x 640 -y 480" -o "output_http.so -p 9000 -w /opt/mjpg-streamer/www" > /dev/null 2>&1&
```
Instead, the identical code was moved to a bash file in the touchUI folder, which has to be executed. Simply add "bash start_stream.sh" to the existing call of app.js. It should looks like this in rc.local:
```
cd /home/pi/Desktop/touchUI
bash start_stream.sh
sudo node app.js&
cd
```
This way the stream can be started by both the rc.local file on bootup and the node.js application.

Remove -vf and -hf inside the file start_stream.sh to rotate the camera picture 180 degrees.

Because of the added components, the schematic has become a little more complicated:

List of parts:
- Raspberry Pi Zero W
- 2x ICR18650 lithium cell 2600mAh
- Raspberry camera codule
- Zero camera adapter cable
- Mini DC dual motor controller
- DC gear motors
- ADS1115 ADC
- TP4056 USB charger
- MT3608 boost converter
- Raspberry CPU heatsink
- at least 8GB Micro SD card
- 2x LED
- BC337 transistor (or any other NPN)
- switch
- 4x M3x10 screws and nuts
How it should look after everything is wired up and in place:

Discussions

DrGAtBradley wrote 06/13/2023 at 18:08

Found it! Use the link from the first page, not the one on this page. Correct URL appears to be https://drive.google.com/file/d/163jyooQXnsuQmMcEBInR_YCLP5lNt7ZE/view?usp=sharing

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FutureTEK99 wrote 04/25/2024 at 06:16

So this is working for you?

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DrGAtBradley wrote 06/13/2023 at 17:12

It appears the "Easy Setup using SD Image" link is broken and produces a 403 error. Can someone update this please?

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David Malkowski wrote 11/11/2019 at 04:36

I'm a little confused about a couple things on the robot's circuitry.

-In the build layout of the parts needed, there are 2 MT3608 converters, but it seems only one is used in the next picture and in the circuit diagram. Is the other one hidden, or simply not used?

-You're using 2 18650 batteries to power the robot, but should these be the protected variants? Additionally, do you solder your connections directly to the terminal of the battery? There seems to be no holster.

-What is the purpose of BC337?

-I plan to be retrofitting the code of this project, with your permission, to drive a tank robot with motor control being handled by a board called the Picon Zero. How does the webserver pass commands to the GPIO that powers the motor controller?

-Are the motors only receiving 4.2V from the battery? It seems that right after the switch the battery connects to the VIN on the motor driver, implying that the max motor voltage is 4.2V. Is this where the second boost converter comes in?

-I plan to use a Waveshare NVPi camera, seen here (https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/RPi_Camera_(F)). Should I modify any of the resistor values? How does GPIO 22 control the lights?

-The Adafruit Powerboost 1000C was suggested as a replacement for the MT3608 and the TP4056. This should work, but another boost converter can be used to up the voltage from the battery to the motors, correct?

I really do have a lot of questions overall, as you're a lot more fimiliar with the 3D design and coding elements of DIYing a robot than I am. Can I reach out to you somewhere?

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kubik256 wrote 08/30/2019 at 09:38

Please on which version of Node.js is it running?
Used libraries doesn't work on 10+ so I have to use NVM to install appropriate version of Node.js.

P.S.: Prepared SD card image is working at first run but is a bit dirty, you've left there many packages from OpenBox, LXDE, Minecraft and many more :)

@tyler_durden54 default password/user is same as on clean raspbian.
@Amirulmukmin It isn't supposed to be wpa_supplicant.config but "wpa_supplicant.conf" ....and on Windows be awere of Windows line breaks inside this file! Also put empty file named simply "ssh" in boot, so you have active ssh after it boots up ;)

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Max.K wrote 08/30/2019 at 15:11

V4.8.2 of node is running on the robot that I have on my shelf. That should be the same version the sd card image is based on.

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Amirulmukmin wrote 07/24/2019 at 06:15

Hi, Max.

i have tried to flash and put my ssid and password in wpa_supplicant.config..

when i boot the zerobot.. my raspberry blinking and stay light up... idk either it connected to my wifi or not cause i cant find the ip for that zerobot on my wifi admin and Fing apps.

how can i solve this ?

Thanks1

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tyler_durden54 wrote 03/02/2019 at 11:57

Hi!
On the SD card image, what is the default vnc and putty login/password?
Thanks!

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jmpv1247 wrote 01/05/2019 at 19:47

Joystick is working fine with laptop but not working on my two mobile phones.

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Max.K wrote 01/07/2019 at 11:13

There is a quick solution for this on the Github page: https://github.com/CoretechR/ZeroBot/issues/2

I will try to update the files as soon as possible.

EDIT: OK, all files and the SD card image are fixed

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ChoLuu wrote 11/21/2018 at 20:12

I have the Zerobot built and tested. If I want to add another device with I2C protocol like distance measuring, can I just copy&paste&modify the ADS1115 I2C JavaScript files?

