KEYESTUDIO Mini Tank Robotic Kit Smart Car for Arduino, App/IR Remote Control(iOS and Android), Light and Ultrasonic Follow, 8X16 LED Panel STEM Kit for Beginners Teens

The first thing I look for in a learning kit is the quality of the kit. Not only do you get very good material with this project but you also get a good amount of learning tools in programming that you have at your command. I have built other kits that were not by Keyestudio and I must say that Keyestudio kits offer the best of both worlds. Assembly of this kit is done in a way that you will learn a lot about the Arduino programming Language. Assembly was not only fun but when completed I had learned a lot about the Arduino programming. If you are not a Arduino programmer don't let that scare you away. When I first started building Keyestudio kits I was brand new to Robot training with Arduino. You don't have to learn Arduino if you don't want to, because you can just enjoy building the kit and enjoy using the Tank robot. It is a really fun vehicle to drive around and to build. I will have to admit that I have a little of my second childhood in me and quit fully enjoy driving it around the house. I can see why they name it a Tank because it will go just about anywhere you want it to go. I can't wait until the weather warms up so I can have some fun outside with it. It has more features available than all the other kits.LED program, Light Following, IR Remote Control Bluetooth App, Obstacle Avoiding, Ultrasonic Following, This kit earns a solid 5 stars from me. Don't let the reviews that claim it is hard to assemble scare you because it is very easy to assemble and comes with a complete set of photos of each section of the assembly. Keyestudio has come up with many kits that are not just fun to assemble, and drive, but include many ways to start learning to code with Arduino. I am 80 years old and I have had a great time learning with this kit and even more fun playing with it when it was done. And for all the adults out there don't think you are too old to have a lot of fun building this one, get two and build it along side your child. You can even use Mixly with this one. It comes with everything you need to assemble, code, and drive all by IRRemote Control.

Viewing this kit on Amazon does not do justice to actually getting it and seeing everything it contains. This is a kit that could keep me occupied for MONTHS, because it is not just a simple kit that you put together and enjoy for an afternoon, after which it sits on a shelf and collects dust - this kit is a genuine robotics platform that will stimulate your creativity at any level. An example of this is the choice to include several control methods for the robot, such as IR, bluetooth, ultrasound, and light sensitivity. At first I was thinking, "who would need all of these?" Now it makes sense, because you can use any one of them alone, but once you choose to combine them, the sky's the limit! I attached pictures of everything it contains, and you can see how diverse the range of included components is. Even the mechanical parts are solid - there are well-made flange bearings and fasteners - every detail is attended to with this kit. Would I get another one? Absolutely. This kit is several kits in one, and it is a solid starting point for anyone looking to explore the creative side of robotics.

