Summary of Web Enabled 4 Wheeled Robot using a Photon
This article details a 4-wheeled robot project expanding on a previous MKR1000 build, utilizing the Particle Photon for Wi-Fi control. The creator assembled an Adafruit Basic Robot Kit with an L298N motor driver to enable web-based movement commands like forward, backward, and turning via the Particle.IO platform.
Parts used in the 4 Wheeled Adafruit Robot:
- Particle Photon
- Adafruit Basic Robot Kit
- Amazon Web Services L298N
- Adafruit DC Motor in Servo Chassis
- Adafruit Wheels
- Amazon Web Services 6xAA Battery Holder
- Adafruit 5v USB Battery Pack
- Jumper wires (generic)
- Breadboard (generic)
Expanding upon MKR1000 based Robot project, I created this 4 wheeled Robot.

Things used in this project
Story
Expanding upon my 1st Hackster.IO project based upon the MKR1000 board, I used what I learned and extra hardware from that build to learn about the Particle.IO platform using the Photon.
(below is a link to 1st project, which has Robot Platform build information and code ideas).
1. Gather your tools
2. Gather your hardware- an Adafruit Basic Robot using 4 wheels instead of 2.
(for assembly of platform see my previous MKR1000 Robot build or
visit Adafruit's website: https://learn.adafruit.com/simple-raspberry-pi-robot/overview )


3. Mount L298N DC Motor Driver onto assembled Robot chassis and using Dupont Male to Female jumper wires connect to Photon board on breakout board.


4. Using local or web-client from Particle.IO revise code according to your “device code” and ” access token”. See Photon example/DEMO code for “Web-based LED control” :
https://docs.particle.io/guide/getting-started/examples/electron/#control-leds-over-the-39-net
5. Use my code as an example. Initial setup and tests.
Initial Demo code tests
6. Here is a short video of Web page control and my Simple Robot in action.
Schematics
Source : Web Enabled 4 Wheeled Robot using a Photon
- How do I control the robot's movement?
You can control the robot by sending specific commands like w for forward, x for reverse, s for stop, a for left, and d for right through a web interface. - What hardware is required for the motor driver connection?
The L298N DC Motor Driver must be mounted on the chassis and connected to the Photon board using Dupont Male to Female jumper wires. - Can I use this project with the Particle IO platform?
Yes, the project uses the Particle Photon and the Particle.IO interface to enable web-based LED and motor control. - What is the best way to assemble the robot platform?
You should gather an Adafruit Basic Robot using 4 wheels and refer to the previous MKR1000 Robot build or Adafruit's website for assembly instructions. - Does the code support turning the LEDs on and off remotely?
Yes, the provided code includes a Spark.function named led that allows you to turn the LEDs on or off from the cloud. - What pins are used to connect the motors to the Photon?
Pins D1 through D6 are connected to the L298N motor driver to control the motors, while D7 and D0 are used for LEDs. - How do I configure the code for my specific device?
You must revise the code according to your device code and access token found in the local or web-client from Particle.IO. - What HTML code is needed to create the control page?
You need to paste the provided HTML code into a .txt file, save it as an .html file, and replace the placeholders with your actual device ID and access token.





