User & Assembly Manual

Section 01

Safety first

Section 02

Meet VISITOR LX-1

VISITOR LX-1 is a Raspberry Pi 5-powered, two-wheel differential-drive robot designed for hands-on robotics, local autonomous movement, conversational control, and remote operation.

Section 03

Kit contents and tools

Inventory everything against this list before you start. It is much easier to find a missing bracket now than halfway through the stack.

Section 04

Before assembly

Section 05

Step-by-step assembly

Sixteen numbered steps, in order, from the bare chassis to a closed shell. Work through them in sequence — several later steps depend on cable routing done earlier.

1. 1

   Install the front ball caster

   The caster supports the nose while the rear wheels provide drive and steering.

   Two ways to mount it

   Use the 2 × M3 × 16 screws, washers, and nuts, or the included adhesive. Screws let you fine-tune ride height in the adjustable slots later; adhesive is faster and needs no tools.

   1. 1.Position the caster beneath the front spacer with the ball facing the floor.
   2. 2.For the screw mount: rotate the caster so two opposite mounting holes align with the adjustable chassis slots, then insert the screws through the caster and slots. Use the washers, because the slots are wider than an M3 screw shank.
   3. 3.Install the nuts on the top side of the chassis and tighten until secure without crushing the printed spacer.
   4. 4.For the adhesive mount: clean both surfaces, press the caster squarely onto the front spacer, and hold firm pressure for 30 seconds. Let it set before putting weight on the nose.
   5. 5.Spin the ball in every direction and confirm it does not rub the printed part.

   Check

   With the chassis on a flat surface, the caster and both drive wheels should be able to contact the floor without rocking.

2. 2

   Mount the N20 motors in their brackets

   The rear-drive layout keeps most of the robot's weight over the powered wheels.

   Hardware

   Motor-to-bracket hardware supplied with the N20 brackets.

   1. 1.Identify the left and right motors from the robot's point of view.
   2. 2.Place each motor in its bracket with the output shaft pointing outward through the wheel opening.
   3. 3.Orient the motor leads toward the center electronics pit and toward the Motor Bonnet terminal edge.
   4. 4.Secure the motors in the brackets. Confirm the gearbox body is fully seated and cannot rotate.

   Check

   Both shafts should be level, parallel, and at the same height.

3. 3

   Attach the motor brackets to the chassis

   Hardware

   4 × M2.5 × 6 pan-head screws — two per bracket.

   1. 1.Place each bracket on its rear chassis pad with the wheel shaft outside the chassis.
   2. 2.Route each motor lead through the nearby wire slot before tightening the bracket.
   3. 3.Start both screws by hand, then tighten them evenly.
   4. 4.Confirm the bracket sits flat on the printed pad and does not press against the center electronics pit.

   Check

   The motor leads must reach the Motor Bonnet without being pulled tight or crossing a wheel opening.

4. 4

   Press the wheels onto the motor shafts

   1. 1.Align each wheel's D-shaped bore with the flat on the N20 motor shaft.
   2. 2.Support the opposite side of the motor shaft and press the wheel on straight.
   3. 3.Leave a small gap between the wheel and bracket so the rubber tire does not rub.
   4. 4.Rotate both wheels by hand and verify free movement.

   Caution

   Do not hammer the wheels onto the shafts or use the printed chassis as the reaction surface.

5. 5

   Assemble the X1200, Raspberry Pi 5, and Motor Bonnet stack

   Stack order from bottom to top: X1200 UPS, Raspberry Pi 5, Adafruit Motor Bonnet.

   1. 1.Install the X1200 beneath the Raspberry Pi 5 exactly as specified by the X1200 hardware, with its pogo-pin power interface correctly aligned.
   2. 2.Confirm the Pi sits squarely on the X1200 standoffs and no pogo pin is trapped or offset.
   3. 3.Seat the Motor Bonnet on the Pi GPIO header. Press evenly over the connector; do not rock the board side to side.
   4. 4.Orient the stack so the Motor Bonnet screw terminals face the rear motors and the Pi USB/Ethernet ports face the chassis service opening.
   5. 5.Do not install the 18650 cells or connect any power yet.

   Check

   The three boards must be parallel, fully seated, and free of trapped wires.

6. 6

   Secure the electronics stack in the center pit

   Hardware

   4 × M2.5 × 8 screws inserted from beneath the chassis.

   1. 1.Lower the complete stack into the center pit. The X1200 feet should align with the four chassis floor holes.
   2. 2.Make sure the X1200 power button aligns with the left-side notch and does not press against the pit wall.
   3. 3.Insert one screw loosely at each corner from underneath.
   4. 4.Tighten in a diagonal pattern only until the stack no longer shifts.

   Check

   The X1200 button should move freely and the Pi ports should remain centered in the side opening.