First of all, as shown in the pictures, the kit really does come with almost everything you'll need, short of a phone and a laptop to control and program it, respectively. Although, as mentioned, it does not come with batteries. You'll need to source your own 18650 cells. This isn't too difficult (and understandable given import/shipping restrictions), but keep in mind that this is something else you'll have to buy, which does increase the cost of the kit, and means if you're gifting it to somebody you'd better buy them some of those batteries, too. This wouldn't be such a big deal, but the instructions barely mention how to properly deal with the batteries. Like, if you plug the kit in over USB with the batteries installed and you unplug the USB, the lights stay on for a bit (even if the batteries were dead before) which insinuates that plugging it in charges the batteries. It might, but I honestly don't know, and the instructions don't clarify. Further, I don't know if the batteries are supposed to be installed after the robot is assembled or not, but it's very difficult to get them in after it's all assembled. At any rate, the parts it does come with are, in my opinion, of good and consistent quality. The sensors are in ESD-protection bags, and the bits of hardware are pretty well labelled. Some little screws are not labelled, so you kinda have to go by what fits (like for mounting the servo). Also, I noticed four main errors in the instructions. For one, there is one place where the Bluetooth module is shown to be installed incorrectly. When you're putting the robot together, make sure you double-check how the Bluetooth module is supposed to be installed (look at more than one picture for the orientation). Second, the image showing how to install the little "horn" of the servo, the plastic bit that connects to it and lets it rotate the assembly with the ultrasonic sensor, is upside down. The horn actually fits perfectly, but you won't get it to fit if you just follow that picture. Third, the way you install the wheels is a bit unclear. Before screwing the two sides of the bottom part with the together, scroll down in the instructions to make sure you don't install them the wrong way. It is a bit unclear, since the instructions tell you how to put one side together, then tell you that the other side is a mirror image. Which it sort of is, but it's a bit unclear until you see some more pictures. The fourth major error I found is more of an error of assembly. The IR sensor is very difficult to install, since you have to somehow put a tiny nut onto a screw that is very short, through a small hole in another part. I couldn't get it to fit properly, so I installed it upside down. It is not perfect, but it does work that way. As well, it took me a very long time to figure out how to install the tracks. I honestly don't even think I did it right after all, but it took so long. In my opinion, the biggest problem with the instructions was that they did not adequately explain how to install the tracks to the wheels. Now, the wiring is where this kit really shines. The instructions are quite clear about what goes where (just make sure you know which motor is which) and the top part has some holes for cable management. I was honestly somewhat worried for the wiring part, but it was easy and actually fun, in my opinion. And the programming is straightforward, too. The drivers are included with the Arduino IDE, and it should work automatically. However, the instructions do state that uploading code to the board will not work if the Bluetooth module is installed on the board. Of course, since the instructions tell you to install the Bluetooth module in the assembly portion, and the assembly portion comes before the programming portion, it is easy to forget. If you get the following error while uploading code, try unplugging the Bluetooth module and trying again. It might work: avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x60 I do wish this was included in the instructions, in some troubleshooting section. I know, the instructions do include the admonition to disconnect the Bluetooth module before uploading code, but having this specific error message would be a fine addition to them. Anyway, the mobile app for controlling this robot is actually really cool. For me, at least, it connected very easily to the robot, and the controls were really responsive. However, as I explained above with the tracks, they were the most difficult part of the robot to put together. And while I don't think I did it entirely properly, the robot in its final state was a bit underwhelming for me. I couldn't get it to go very fast, like in the video, even with known fully-charged 18650 batteries. Might have been some problem with the tracks, or maybe my batteries didn't provide enough current somehow? I honestly don't know. But it was difficult for it to get traction, even on tile and wood. Overall, it's a very cool concept, and I really like some of the things Keyestudio has done with this kit. For example, I really like the app, the Arduino code samples are good and easy to follow, and the individual pieces are quite high-quality. The instructions are alright, though as I've said they are lacking in a few key areas. I don't honestly know if I would recommend this robot - I couldn't get it to go too fast, the battery woes still exist, and some parts of the assembly process (like the tracks and installation of the servo and IR sensor) are unexpectedly difficult. But for someone who has had a bit of experience with Arduino projects, little robots, or these types of things - at least most of the assembly process is a lot of fun, and the final product (assuming you don't run into whatever issue(s) I faced that made my robot very slow) is pretty great.

Motor Tank comes disassembled in carton box, all parts are very well packed (some parts, shields, sensors have their own boxes). There are a lot of small details (like nuts and screws), why I am saying it is hard to assemble if you're a kid. Assembly and coding documentation is nice too. There is wiki for each model (my was KS0428) and there are files stored at Dropbox. Coding documentation have code samples for each sensor as separate part, at the end there are 3 complete sample code for controlling the tank through IR or Bluetooth. My children really likes the tank. Pros: well packed, well documented, shares happiness. Cons: not easy to assemble for kids, also does not contain wrench for nuts, so I recommend to prepare pliers before you start to assemble. Do I recommend this product? Yes, ofcourse! Me and my kids enjoying of it.

UPDATE : Stopped working ! Initially it was fine, and worked nicely based on the programming and using phone as the remote. But now all of a sudden, it does not recognize the serial port anymore for code deployment. Nor does it switch on. The light flickers for a second, and then dies off. Seems like a motherboard / main circuit issue. and before anyone says anything, 'We did charge both batteries' !! The product was delivered on time and packaged well. The instructions were clear enough and with the help of some videos, assembled it quickly. Then we found out that there are no batteries ! So I checked on my stock thinking that a set of standard AA or AAA batteries would do. But NO ! It requires a unique 18650 batteries ! So instead of being ready to use it upon assembly, we had to order the batteries and waiting to get those. This was a bummer and a very poor user experience right at the peak of excitement when we finished the assembly. They should include a couple of batteries along with, especially when this one doesnt operate on standar batteries. Or just make it operate on standard batteries. Will Update after I get the batteries.

