Freenove Three-Wheeled Smart Car Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 4 B 3 B+ B A+, Video Mode, Radar Mode, App Control, Ultrasonic Distance Sensor, Camera, Servo (Raspberry Pi NOT Included)

The Freenove Smart Car is fun to build, but you will need some knowledge of how to solve some of the software problems. As with any open source design, the software modules/packages used by the Raspberry Pi move on in design so not all installations go according to the build instructions. That said, most of the software install was fairly painless. The mechanical build quality seems to be fairly high and all the parts are well designed. This, however can not be said of the three Tower Pro micro servos that are included in the kit. These are rubbish and although one servo worked correctly, the two remaining did not, in fact one was completely jammed, so is rendered useless. The other did not have the full movement range. I will try and get replacements, but to be honest, I don't rate my chances very highly. It's probably best to bite the bullet and buy three new FS90MG servos that have metal gears. The instructions are very well put together, so it makes for a fairly easy and fun build. Unfortunately I haven't finished the build as I will have to solve the servo problem first, so I will update this review when I get the kit completed. UPDATE: Well I sent a message to Freenove and received a reply the very next morning saying that they will send the replacement servos and this morning I received a message from them with the tracking information. So far I am well impressed with the service I have received from Freenove. One thing I would say to them is that to avoid any of these issues, they should include the metal geared servos instead of the plastic ones in the kit. I've changed my rating to five stars as a result of this excellent service for Freenove. I will post photographs when I have finished the build.

The base is made of acrylic material, and is extremely fragile. One part snapped while removing it from the plate - all details are cut from the single plate, but not removed, so you have to gently push to remove it; however, the geometry of some details is too complex to remove it safely. Other parts snap when your assembled unit crashes into something or falls from stairs. In my case, falling from a single step to wooden floor, that didn't bother other, plastic, robots, broke not only the acrylic part, but also the plastic pin of the motor. Would be better, if they would sell the spare parts separately, as you will surely need them, and sooner than you expect. Note, that acrylic parts are very easily amendable with super-glue. If only they wouldn't tend to shatter like glass. Robot isn't suitable for anything but VERY careful handling, because the computer and all cables are outside in the open, and Li-Ion batteries are at its belly. There is no casing for it, not even in form of 3D model for 3D printer. It would also be very nice to have 3D models for other (acrylic) parts, to re-create them once they are broken. Fortunately, the support was pretty quick and helpful, and sent me the broken parts. Still, there is a lot of work ahead for this robot, and in its current state it's totally NOT suitable for children before 12-13. A good idea, but the implementation is still too raw. Hopefully, in years to come, this company will come up with better models. P.S. I'd like to make it clear, that it is, in my opinion, still the best DIY robot at Amazon. If you are into robotics and Raspberry - you'll like it. Being open-source only adds to advantages. I only hope that they will make durability their priority.

The project is quite well built and not too hard to get going. One of the servers came damaged for me, but the seller sent me a replacement, so I'm happy. The quality of the code supplied with it is quite bad though, so if you are learning how to code do not use it as an example of how things should be done. But that's not such a bad thing, you can take it as a challenge to write a new client/server pair that works better. Personally I'm going to make it move forward automatically every time the camera detects the cat.

Great fun! With only a little Rasperry Pi previous knowledge, I found this challenging and rewarding. Worth the effort. Took about a week for me to build and learnt about VNC interfaces and how to install software and servers. Customer support was excellent, replying every time within 12 hours. Only messaged them 3 times and 2 of those times even a beginner like me managed to solve before the reply after a little thinking. A great learning tool for the beginner looking to improve and such a fun way to do it. I’d highly recommend.

I purchased the three wheeled smart car but after few days if use one of the servo which controls the direction is not working. It keeps on rotating and does not control the direction. Can you please provide a replacement of the servo.

This kit comes complete with clear easy to follow instructions including the tools to assemble it. It's very well made sturdy with bearings for the wheels which allows for smooth operation and very detailed programming instructions. Have demonstrated it at a couple of Coderdojo's and a Raspberry Jam meeting everybody was impressed with the quality and easiness to operate using the android app.

Had it returned, it the RPI did not detect it.

The model works well and appears to be quite robust. The software is excellent and well explained and the hardware is very well packaged and the components identified.

I ordered this car to chase my cats around with. They estimated about three hours; two for the hardware, one for the software. Surprisingly, they nailed it almost exactly. The hardware is really impressive quality, and they allow you to swap out the camera for the sonar if you would like. One to note though; I thought I could just plug it into the wall until my batteries came in, but the RPi is powered from the servo shield... which doesn't take the usual adapter type. If you live in a small town like me, order your batteries at the same time, else you'll be waiting anxiously like me!!

Voor ons curriculum digitale vaardigheden (middelbare school) hebben we ervoor gekozen om iets met robotica te doen in de hogere klassen. In deze fase is het leren werken met een Raspberry Pi de basis. Na wat onderzoek kwamen we uit bij de driewielige slimme carkit van Freenove. Qua functies een relatief simpele auto. Maar voldoende om studenten vertrouwd te maken met de wereld van robotica en het bedieningsgedeelte van een computer. De leerlingen (16-17 jaar) zullen de kit in paren monteren. Ons oordeel: • Een visueel duidelijke handleiding • Verstandige keuze binnen de handleiding om de componenten eerst te testen alvorens te in te bouwen. • Het ontwerp is goed doordacht • Kwaliteit van onderdelen is voldoende • Snelle reactie van de serviceafdeling per e-mail

Produit livré en parfaite condition. Le Kit est très bien fait, tous les composants sont séparés et identifiés. Le tutoriel téléchargeable en ligne est très complet et ne laisse rien au hasard. Tout y est très bien expliqué, de l’installation de la carte Raspberry au pilotage des moteurs. La construction est amusante et ludique, c'est un mélange d'étapes de montage et de programmation qui se succèdent à merveille et rend la construction très agréable. Un fois le système monté, une interface simple permet de piloter la voiture avec deux modes de fonctionnement, caméra ou radar. Tout est mis en place pour que l'on puisse s'amuser avec le produit très facilement, mais il y a aussi les ressources pour continuer le développement et aller plus loin. J’ai eu un petit problème avec un moteur. Le SAV a été très dynamique et compréhensif. Il a tout de suite envoyé un moteur de remplacement. Pour conclure, ce produit est idéal pour découvrir l’électronique de manière ludique. Le produit est fun et son montage m’a beaucoup appris. Les vendeurs sont fiables, efficaces et à l’écoute. Je conseille vivement.

Good educational product. Well designed & built. Will consider getting other Freenove kits for my training/education.

Todas las dudas que he tenido durante el montaje y configuración del producto han sido resueltas en 24 horas de forma clara y concisa. El servicio es sensacional.