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ChoLuu wrote 01/09/2019 at 01:21

I have solved my above question by adding a couple functions in javascript file, export these functions as a module, and called them in app.js file.

My next question; I have updated nodejs (v11) and got an error said I2C built with older nodejs version (v4.8.2). So my question is did you use 'node-gyp' to build I2C.cc addon? If not, which one did you use? Thank you!

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Max.K wrote 01/09/2019 at 10:25

Sorry for taking so long to respond, I didn't see your previous comment. Actually I didn't build any modules, they were installed with "npm install ..." without any modifications. The ads1x15 library has not been updated in two years, so there might be some compatibility issues with later node versions. Instead of modifying or creating a library I would have just used the i2c library functions and called them in the main app.js file.

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ChoLuu wrote 01/09/2019 at 15:52

Got ya. And when you said "they were installed with "npm install ..."", mean I should update I2C library after updating nodejs? Anyhow, I will try let see if it works. Thanks again, Max!

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Andre van der Vlies wrote 10/19/2018 at 08:39

What is the ADS1115 for? Can't the LEDs be powered from GPIO22 directly?

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Max.K wrote 10/19/2018 at 13:50

It's for measuring the battery voltage (Analog -> Digital)

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Andre van der Vlies wrote 10/19/2018 at 13:57

Ah! Thanx. This is done via the LED circuit? 'Hardware' isn't my strong point...

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Max.K wrote 10/20/2018 at 11:01

No problem. The LEDs, ADS1115 and the motor controller are connected directly to the battery,

They are connected in parallel, so each of them gets the same 3.7V from the battery.

The circuit diagram is optimized for readability. The cables in the robot can be wired differently to reduce their length. So for example you can use a wire from the LEDs to the battery and a second one from the motor controller to the battery. As long as the electrical connection remains the same that's ok.

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Hans wrote 09/23/2018 at 13:19

This link does not work:

https://github.com/CoretechR/ZeroBot Desktop/touchUI

Now what ??

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zanshinv wrote 09/15/2018 at 16:15

Thanks for this awesome project!

I'm a beginner so it may be a simple problem that I am having trouble with but here goes...

From GPIO22 I think that I have set up the resistors and LED's and transistor (at the top of the diagram) correctly, but I dont understand what happens after the LED's, it appears as though I am supposed to connect the positive side of the LED's to the side of the switch ...before... the boost converter lowers the voltage?

I tried this and the CPU of the Raspberry Pi got crazy hot, and does this now every time its connected to power, I'm guessing I broke it due to incorrect wiring?

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Fabio wrote 08/21/2018 at 23:23

Hi, I'm putting together one and I wonder would it be possible to replace the TP4056 USB charger and the MT3608 boost converter by the PowerBoost 1000 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost - 1000C from adafruit? Would save some space in the box, would not it?

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Max.K wrote 08/22/2018 at 09:20

Sure, that should work.

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David Malkowski wrote 11/11/2019 at 04:17

I have a question about this. Wouldn't the power draw from the motors cause power fluctuations on the device or cause it to break if the motors are stalled? It mentions under the spec list that the max power draw is 2A.

EDIT: Nevermind, it's not wired to the motors.

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Berkay Sarıdoğan wrote 07/11/2018 at 12:51

I have finished the last step (wifi) but im having a problem using app can you guys please help me . . .

I have setup the wifi access point and connected to the raspi but when i open the html code i cant see the camera and also cant control the motors

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Max.K wrote 07/20/2018 at 06:50

Sorry for the late response. Have you tried installing the official SD card image to see if that works? Do you see anything on the browser screen when you connect to the Zerobot?

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mar wrote 06/26/2018 at 10:50

Hi my friend , could you explain how to modify the camera resolution , in my home with wifi its very good but from anywhere with my phone on 4G i have many latency , i know to change the resolution maybe can not resolve this problem but i would like to try to check the difference :) thanks ;)

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Max.K wrote 06/30/2018 at 08:28

Depending on the version you have installed (old Zerobot or Zerobot Pro) the line of code you are looking for is either in rc.local (in /etc/) or in the file start_stream.sh (in the folder TouchUI). The line will look like this:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/mjpg-streamer/ /opt/mjpg-streamer/mjpg_streamer -i "input_raspicam.so -vf -hf -fps 15 -q 50 -x 640 -y 480" -o "output_http.so -p 9000 -w /opt/mjpg-streamer/www" > /dev/null 2>&1&

You can change the -x and -y parameters (640 / 480) to your resolution. Then reboot.

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straggler1 wrote 06/16/2018 at 09:42

Forgive my dumb question but just to clarify the circuit, the A0 pin on the ADS1115 is hooked to both the positive and the ground from the battery? The positive ends of the LEDs are going through 100k resistor to the A0 of the ADS1115 and from that same pin going out to the second 100k resistor and to the ground of the battery? Thank you for taking the time to keep up with the active community on here and answer questions.

