MatserPi Robotic Arm for Raspberry Pi Open Source Programming AI Vision Robot Car Kit, 5 DOF/Axis Smart Robotic Arm DIY Gift for Teens Adults, without Raspberry Pi

Got it working. As previously said the instructions are horrible.Here are some tips to help out if you haven’t used a raspberry pie before.Download the raspberry pi imagerDownload the MasterPi20220528.img file from the Amazon Q&A google drive link.Use the raspberry pi imager to load the image on the SD card using your PC. Select use custom. Select MasterPi20220528.imgPut the micro SD card in the raspberry pi. Do this before putting the arm on the robot.You can boot the pi with a HDMI monitor and usb keyboard if you have the cable if VNC does work per the instructions.Set system to English using preferences\configuration\localizationAfter that most the software instructions are ok.The pdf for the mechanical build is out of order. You must watch the videos. I recommend getting the initial software setup working before the mechanical build.Good luck

I'm a Ph.D. AI engineer and I wanted a platform to teach my 6 years old how to code in python and use Tensorflow in robotic-themed hands-on activities. I ordered the one without the RPI4, and bought that separately. I had a RPI3 but it didn't work with higwonder libraries. I requested the os image and the software and the support team provided it in less than 12 hours., Impressive! You can find my question with the reply from support on Amazon Q&A that provided links to the image drive. The robot worked right after I set up the pi image and my son started playing with it right away. I tried to connect via VNC thinking it won't work and to my surprise, I was writing a python code on the platform in a few minutes.Do not expect the typical low-quality Chinese stuff with this robot. I myself cannot build a software and a platform that's easier than this.The platform is impressive and their support is outstanding too. The software is really great and for this price, I cannot recommend it more to any person wanting to start in robotics.My next move after integrating Tensorflow and adding AI capabilities is to add a Lidar and install ROS on it. I will update on how it goes.

What impressed me most about this kit was how sturdy the frame and components were. Unlike other kits that I've ordered which constructed the body of the robot with cheap acrylic, this kit was made of very sturdy metal construction. I was also really impressed with the heavy duty servos that drive the arm. Again, I've attempted to build kits using the cheap blue hobby servo's and just didn't have the power to move the arm and lift objects. This kit does not have that problem at all.I actually set my 11 year old son loose on the kit to physically assemble the robot. I wanted him to struggle a bit to figure things out. I printed out the PDF instructions and let him go. For the most part he did OK and only needed little bits of guidance here and there. Probably the biggest issue he had was finding the correct screws. It would have been nice if the screws had been labeled in bags by their sizes so that they were easy to find. After constructing from the printed instructions, I discovered that there was a video tutorial that would have been easier to follow.The one difficulty that we had with assembling the robot was that the dupont connector on the cooling fan and servos did not fit next to each other on the pin headers on the board. Each of the dupont connectors had a slightly raised area on the back that made them not stack up to each other quite flush. I could get the 3 servos connected but the cooling fan just wouldn't fit. Fortunately, I have a bunch of dupont connectors and I was able to cut the existing connector and replace with one that fit didn't have the protrusion. I don't know how else you would be able to install the cooling fan.Getting the software onto the raspberry pi proved to be a minor difficulty as well... but primarily because I decided that I was smarter than the instructions. I used the Raspberry Pi imager to burn the custom *.img file downloaded from the linked Google Drive location. The Raspberry Pi imager has the ability to customize the image with wifi settings and an alternate username instead of the default 'pi'; a habit that I've gotten into after imaging many pi devices. However, I discovered (after extensize troubleshooting) that this customization broke the software on the pi because it had paths hardcoded to launch programs from the /home/pi. After several attempts at flashing, I eventually discovered that the Master Pi image has it's own file to configure the wifi (forget the name of the file now, but just mount the drive after imaging and it will be obvious).Once I was finally up and running, the robot was a ton of fun to play with. The app is not great for controlling the robot, but I'm hoping to build my own physical controller as a little side project. Some of the color tracking applications are pretty neat, but probably hobby grade. I haven't decided yet if this is a factor of the software or a limitation of the raspberry pi (4GB Pi 4B). I looked through some of the tutorials for customizing the software and they look pretty interesting. I'd like to get my son to go through these with me. I liked that the custom hat that comes with the kit actually has a bit more functionality than is used by the robot. This leaves the possibility for future expansion and projects by adding additional motors, servos and sensors and interfacing with additional onboard RGB and regular LED's.All in all, I would say that this is a great kit that I expect to get a lot of use out of with my son. The price tag is a bit steep (especially considering that it does not include the Raspberry Pi), but I think it's worth it for the quality that you get.

This product is a complete lie and you should not buy it. Please be warned.Hiwonder provides a google drive with instructions, but there is a ton on info missing. They show how to physically build the robot, but they don't provide the raspberry pi MasterPi image to put on the SD card to run the device on the Raspberry Pi. This image is what controls all the motors and sensors, but it doesnt exist.Also, the Android app is not on the google play store, and it scans as malicious software. The software does exist on apple app store, but I dont have an apple phone and they advertise an Android app.In the google drive, there is a folder for the software Raspberry Pi image that is needed to run this robot and the pc control software, but there is nothing in the drive except a note that says "you must contact them for the Rasp Pi software."I've been trying to call China and use the chat feature on the website, but no one answers. They only want to sell the product, without supporting it in any way.Do not waste your time. This is a complete sham product; a box of bolts metal and servos, but you cant run the robot because they dont provide the software.