The Keyestudio Tank kit was an excellent purchase. The thorough online manual was incredibly helpful and easy to follow. When you open the box you get an incredibly organized and labeled set of parts. Even the various screws are clearly labeled in their individual little bags making the build incredibly straightforward. The guide walks you through the hardware build process then right into the software which takes up the majority of the manual. The kit gives you the option of coding the robot with either Arduino or Mixly blocks with a complete manual for both paths. Since I hadn’t worked with Mixly before I chose that route which was pretty fun, and I really enjoyed the ability to switch to Arduino so you can see how the blocks are affecting the code. I was able to get through the build and coding projects without any problems, but if I had any problems their website is very welcoming and reassures you that they (Keyestudio) will be able to help you with any issues. All in all I would recommend this kit to anyone who is wanting to get into electronics and coding.

I worked with my 12yo son to put together the robot. It is a fun project, with lots of options. It all went together well. The only trouble we had was that I didn't have a good nut-driver set, so I had to use some small sockets - they had a bit of trouble reaching where I needed. I was able to hold the nut with needle-nose pliers to tighten the screw - That worked ok. I ended up buying a nice set up mini nut drivers, and that helped tremendously. I recommend investing in some if you're going to be doing projects like this with small nuts. The instructions were easy to follow - my son followed them without trouble. The kit comes with lots of sensors and items. Cool LED matrix screen that can output to say what the robot is doing, ultrasonic sensors, light sensors, etc. He did drop one of the tiny nuts and we lost it, so I had to make a run to the hardware store to buy a replacement. Be careful the parts are TINY! There are 15 or so different code samples you download from their website to program the robot. It is all very well commented, so easy to edit the code to do different things. One thing that kept getting me stuck trying to upload the code is that you have to remove the bluetooth receiver in order to upload code. The instructions do say this repeatedly, and in red, but of course I kept missing it. You definitely do need to remove that module in order to upload code. This was a very fun project to work on with my son. He enjoyed it a lot. We haven't gotten into modifying the code for other uses yet, but I think that's next.

This was a very fun project and a great way to get into the Arduino ecosystem with a cool item at the end. Everything came very well packed. The coding projects on the website were easy to copy and paste. The quality of the parts seem good. To people who are complaining about having to buy batteries, that's on them for not reading the product description. I only have one real complaint; how the battery holder is designed. Once the tank is assembled you cannot slide the batteries in and out. For all intensive purposes they are in accessible. I thought maybe the batteries would be recharged when the device is plugged in, but per the seller that is not the case. I would recommend using trying to lift the upper chassis using any additional means, but then the wiring from the motors would likely not reach. A simple alternative design would have been to have an 'L' bracket and simply have the batteries face the back of the tank. I would have given the tank 5 stars if it wasn't for this annoying design flaw.

Prodotto molto simpatico, ho acquistato questo oggetto per sperimentare la trazione con i due motori e i cingoli. l'assemblaggio è stato molto semplice grazie alla guida completa di tutti i dettagli costruttivi realizzati con disegni in 3D. La struttura è molto solida perché composta da piastre pre forate in allumino anodizzato e i due motori sono tutti in metallo con un ottimo riduttore il quale ne conferisce una coppia notevole. La presenza del alloggio per le due batterie 18650 danno un'ottima autonomia nel suo utilizzo. Il display che indica la direzione o lo stato del Robot lo rendono accattivante. Molto interessante la possibilità di utilizzare tutti i componenti singolarmente per sperimentarne il funzionamento con gli esempi riportati nel manuale. Bene l'utilizzo di due shield differenti una per la connessione dei componenti e l'altra per i motori. Ottima la guida che spiega l'utilizzo della programmazione a Blocchi rendendolo decisamente più coinvolgente per i ragazzi come mia figlia (14 anni). Prodotto consigliato per chi ama sperimentare con il mondo di arduino e dei robot pur non avendo nessuna conoscenza dei due mondi.

Works great only problem we had was think it gave for the robot was wrong so had to Google to get the right one otherwise was a great gift

Mon fils adore, le matériel correspond au descriptif. Tout est fourni, même les explications et des videos de montage. Seul point "négatif", la batterie n'est pas fournie, mais cela est précisé. Top produit!

No lo compres, no hay forma de instalar el software, al parecer lo hicieron con una versión muy vieja de android, mi hijo lo armó con tanta ilusión y al final sólo nos sirvió de adorno en el librero.

Sehr gut