PicoSMARS 2 A Raspberry Pi Pico W Powered SMARS Robot 5 October 2023 2 minute read By Kevin McAleer Share this article on Table of Contents DesignKitronik Robotics BoardBill of Materials3D Printable STL FilesMicroPython codeGallery Tags robotics SMARS pico micropython Code Repo View Code Repository on GitHub
PicoSMARS 2 is a SMARS based robot that, unlike the original SMARS is powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico W. This enables the SMARS to be controlled via WiFi, Bluetooth and run more sophisticated programs. The Pico enables us to write programs in MicroPython as well as in C++, so unlike the Arduino based SMARS it has some extra language options. Design PicoSMARS is based on the 3D Printables SMARS chassis, with a slight modification to the rear right side to accomodate the Kitronik Robotics board on/off switch. Kitronik Robotics Board The motor driver and Raspberry Pi Pico interface is provided by the Kitronik Robotics Board (£14.25 from Kitronik Ltd). Power to the board can be provided by a 9v battery (the board supports 3V - 10.8V), which fits neatly into the SMARS Chassis. The Kitronics Robotics Board also has connectors for 4 DC motors or 2 stepper motors, and 8 servos (which are controlled via an onboard 16 port I2C driver). An On/Off switch also enables you to save battery power when its time to turn the robot off, which was missing from the original SMARS design. Bill of Materials Item Description Qty Unit Price Cost Pico / Pico W Either a Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico W 1 £6.30 £6.30 Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04+ Ultrasonic range finder (the 3v version) 1 £1.85 £1.85 9v battery Alkaline 9V battery 1 £5.95 £5.95 2x Motors N20 style DC motors, 150RPM 6V 1 £6.00 £12.00 3x DuPont cables Pack of (female to female) 1 £2.00 £2.00 3D Printable STL Files Pico SMARS Consists of several 3D printed parts: chassis.stl - The main robot body motor_holder.stl - Holds the motors in place range_finder_holder.stl - Holds the Range Finder range_finder_cover.stl - Covers the Range Finder powered_smars_wheels.stl - 2x the wheels that connect to the motors unpowered_wheels.stl - 2x the wheels that spin freely mechanical_tracks.stl - 32x mechacnical track pieces. These connect together with pieces of 3D printed filament MicroPython code The code for this project is available at this GitHub Repository. You can also find the original PicoSMARS code here https://www.github.com/kevinmcaleer/picosmars This project is a work in progress, so I’ll return to this section at a later time to update it in more detail. Gallery Here are some photos of PicoSMARS 2