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Max.K wrote 06/16/2018 at 15:06

Yes, that is correct. The two resistors form a voltage divider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider

This is used to reduce the voltage on A0 (identical resistors -> factor 2 reduction).

The battery will not be shorted, only I=U/R=5V/200KOhm=25µA will flow through the resistors.

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straggler1 wrote 06/19/2018 at 00:41

Thank you for the explanation. An unrelated question: The BC337 transistor gets very hot when the lights are on. So much so that it hurts to touch. Is that normal ?

Edit: I applied a 47 Ohm resistor to the positive end of the LEDs and now the transistor does not get hot at all. Smaller values of the resistors on the positive leads do get hot as well but the 47 ohm appears to be ok. I wonder if the LEDs I have from the flashlights are drawing too much current.

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Max.K wrote 06/19/2018 at 14:50

That's probably not right. Have you checked the wiring? Check the resistor values, too. Especially the 1.5 kOhm resistor.

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straggler1 wrote 06/19/2018 at 16:17

For the 1.5 K resistor I am instead using one 1K and 470 ohm resistors in series. I can try to increase that? When I attempt to instead use two regular sized LEDs, nothing gets hot. When I switch back to my flashlight LEDs, even one of them instead of both, the transistor gets scorching hot. There is something about those specific ones I suppose. The 47 Ohm resistor on the positive lead helps but I am still puzzled as to what to try next. I have the positive lead go to the 5V on the Pi and GND to the GND pin on the Pi as well. Would that make a difference? 3V on the Pi has the same results.

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Max.K wrote 06/19/2018 at 20:13

You might have to use higher value resistors for the LEDs (try 100 or 200 instead of 50 ohm).

That will make the LEDs less bright and reduce the current.

For more power you probably would have to use a mosfet instead of the transistor.

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[deleted]

[this comment has been deleted]

Max.K wrote 04/29/2018 at 12:50

That's very strange. At least the temperature display should always work. Have you used the provided SD card image?

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Max.K wrote 04/30/2018 at 08:39

You might not have i2c enabled in the Raspi-Config:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/raspi-config.md

Maybe because of this the node script crashes.

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Josh wrote 04/26/2018 at 16:42

Is there enough clearance for headers on the boards?

I was thinking of getting a Pi Zero WH and soldering headers onto the other boards. I haven't soldered in >10 years, and working on this with my kids, so I figure that will make it easier to fix wiring mistakes.

Thanks for sharing the cool design!

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Max.K wrote 04/27/2018 at 22:22

Sorry but the way the Pi is mounted, there is not enough clearance for the headers that are soldered to the Pi Zero WH. Attaching headers to the other boards might be difficult as well because there is little room inside the chassis. But don't despair, soldering these parts should be fairly easy. You can use any old soldering iron. Maybe try it out on some scrap circuit boards before soldering the Raspberry Pi.

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Rudi wrote 03/31/2020 at 08:19

How difficult is it to modify the STL to take a Pi Zero with headers and a PiconZero? This is all I have available at this stage.

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stuart_riggs wrote 04/25/2018 at 02:45

This came up with an erro:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo apt-get install apache2 node.js npm

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree

Reading state information... Done

Package apache2 is not available, but is referred to by another package.

This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or

is only available from another source

E: Package 'apache2' has no installation candidate

E: Unable to locate package node.js

E: Couldn't find any package by glob 'node.js'

E: Couldn't find any package by regex 'node.js'

E: Unable to locate package npm

pi@raspberrypi:~ $

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Max.K wrote 04/25/2018 at 07:13

Are you connected to the internet?

Try running: sudo apt-get update

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stuart_riggs wrote 04/25/2018 at 09:54

apt-get update works fine in the earlier step. Is there another syntax to get the apache2?

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Max.K wrote 04/25/2018 at 10:20

Maybe Stackoverflow will help you with that problem as It's not just related to this robot. I'm no Linux expert. I can only google you error messages.

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stuart_riggs wrote 04/24/2018 at 15:31

The following command does not work:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ git clone https://github.com/CoretechR/ZeroBot Desktop/touchUI

-bash: git: command not found

Any ideas?

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Max.K wrote 04/24/2018 at 16:03

Are you using a Lite version of Raspbian?

In that case you have to manually install git using:

sudo apt-get install git

But I would recommend using the regular Raspbian.

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stuart_riggs wrote 04/24/2018 at 16:25

Yes, I have Lite. i had a feeling it was due to Raspbian-lite.

Thank you

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buchnoun wrote 04/23/2018 at 22:28

it was my mistake : I had connected the motor driver after the MT3608 ! it was draining the power for the pi (i guess) everything working great now, I'm still waiting for the ADC module but so far so good. Thanks for this amazing robot :-)

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ZeroBot - Raspberry Pi Zero FPV Robot

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