7. 7

   Connect the drive motors to the Motor Bonnet

   1. 1.Loosen the M1 and M4 motor-terminal screws just enough to accept the stripped leads.
   2. 2.Connect the left motor to M1.
   3. 3.Connect the right motor to M4.
   4. 4.Insert each conductor fully so no bare copper remains outside the terminal, then tighten the screws.
   5. 5.Gently tug each wire to confirm it is clamped.
   6. 6.Route both leads away from wheel openings and sharp printed edges.

   Do not swap the terminals

   The software expects M1 as the left wheel and M4 as the right wheel. The left channel is inverted in software, so do not swap motor terminals merely because one wheel spins in the opposite electrical direction during a raw hardware test.

8. 8

   Install and connect the external motor battery holder

   The AA battery holder supplies the Motor Bonnet's motor-power terminal independently of the Pi/X1200 supply.

   Hardware

   2 × M2.5 × 8 pan-head screws through the rear holder tabs.

   1. 1.Place the battery holder at the rear of the chassis and align its two mounting tabs.
   2. 2.Start both tab screws, then tighten until the holder is stable.
   3. 3.Route the battery lead toward the Motor Bonnet without crossing the wheels or pinching it under the shell.
   4. 4.Connect the red lead to + and the black lead to − on the Motor Bonnet's dedicated motor-power terminal.
   5. 5.Leave the AA cells out until the full wiring inspection is complete.

   Caution — polarity

   Red is positive and black is negative. Reverse polarity can damage the motor controller, so confirm both leads against the + and − markings on the Motor Bonnet before inserting batteries.

9. 9

   Install the NoIR camera in the front eye mount

   Hardware

   4 × M2 × 4 pan-head screws.

   1. 1.Place the Camera Module 3 NoIR into the printed camera case with the lens centered in the round eye opening.
   2. 2.Make sure rear components and the ribbon connector sit inside the clearance pocket.
   3. 3.Start all four M2 screws before tightening. Tighten lightly and evenly.
   4. 4.Open the ribbon latch, insert the camera ribbon squarely, and close the latch.
   5. 5.Route the ribbon through the shell channel with a gentle bend and enough slack to connect to the Pi.

   Caution — ribbon orientation

   The exposed contacts must face the correct way at both ends. Check the contacts themselves rather than the cable color.

10. 10

    Install the forward distance sensor

    Hardware

    2 × M2.5 × 6 pan-head screws.

    1. 1.Slide the CQRobot VL53L1X board into the front holder with the sensing element facing outward.
    2. 2.Align the two board holes with the 16 mm-spaced mount holes.
    3. 3.Install both screws from the exposed front pocket and tighten lightly.
    4. 4.Connect the labeled four-wire I2C harness to the sensor.
    5. 5.Route the harness through the open lower cable slot toward the Pi GPIO/I2C connection.

    Check

    The optical element must have a clear forward view. The plug and cable bend must not push the board out of its channel.

11. 11

    Install the MSA311 and NeoSlider

    Upgrade step

    Skip this step if you did not order the MSA311 tap sensor and NeoSlider. The shell is printed with mounts for both, so you can add them at any time without reprinting anything.

    These two I2C devices provide motion sensing, physical interaction, and illuminated status feedback.

    1. 1.Secure the MSA311 in the roof cradle directly beneath the intended tap area. The board must have positive retention and must not be able to fall from the inverted mount.
    2. 2.Secure the NeoSlider in the left-side bezel with the slider knob moving freely through its full travel.
    3. 3.Connect the labeled GPIO/I2C-to-STEMMA harness from the Pi pass-through header to the MSA311.
    4. 4.Connect a 100 mm STEMMA QT cable from the MSA311 to the NeoSlider.
    5. 5.Dry-fit the cable route before tightening the shell hardware. Avoid tension at either connector.

    Check

    Before removing the shell later, unplug the STEMMA connectors instead of pulling on the cables.

12. 12

    Install and connect the cooling fan

    1. 1.Seat the fan in the front-right fan housing with airflow directed through the shell gills and across the Pi stack.
    2. 2.Secure the fan using the hardware supplied with the fan case.
    3. 3.Connect the fan to its designated Raspberry Pi fan power connection.
    4. 4.Route the cable away from the camera opening, distance sensor, wheel openings, and shell screw bosses.

    Check

    The fan should spin freely by hand and its cable should not sit in the path of a shell screw boss.

13. 13

    Connect the camera ribbon and I2C harnesses to the Pi

    1. 1.With the shell held beside the chassis, connect the camera ribbon to the designated Pi 5 CAM/DISP connector.
    2. 2.Connect the labeled I2C harness to the GPIO pass-through connection. Match 3.3V, GND, SDA, and SCL labels exactly.
    3. 3.Connect the VL53L1X four-wire harness to the same configured I2C bus through the supplied labeled adapter.
    4. 4.Confirm no connector is offset by one pin and no bare header contact can touch the shell.
    5. 5.Leave enough slack to raise the shell slightly for future service, but keep all wiring clear of the wheels.

