Adeept5-DOF Robotic Arm Kit Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4 B 3 B+ B A+, Programmable DIY Coding STEM Educational 5 Axis Robot Arm with Python Code and Tutorials(PDF) - Black

This is a great robotic kit for teens and adults. Before starting your build make sure all the parts are in the box.  The download link to the tutorial and code is on the box as there is no paper tutorial manual included in the box.  The code you will use is Python and this is an excellent code to learn as it is popular.  Assembly and programming are not for the faint of heart, especially for beginners.  The secret is to take your time building the robotic arm and learning how to use Python code.  Once you get it you will want to learn more and this kit gives you that opportunity.  This robotic arm was developed based on Raspberry Pi and is compatible with Raspberry Pi 4B/3B/3B+/3A+.  Eventually, you will get to the point where you want to purchase the not included Raspberry Pi circuit board.  A Raspberry Pi board is not cheap and costs between $100 and $160 dollars. A Raspberry Pi board is referred to as a Single Board Computer because an entire computer is squeezed into a single small circuit board.  The Raspberry Pi board will give this robotic arm the capacity to do a lot more and the Raspberry Pi board will give you a chance to learn how to program.  This is a great introduction to Robotics and there is plenty of growth in the future of robotics employment.

If you can follow instructions and want to play around with a plastic robot arm, this might be for you. I think the main lesson here is building the arm---practicing putting the wiring together and insuring everything starts where it should start at.Programming? Unless you already know Python somewhat, you're going to download and install the code w/o learning how to write it. Go learn Python elsewhere then come back and see how it's applied here.Uses? Hopefully you have something in mind, because I don't have a steady use for a $150 (pi & arm etc) plastic 2-finger robot arm that has weight lifting limitations.I tried waiting on a Pi board that wouldn't break the bank but instead decided to reuse another one I had just for this project. I plan on taking the Pi back out and using it for a more permanent project.Unless you see yourself with a specific need for a robot arm of this magnitude---I'm not sold on this being a true learning experience.

It works. See the video. This is a well designed robotics arm kit. It is clearly intended for STEM - meaning you can take it apart modify and do a lot with it after assembly. It has well labeled parts and decent instructions (electronic PDF) you need to download separately.That said I highly recommend a patient adult help the kid with assembling the kit, taking breaks and coming back as needed. You don't need to finish in one go - relax watch or listen to stuff, step away and come back refreshed.. This means a patient person experienced with assembling other kits will have no issues. I have experience assembling 3D printers, and this kit took me 1 Friday night and Sunday afternoon (~ 8 hrs) to assemble. I was watching TV while assembling so I did pause often to watch here and there. If you read the rest of this review and you have no idea what I'm talking about - then you are inexperienced. Go find somebody who understands this review to help you with assembling the kit. Or be prepared to take time searching the web and figuring things at your own pace -which I also recommend. It isn't a competition, take your time, have fun exploring as you build the robot.The lesson plan involving the Raspberry Pi could be updated - for example the Rpi imager now gives you option to enable SSH and enter WIFI password from your laptop before you write the image to the SD CARD.The most difficult part had nothing to do with the robot kit, it's getting the Rpi ready. You have to have a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 to get things working, and it's not included - you need this first. I got this kit in Nov 2022 and I wasn't willing to over pay for a Rpi3 due to scarcity. So this kit stayed in the bin until I got one for a reasonable price. The kit provides a Pi-hat motor controller board that sits on top of the RPi to control the arm. They also provide a couple of 3.7V batteries to help power the servos independently from the Rpi.These are the extra equipment you should get:1. Raspberry Pi 3B or 42. USB Keyboard and mouse3. HDMI cable4. Monitor or TV with HDMI input5. laptop or computer with internet access6. power strip7. power adapter to power the RPiI happen to have all this except for raspberry pi, so lucky me.Another thing I didn't realize about this kit are the weird Li-ion batteries they use - which means eventually you have to charge them! But they don't provide a charger - so I had to buy one from Amazon that matched the battery type. So I recommend you get the charger if you plan on using the robot for more than a few hours.After getting the Rpi ready, you download their github package, unzip it in a local directory and use python to run a webserver. The webserver is needed to configure the servos to their starting position, so that when you assemble the robot the shaft of each servo is in the right position. I recommend using a marker to label the shaft in case it moves during assembly - which happens!After configuring the servos you can follow the instructions for physical assembly - and these instructions are VERY GOOD and DETAILED showing every step very carefully with good pictures. That is what makes this kit good and why I recommend it.By the time you finish you will have a robot arm and a controller to move it. From there you can control it via the hand controller or via a webpage.All the code is written in python (see pic) with some parts written in HTML/CSS/JavaScript probably using Node. So you can easily modify or add functionality - like use OpenCV to track the bot and train it control its movements, each tasks etc. For this reason I recommend getting the ORANGE colored robot - that makes it easier to track by computer vision. I also think with little effort you can use an RPi zero W, or even a Libre Computer Board ROC-RK3328-CC which I think has the same header arrangement. Even if it didn't it would be a good project by itself to get the arm working on a different board.So there is a lot you can do after assembly. This kit is open source so you can build and modify and improve from this kit as much as you want.Bottom line: Very well designed kit. Requires you provide your own RPi and battery charger. Good for knowledgable adult and kid working together. Will take 2-3 afternoon working slowly.Highly recommend. This was fun to build and has already inspired me to think of a lot of other projects using this robot arm. The kit did its job teaching and inspiring STEM thinking.

Originally I thought these were some type of laser cut particle board but its actually some acrylic sheeting thats been CNC'd but thats about the only good news. You have to go visit their website and download instructions which is annoying in itself, not to mention potential security hazards. After you download the instructions you'll find out they're instructions for a set other than yours, and have to contact their support center. All in all I gave up and ended up scrapping it for parts. The servos and ribbon cables will be retro fitted into a different project. It seems like it would've been a fun project. Great idea, poor execution.

My teen is getting into coding and robotics and really enjoys this. It's well made and simple to use and understand how to get the hang of.