Review
(^80) July 2018 raspberrypi.org/magpi
YetiBorg
v2 is a great
kit to get
started with
Raspberry Pi
robotics!
PiBorg
Maker
Says
ast month in The MagPi
we took a look at the
DiddyBorg v2 robot kit
from PiBorg. This relatively large
kit from the PiBorg team is a
fantastic, robust robot kit that is
fantastic for veteran Raspberry Pi
robot builders wanting something
a bit more advanced to play with.
We don’t think it’s the best kit
to choose for beginners, though,
which is where the YetiBorg v2
comes in.
In comparison to the DiddyBorg,
it’s pretty small, although it’s
definitely not the smallest Pi
robot kit out there. Unlike other
beginner-friendly robot kits, it
includes all the high-quality parts
and chassis you’d expect from a
PiBorg kit. This quality comes at
a price, though, and at £160 it’s
quite a bit more than your classic
robot starter kit.
Construction is pretty simplified,
with a fantastic step-by-step guide
that takes you through the entire
build process. There’s no soldering
involved as it comes complete
with pre-soldered motors and
a Raspberry Pi Zero with a pre-
soldered GPIO header. We received
our YetiBorg fully constructed, in
fact, but we estimate you’d be able
to build it in under an hour, and
the software won’t take you long to
sort out either.
This kit comes with a ZeroBorg,
a quad motor controller designed
with the Pi Zero in mind. While
it may be smaller than the
ThunderBorg controller used in the
DiddyBorg, the ThunderBorg is only
able to control two (or two sets of)
motors at a time. This means the
YetiBorg is truly a four-wheel-drive
robot. Like the ThunderBorg, you
can stack ZeroBorgs to add more
motor controls if you wish, and
while it is designed around the Pi
Zero form factor, there’s no reason
you can’t use it with a full-sized
Raspberry Pi if you so wish.
High performance
The YetiBorg comes with example
scripts to get you started, including
a remote control script using a
game controller, a web interface
that lets you see through a
mounted Pi camera (not included),
automated scripts, and more.
You can use these to learn how
the robot works and then cobble
together your own scripts so the
robot will do as you wish.
While the ZeroBorg code is
still quite complex as per the
ThunderBorg code, it’s a bit easier
to understand overall. It’s no
GPIO Zero but it’s still readable,
although we suggest that you
Rob Zwetsloot looks at the new YetiBorg robot kit.
Does its diminutive size make it better for beginners?
L
CAMJAM
EDUKIT 3
A beginner’s kit
that’s slightly
more suitable
for true novices.
The price is
very attractive
as well.
magpi.cc/28KDW9S
Related
£18 / $24
YETIBORG V2
YETIBORG V2