    Caution

    Match the printed signal labels, not the wire colors. Cable colors are not a reliable guide to the pin map.

14. 14

    Complete the unpowered wiring inspection

    1. 1.Confirm the left motor is on M1 and the right motor is on M4.
    2. 2.Confirm the red motor-battery lead is on + and the black lead is on −.
    3. 3.Confirm the Pi USB-C port is not connected to a charger or power supply.
    4. 4.Confirm the X1200, Pi, and Motor Bonnet are fully seated and mechanically retained.
    5. 5.Confirm the camera, distance-sensor, fan, and any upgrade cables are connected and strain-relieved.
    6. 6.Turn both wheels by hand and move the caster through its full range. No cable should move or rub.

    Check

    Do not install batteries or close the shell until every item above passes.

15. 15

    Install batteries and perform a raised-wheel test

    1. 1.Install the matched 18650 cells in the X1200, following the polarity markings and X1200 instructions.
    2. 2.Install the AA cells in the external motor battery holder, following its polarity markings.
    3. 3.Place the chassis on a stand so both drive wheels are clear of the floor.
    4. 4.Power on using the X1200 control and allow the system to initialize.
    5. 5.Verify status, sensors, and motor direction as described in First startup and checks.
    6. 6.Power down fully before making any wiring correction.

    Caution

    Never insert, remove, or reverse cells while a charger or other power source is connected.

16. 16

    Fit and secure the outer shell

    Hardware

    6 × M2.5 × 12 pan-head screws inserted from underneath.

    1. 1.Shut the robot down fully and remove external charging power.
    2. 2.Arrange cables inside the shell so none cross a screw boss, wheel opening, fan path, or the X1200 button.
    3. 3.Lower the shell vertically onto the chassis. Do not force it; lift and reroute any wire that resists.
    4. 4.Confirm the camera, distance sensor, fan gills, USB service bay, and X1200 button remain aligned and unobstructed.
    5. 5.Turn the robot over on a soft surface and install all six shell screws loosely.
    6. 6.Tighten the screws in an alternating pattern until the seam is even.

    Caution

    The shell carries wired components. Before lifting it during future service, raise it only enough to reach and disconnect the camera and sensor harnesses.

Section 06

First startup and checks

sudo nmtui

systemctl is-active lumabot.service lumakit.service
curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8971/status

Section 07

Getting a terminal on the robot

The next few sections ask you to run commands on the Raspberry Pi. There are two ways in — plug a monitor into the robot, or connect over your network from another computer. Set up the monitor first; you will need it to find the robot on the network.

hostname -I
hostname

ssh lumabot21@192.168.1.42

Section 08

Connecting Telegram

Telegram is the easiest way to talk to VISITOR LX-1 from your phone. You create a private bot, authorize your own account, and LumaKit does the rest.

cd /home/lumabot21/lumakit
nano .env

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="1234567890:your-token-here"
TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_IDS="your_numeric_id"

sudo systemctl restart lumakit.service
systemctl is-active lumakit.service

Section 09

Setting your AI API key

Agent mode — the natural-language side of VISITOR LX-1 — is powered by a language model. You choose the provider and supply your own API key, so the robot talks to the model you pay for and nobody else's.

cd /home/lumabot21/lumakit
nano .env

LLM_PROVIDER="anthropic"
LLM_MODEL="claude-opus-5"
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"

sudo systemctl restart lumakit.service
systemctl is-active lumakit.service

Section 10

Controlling VISITOR LX-1

/lumabot agent

/lumabot remote

Section 11

Status-light guide

The illuminated indicator comes with the NeoSlider upgrade.

Section 12

Charging, shutdown, and storage

sudo poweroff

Section 13

Troubleshooting

curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8971/status
curl -fsS -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8971/stop
sudo systemctl status lumabot.service
sudo systemctl status lumakit.service
sudo journalctl -u lumabot.service -n 100 --no-pager
sudo journalctl -u lumakit.service -n 100 --no-pager

Section 14

Advanced service commands

For builders and maintainers. This section is not required for normal use. Raise the wheels or otherwise prevent movement before restarting services or updating software.

sudo systemctl restart lumabot.service
sudo systemctl restart lumakit.service

sudo systemctl stop lumakit.service
cd /home/lumabot21/lumakit
git status
git switch main
git pull --ff-only
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -e '.[speech]'
.venv/bin/python -m pytest -q
sudo systemctl restart lumakit.service
systemctl is-active lumakit.service

sudo systemctl stop lumabot.service
cd /home/lumabot21/lumabot
git status
git pull --ff-only
.venv/bin/python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
sudo systemctl restart lumabot.service
curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8971/status