The Pimoroni Pan - Tilt HAT is a great add - on for your Raspberry Pi. It lets you easily mount and control a pan - tilt module right on top of your Pi. With its on - board microcontroller, you can independently drive two servos for pan and tilt movements, and also power up to 24 regular LEDs with PWM control or NeoPixel RGB (or RGBW) LEDs. There's a convenient slot for routing servo, LED, and camera cables. The module can pan and tilt 180 degrees on each axis. Use it with a Pi camera for face - tracking or put it on your robot as its 'eyes'. It's perfect for a mini CCTV system, allowing you to control your Pi camera's movement with little hassle. You can even have some fun by attaching a foam sword. No soldering is needed (except when using a NeoPixel strip or ring), as the servos on the pan - tilt module have female jumper wires, and right - angled header pins are pre - soldered on the HAT's underside. It comes with an acrylic camera mount to hold your camera firmly, and it has holes to hold a NeoPixel stick and a frosted diffuser for a dreamy light. Note that the Pi camera, mini pan - tilt kit, NeoPixel strip, and Pi 3 are not included. Key features include a 180 - degree pan - tilt module with two servos, an HAT with servo and LED channels, a pre - soldered right - angled header, a cable - routing slot, an acrylic mount, compatibility with multiple Raspberry Pi models, a Python library, and it's fully assembled.
Using the Pimoroni Pan - Tilt HAT is a breeze. First, place the HAT on top of your Raspberry Pi. Make sure it's properly aligned. Then, connect the servos of the pan - tilt module to the right - angled header pins on the underside of the HAT. If you want to use LEDs, connect them according to the channels available. You can use the Python library to control the movements of the servos and the lighting of the LEDs. For face - tracking, attach a Pi camera to the acrylic mount. Remember, the Pi camera, mini pan - tilt kit, NeoPixel strip, and Pi 3 are not included, so you'll need to get them separately. When using NeoPixel strips or rings, you'll have to do some soldering. As for maintenance, keep the HAT and the module in a dry and clean place. Avoid exposing them to extreme temperatures or moisture. If you notice any loose connections, check and tighten them gently. That's all you need to know to make the most of your Pimoroni Pan - Tilt HAT.
