ELEGOO Tumbller Self-Blancing Robot Car Kit Compatible with Arduino

This project was done by an adult to learn the basic ways boards, sensors and chips to build art works. Well made and has some weight to it. Great hands on project. Children will love the project and learn how to add to it. My next step will be adding cameras. I bought the project for the board and for $20 more I got a full kit.

I bought this kit for my grandson for Christmas. We just built it today. I have to say I am really, really impressed with the quality of the design and the components. Everything went together very easily, and the directions were top notch. It turned on and performed well! This is an excellent kit, with lots of possibilities. The technology available today never ceases to amaze me (I've built about two dozen Arduino projects from scratch over the last few years, but this kit is really good). I haven't even tried the remote control functions with a phone yet. Well done Elegoo!

Very Good product. Instructions were easy to follow. I would recommend this product for kids and adults.

This robot was a charm for my 10 yr old son to build (took him maybe 30-45 minutes), but we were initially disappointed since it did not operate correctly...after some extensive troubleshooting we assumed the nano board was dead. I ordered a random nano board (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NLAMS9C) loaded the Elegoo Tumbller code onto it (using the Arduino software downloaded from the Elegoo website) and now the robot works as expected. The robot is fun to interact with a lot of built-in preprogrammed functions.

This kit is a good fit for kids who already like building and problem solving. Assembly and setup take some time, but the instructions are clear with a bit of adult help. Watching the robot balance itself is genuinely satisfying and introduces real robotics and coding concepts. Not a quick toy, but a worthwhile STEM project for the right age.

Elegoo makes several robot/car/tank-like kits, and Amazon seems to lump all the reviews together, so: This review is about the: “Elegoo Tumbler Self-Balancing Robot Car Kit” which is their only 2-wheeled self-balancing kit. I received V1.1, current as of this date. This kit is beginner-friendly, and only involves mechanical assembly. It even includes the single small Philips screwdriver needed. No soldering. Just connect three connector cables once built. Mine worked perfectly first time. Found one small inconsequential typo in the online assembly manual, but corrected in the included printed manual. Took about an hour to build. Not strictly necessary, but you’ll want to download the accompanying phone app (Android or IOS) which works fine as a remote control over Bluetooth. If, however, you want to go further (much, much further) than just having a cool toy...: One very nice thing is that the entire product is effectively open-sourced. You’ll want to download the .zip from Elegoo’s download site which contains *everything* you’d ever want, including the source Sketch to the operating Arduino Nano’s firmware which compiled perfectly, (although it comes pre-loaded on the Nano so a PC or Mac is not necessary to simply play with it.) Also in the .zip are pretty comprehensive design files, including tutorials on how each sensor works and the overall theory of operation. There’s also sample code for operating each section (ie. Motors, ultrasonic, LEDs, etc, etc) complete with code walkthroughs. Lesson 2 (of 7) (“Balance Control”) goes into very very deep detail on the PID algorithms, which here are used to effectuate self-balancing… There's even a section on how to configure Visual Studio Code for use in the Arduino context simply because that's what their engineers prefer to use over the Arduino IDE. Geek heaven. Obviously a lot of engineering went into this product, included for all to see. Overall, a great product and eminently hackable, if that’s your thing.

Great project for the budding engineers

As others have indicated, the documentation is a dramatic improvement over every other China originated product I have ever purchased from electronics modules to machine tools. They aren't quite up to the old Heathkit standards, but they are pretty good as far as the hardware and assembly. The Youtube video is also helpful. Other information including source code can be dowloaded from the Elegoo site. Operation is a bit flaky. I have not had time to do a lot of troubleshooting, but the behavior of this device is more erratic than I would have expected. Whether this is a simply a deficient unit or a deficient product line remains to be determined. When I have time to get it on the bench I will know more, and I will try to remember to update this review accordingly. The Bluetooth connectivity isn't great. I tried it with both an iPhone 8 and an XS Max. Pairing is slow and unreliable. Once paired I found the user interface to be cumbersome and difficult to use. Commands often fail, and the "joystick" tends to vary between under and over control. I suggest that you use a non-permanent thread-locker when assembling this kit. During some of the aforementioned erratic behavior screws were being shaken loose (and vanishing), and indeed, the manufacturer mentions this problem with regard to one specific set of screws. I ended up disassembling the entire kit and rebuilding it with blue thread-locker on every screw. You can Blue Loctite here on Amazon in liquid form (although I actually used Permatex brand #24300 threadlocker) or in a "chapstick" tube format (I used Loctite #248). I used both, alternating based on screw location and circumstance. DO NOT use a "Red" permanent type thread-locker. If you do, I doubt that the low cost hardware in this kit will hold up during any future dis-assembly attempt. I made this purchase on impulse in response to a Lightning Deal. It seemed like a fun project to tinker with, and I felt sure our pets would enjoy having a new playmate. I probably would not buy it at the regular price, but my interest was very superficial. For someone who wants to use this as a basic platform upon which to build and experiment the regular price may seem more reasonable. Hope you find this helpful.