Environment Setup

This guide will help you configure the Mini Pi+ development environment.

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

• Development Computer: Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+)
• Memory: At least 8GB RAM
• Storage: At least 20GB free space
• USB Port: For connecting the Mini Pi+ robot

Software Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Git
• USB drivers

Installation Steps

1. Install Python

Windows

Download and install Python 3.8+ from the Python official website.

Check "Add Python to PATH" during installation.

Verify installation:

python --version

macOS

Install using Homebrew:

brew install python@3.10

Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3.10 python3-pip

2. Install Mini Pi+ SDK

Install the SDK using pip:

pip install minipi-sdk

Verify installation:

python -c "import minipi; print(minipi.__version__)"

3. Install Development Tools

Install Git

• Windows: Download from git-scm.com
• macOS: brew install git
• Linux: sudo apt install git

Install Code Editor

Visual Studio Code is recommended:

# macOS
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

# Linux
sudo snap install code --classic

Recommended extensions:

• Python (Microsoft)
• Pylance

4. Configure USB Connection

Linux Users

Add USB device permissions:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

Log out and back in for changes to take effect.

Windows Users

Install USB drivers (installed automatically with the SDK).

5. Test Connection

Connect the Mini Pi+ robot to your computer and run the test script:

from minipi import Robot

# Connect to robot
robot = Robot()
robot.connect()

# Test connection
if robot.is_connected():
    print("✅ Connected successfully!")
    print(f"Robot ID: {robot.get_id()}")
    print(f"Battery: {robot.get_battery()}%")
else:
    print("❌ Connection failed")

robot.disconnect()

Create Your First Project

1. Create Project Directory

mkdir my-minipi-project
cd my-minipi-project

2. Create Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv

# Activate virtual environment
# Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

3. Install Dependencies

pip install minipi-sdk minipi-soccer

4. Create Main Program

Create main.py:

from minipi import Robot
from minipi.motion import Motion

def main():
    # Initialize robot
    robot = Robot()
    robot.connect()

    # Initialize motion control
    motion = Motion(robot)

    # Stand upright
    motion.stand()

    # Walk forward 1 meter
    motion.walk_forward(distance=1.0)

    # Disconnect
    robot.disconnect()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

5. Run the Program

python main.py

Troubleshooting

Cannot Connect to Robot

1. Check USB cable connection
2. Confirm robot is powered on
3. Check USB driver installation
4. Try a different USB port

Module Import Failed

Make sure the virtual environment is activated and the SDK is installed:

pip list | grep minipi

Permission Error (Linux)

Make sure the user is in the dialout group:

groups | grep dialout

Next Steps

After setup is complete, you can:

• Learn Hardware Connection
• View API Documentation
• Run Basic Tutorials