# Build Log: Nanosaur **URL:** \ **Category:** Show and Tell\ **Tags:** jetson, nano, robot, ros\ **Created:** [August 10, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061 "2021-08-10T19:31:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/1 "2021-08-10T19:31:17Z")
Similar to a few other small autonomous rover projects that we’ve seen over the years, I am going to build a tiny little robot by the name of [Nanosaur](http://nanosaur.ai). It is a small tracked vehicle, powered by an Nvidia Jetson Nano, two small motors, a rechargeable battery pack, a Raspberry Pi camera, and some custom 3D printed parts for the body. It runs ROS in a Docker container by default, so, I’ll naturally be attempting to “balena-fy” that, but even in it’s default form it looks like a fun build. This project is originally developed by Raffaello Bonghi, currently working on the Nvidia Jetson team though created in his spare time as a personal project. I have all of the parts on the BoM, ready to go: ![IMG_3589](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/b/bfb5128c7d33e69e9acdc01376badf423646a7f7.jpeg) Of course, a pile of parts doesn’t always turn out to be exactly what is envisioned, but if everything goes according to plans, the end result should come out looking like this: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/9/996bdec30df11354054b30a3e179d239b41367c4.jpeg) Tonight, construction will begin, and I’ll update this thread in a few days to see what kind of progress I’ve made! 🦖 ---
**Author:** ![chrisys](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/chrisys/32/1731_2.png) [@chrisys](https://forums.balena.io/u/chrisys)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/2 "2021-08-11T13:41:46Z")
@dtischler are you going to be soldering things? 😱 ---
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/3 "2021-08-12T16:59:18Z")
I sure did solder some things @chrisys! In fact, I soldered the 40-pin GPIO header to the small PCB, and the cabling needed for the OLEDs and motor control board: ![IMG_3593](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/1/1b59ee25e7c00c9f7509b96d9046886044ed267c.jpeg) Nanosaur’s tail is taking shape: ![IMG_3594](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/6/6e96551b18262d173833c127cfed20092b352410.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/4 "2021-08-17T19:31:15Z")
Made some more progress on the physical construction, getting the motors in place, frame built, and tracks on: ![IMG_3604](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/a/a2112ac377cf034fe3a0e4992c46c9d9750b72c2.jpeg) ![IMG_3606](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/b/b5bfc90eb6824851acc5039444d076036113e6c7.jpeg) ![IMG_3609](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/6/624fe7245f8f5dc68e6434b12af0a894f12c1c89.jpeg) ![IMG_3610](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/3/31891b97fb00e46e9f4046f3013c472c2bcf72c2.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/5 "2021-09-10T18:44:27Z")
It’s a been a while since my last post, and I have some progress on my build, so let’s dive in! First, I got the Adafruit DC Stepper mounted up: ![IMG_3614](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/0/032f08544e73ef8d249e4ecf2d9acd78bc7f694e.jpeg) After that, I got the expansion board lines fed through the chassis which will eventually have the Nano on top: ![IMG_3629](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/c/ca71f73879ab54858a1ac079707a34b3b5ddf2d2.jpeg) Then I placed the Nano over them, checking the alignment and fitment of the board and the fitment of the head piece. Both seem to be ok, so, we can continue on! ![IMG_3631](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/4/461dc0899484a4da66c554b962ee8705b838c387.jpeg) The Nanosaur’s head was up next, so, I mounted in the two OLED eyes, and attached the 4-pin cables for each: ![IMG_3633](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/3/35803052e3a8fa33b8a10e98108a31878a4e4279.jpeg) The camera goes in right below them, on his nose. 👃 The cables I cut are a bit too long, so, I think I’ll trim those back a bit, but overall Nanosaur is taking shape! ---
**Author:** ![rbonghi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/rbonghi/32/6921_2.png) [@rbonghi](https://forums.balena.io/u/rbonghi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/6 "2021-10-18T14:40:51Z")
Just seen now, this post! Nanosaur yellow is really cool 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/7 "2021-10-18T17:35:19Z")
Ha, I am documenting my progress @rbonghi … though I am due for an update, as my physical build is complete now. ---
**Author:** ![dtischler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/dtischler/32/2483_2.png) [@dtischler](https://forums.balena.io/u/dtischler)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/build-log-nanosaur/344061/8 "2021-11-02T21:37:49Z")
My Nanosaur took his first steps last night. 🦖 So, that reminded me to post an update. I ended up redoing my cabling, as it was a bit messy and my cables were too long. So, I ordered in some new PCB’s and resoldered more carefully, using shorter cable lengths this time. I then finished up his snout, placed it on the body, and powered up! ![IMG_3643](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/balena/original/2X/e/e753f9d9209c3045bd571e65cb2c3666329935ef.jpeg) With full assembly complete, it is time to start focusing on the software. Raffaello has everything documented over at [http://nanosaur.ai](http://nanosaur.ai), so you can follow the instructions there. But for the moment, I am running the Nvidia JetPack 4.6 software on the Nanosaur, in it’s default configuration. I will eventually migrate this to balenaOS of course, but for testing purposes the “normal” installation allowed me to verify that the hardware is functional!