So I recently bought a GoPiGo2 and after finally getting it all mostly assembled, I discovered that the PiCamera cable is about 5mm too short to reach the camera when it is mounted on the servo mount.
I’m not sure if this is due to the rPi 2 having the camera connector closer to the middle of the board, compared to the rPi 1. That’s about 10mm difference in itself, so that could account for the problem.
The camera will reach if I mount it upside down (and using the lower mount point) - with the cable going over the top, but I’m not sure if that is a viable way to do it. Perhaps it just means rotating the image 180 degrees on each frame, but will the pi be powerful enough to do this?
First, it appears that you have to mount it on the top plate, not the bottom one. I don’t think the video makes that clear.
Second, the cable has to be specifically twisted to slide up next to the ethernet port, rather than go underneath it. The video does mention that, so I must have missed that part. This gives the cable slightly more reach.
The video says you can move the servo mount back further along the slot in the perspex, but on mine the slot hole widens at one end so that the screws fall through, meaning I have to mount it on the end closest to the edge of the perspex instead. If that slot was narrow all the way back (like it is on the bottom plate), then it would be possible to mount it further back. Or I could use a washer (not supplied). Even if it is mounted back further, the white plastic piece that connects to the motor doesn’t sit flush against the perspex, so that’s another thing that would need to be addressed if I moved it back further.
The actual camera mount is a bit dicey, since the camera board doesn’t sit flat on the perspex (i.e. it is pitched slightly upwards) and also the camera cable runs hard up against one of the plastic T’s, bending the cable slightly. You can see in the video that the camera isn’t sitting quite level, but is tilted slightly (i.e. roll). It is possible to get it sitting level, but the cable has to contort a little by pushing hard against the plastic T.
Still, these are probably all minor concerns. I managed to get it mounted so I’m pretty happy with that.
Thanks for your help
I’ve included pics of the successfully mounted camera.
