The Raspberry Pi Build HAT is an add-on board designed in collaboration with LEGO® Education to make it easy to control LEGO® Technic™ motors and sensors with Raspberry Pi computers.
It provides four connectors for LEGO Technic motors and sensors from the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Portfolio. The available sensors include a distance sensor, a colour sensor, and a force sensor. The angular motors come in a range of sizes and include integrated encoders that can be queried to find their position.
The Build HAT fits all Raspberry Pi computers with a 40-pin GPIO header, including — with the addition of a ribbon cable or other extension device — Raspberry Pi 400. Connected LEGO Technic devices can easily be controlled in Python, alongside standard Raspberry Pi accessories such as a camera module.
The Raspberry Pi Build HAT power supply, available separately, is designed to power both the Build HAT and Raspberry Pi computer along with all connected LEGO Technic devices.
The LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime set 45678 and SPIKE™ Prime Expansion set 45681, available separately from LEGO Education resellers, include a collection of useful elements supported by the Build HAT.
Specification
- Controls up to four LEGO Technic motors and sensors included in the SPIKE Portfolio,along with those from the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor kit and most other LEGO devices that use an LPF2 connector
- Fits onto any Raspberry Pi computer with a 40-pin GPIO header
- Easy-to-use Python library to control your LEGO Technic devices
- Onboard Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller manages low-level control of LEGO Technic devices
- DC power connector: 2.1mm barrel jack, centre positive
- Requires an external 8V ±10% DC power source – like the Raspberry Pi Build HAT Power Supply, or a 7.5V battery pack – to power the Build HAT, Raspberry Pi computer (except Raspberry Pi 400), and connected LEGO Technic devices
