# PROBE LX-3, a 3D-printed Pi 5 rover

An open-source differential-drive robot with a Raspberry Pi 5, USB camera and distance sensor, built from seven printed parts with no supports. The dome twist-locks onto the base and leaves room for a lidar.

- Category: Hardware (build)
- Made by: [LUMALIEN](https://github.com/patmakesapps) on GitHub
- Original: https://github.com/patmakesapps/PROBE-LX-3
- On Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/probe-lx-3-a-3d-printed-pi-5-rover

## Can I build this?

- Difficulty: Intermediate
- AI-buildability: 4/5 (Mostly software on off-the-shelf Pi and motor boards, with a fair amount of mechanical assembly and wiring.)
- Time: A weekend
- Cost: $250–400
- Parts: Raspberry Pi 5, Geekworm X1200 UPS, Adafruit 4280 DC + Stepper Motor Bonnet, N20 gear motor, Arducam B0385 USB camera, CQRobot VL53L1X, RPLIDAR A1M8, Waveshare WM8960 audio HAT
- Tools: 3D printer, soldering iron, screwdriver set, multimeter

Estimates based on the original write-up.

## Build sheet

- Compute: Raspberry Pi 5
- Drive: 2× N20, diff. drive
- Sensors: USB cam, VL53L1X
- Printed parts: 7 core + 1 optional

## Starter prompt

```
Based on "PROBE LX-3, a 3D-printed Pi 5 rover" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/probe-lx-3-a-3d-printed-pi-5-rover

Write Python for a Raspberry Pi 5 that drives two N20 DC motors through an Adafruit DC and Stepper Motor HAT-style bonnet over I²C. Add a USB webcam stream and a VL53L1X time-of-flight distance reading, and stop the motors when the distance drops below 200 mm. Keep the motor and sensor code in separate modules so each can be tested alone.
```

## Story

PROBE LX-3 is a small robot built around a Ø245 mm dome on a Ø209 mm base. Two N20 gear motors sit at the rear, with a ball caster at the front. Inside the base is a Raspberry Pi 5 on a Geekworm X1200 UPS, an Adafruit motor bonnet, a USB camera and a VL53L1X distance sensor.

The dome twist-locks onto the base, so the electronics are a quarter-turn away. The design is meant to take a spinning lidar on top and a stereo speaker setup inside without reprinting parts. The seven core parts, including printed wheel hubs and TPU tyres, print with no supports on a 256 mm bed.

The repository is hardware only. It ships STL files, a Blender source model, a wiring guide listing I²C addresses, and a 13-step assembly manual. The software is left to the builder.

## Resources

- [Repository](https://github.com/patmakesapps/PROBE-LX-3)
- [Release (STLs + PDF manual)](https://github.com/patmakesapps/PROBE-LX-3/releases/latest)
- [LUMALIEN](https://lumalien.com/)

Tags: 3d printed, raspberry pi 5, differential drive, rover, open hardware, twist-lock dome

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