Pi-top 4 Robotics Kit User manual
pi-top.com | © 2021 CEED Ltd. Page 1
pi-top Robotics Kit | Getting Started
Raspberry Pi-powered
modular robotics
Last updated: 17/06/2021
pi-top.com | © 2021 CEED Ltd. Page 2
pi-top Robotics Kit | Getting Started
Welcome to the [new] world of
modular Raspberry Pi Robotics!
A note from pi-top’s Co-founder and CTO, Ryan Dunwoody
First o, I’d like to thank you for choosing to learn and build robotics with pi-top!
Whether you’re just starting out with robotics or have been building them for a long time,
we hope we’ve created something that will inspire you and give you the tools to turn your
ideas into a reality.
We started this project in 2019 because
a) we love the Raspberry Pi, b) we love robots and c)
we felt that something was missing to combine these two things together in the “pi-top” way.
Back in 2014, we built the world’s rst 3D printed laptop (ocial Guinness record!) and turned
it into a DIY Raspberry Pi laptop that anyone could build - our Robotics Kit is taking the essence
of what made that so appealing and applying it to robots.
For the rst time ever in Raspberry Pi history, you can now build any robotic conguration
you want as simple and easy as if you were using LEGO®. We’ve built 5 dierent robot
congurations which you can nd on the front cover of this guide to give you some inspiration,
as you can see they are all quite dierent in their functionality and ability to interact with their
environments. We had months of fun building and testing these robots and we are excited
to see what you - our community - can bring to the table. Don’t hesitate to share your ideas,
projects, feedback and even problems (especially problems!) on our forum - I am on there
every day (name: duwudi) helping people out and this is by far the best way to get in touch
with me!
That’s all from me, have fun building!
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pi-top Robotics Kit | Getting Started
What’s included?
3-pin Servo
Motor Cables
(For the Servo motors)
x2
6-pin Encoder
Motor Cables
(For the Encoder motors)
x2
Chassis
x1
2x10 Build
Plate
x5
120° Brackets
(2x2)
x12
4x8 Build Plates
x2
2x14 Build Plates
x6
Wheels
x2
Long Rivets
x50
90° Brackets
(2x5)
x10
Ultrasonic Sensor
x1
Camera
x1
90° Brackets
(2x2)
x14
Short Rivets
x200
Servo Motors
x2
Encoder Motors
x2
Castor Wheel
x1
4-pin Sensor Cable
(For the Ultrasonic sensor)
x1
Micro USB Cable
(For the Camera)
x1
Rivet Removal Tool
Screwdriver
2.5mm Allen Key
2mm Allen Key
Coloured Balls
Tape
Sensor Mounts
2x6 Build
Plates
x4
x1
x1
x1
x1
x6
x1
x6
Also included:
M4 Wheel Screws
x2
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pi-top Robotics Kit | Getting Started
How to nd it all
Wheels
Coloured Balls
Short & long Rivets
Blue Tape
Encoder Motor Pods
• Encoder Motor
• 6-pin Encoder Motor cable
Servo Motor Pods
• Servo Motor
• 3-pin Servo Motor cable
Ultrasonic Sensor Pod
• Ultrasonic sensor
• 4-pin Sensor cable
• LEGO®connector
Camera Pod
• Camera sensor
• 4-pin sensor cable
• LEGO®connector
• Metal build plates
• Castor wheel
• Wheel connectors
• Build tools
• Sensor mounts
• Chassis Plate
• Warranty Pamphlet
Get making!
You can nd all of the
build instructions at
pi-top.com/start
pi-top.com | © 2021 CEED Ltd. Page 5
pi-top Robotics Kit | Getting Started
pi-top [4] Robotics Kit has a wide range of resources
you can use to hit the ground running with your
robotics journey. Whether you’re just starting out,
are a seasoned pro or anything in between there’s
something for everyone!
What’s next?
Our online learning platform, Further, guides students
and beginners through a wide range of coding projects.
See the rst Further project to build a robot >
See all pi-top [4] projects on Further >
Beginner
pi-top Python Software Development Kit (SDK)
(Beginner to advanced)
Here you’ll nd all of our hardware drivers and libraries to make
Python development as easy as possible.
pi-top Python SDK Documentation
(Beginner to advanced)
Comprehensive documentation for all pi-top products,
including the Robotics Kit. It will help you navigate our SDKs so
you can get the most out of them in the least amount of time.
pi-top .NET Core SDK
(Intermediate - Advanced)
Made in collaboration with Microsoft, you can see this SDK in
action by watching our .NET Conf live video where we use it to
demonstrate what a remote computer science class might look
like using Microsoft Teams.
pi-top Robotics Engine (ROS)
(Advanced)
A ROS (Robot OS) implementation that can be run on the pi-top
hardware as a Docker container or as a simulation package on
any Debian system - perfect for developing advanced machine
learning and computer vision algorithms that you can then
run in the real world! Here you’ll nd ROS packages, Gazebo
simulation les and various apps we’ve developed so far that
we are actively seeking community support on.
Other Pi-top Robotics manuals
