Hello all,I am trying to add my new Ardupilot with em406 gps to a tank-steer yard-bot, but there is little information about this feature. I don't even own an r/c airplane (yet), so I only need the GPS function of the Ardupilot for autonomous mode, which I plan to integrate with ultrasonic and bump sensors. I found the section that described how to enable Walkaround mode, which I set to "0" to enable?://9-6#define WALK_AROUND 0 //Must be "0" to test the GPS and heading against the servo and "1" for normal operationSo now I should get gps readings but no stabilization, which is good. But I need some help finding the section of the code where I can change the motor outputs. I have 2 wheelchair motors and a motor-controller that uses a 0-5v pwm input for control, so I am currently using the Arduino to translate the r/c signals into the pwm values. I would like to pass those 2 control signals through the Ardupilot and have manual control as I do now, or switch to autonomous mode and let the GPS direct the bot to a specified point.Would I be better off starting from scratch with the Ardupilot hardware or trying to modify the current code?
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I am presently building an autonomous rover with skid steering using the Ardupilot. However, my approach is somewhat different than yours.
I am using the Arudpilot to provide steering input to a Parallax BS2p that is used for front and side object detection and avoidance. The Ardupilot is loaded with the way points and its rudder output is used as input to the BS2p. If the BS2p did not have object detection and avoidance, it would try and take a straight line path to the next waypoint. The object detection and avoidance steers the rover around or parallel to objects, like curbs or parked cars, while attempting to arrive at the next waypoint.
I doubt that the EM406 has sufficient resolution for your backyard unless it is several acres in size. You might want to take a look at Steve Norris' "CoolerBot" that will be in the next issue of Robot mag. You can also see it on his website: http://www.norrislabs.com/
Regards,
TCIII
Norris Labs
Welcome to Norris Labs. My name is Steve Norris. Here you will find various electronic and robotic projects that I have built using the following: Pa…
You might be overly optimistic on the accuracy of the GPS's position, Sparkfun page quotes 5m with WAAS. Is this actually good enough for position in a yard? I guess that in the air with faster speeds this is less of an issue.
There is a RTK project which will significantly improve positions to the cm level if you have 2 GPS with 'raw/pseudorange outputs' and a data link bewteen the two (or a local reference station/VRS you could use). http://gpspp.sakura.ne.jp/rtklib/rtklib.htm
Unfortunately I suspect that the module you have will have the raw output diabled (which seems to be the fashion on SiRFStar these days). There is a list of supported board on the above website.
Cheers,
Mungewell.
RTKLIB: An Open Source Program Package for GNSS Positioning
JD,
IMHO the current code would be a good place to start with atleast for now & to learn the possibilities as we already know how it works.You may not have to reinvent the wheel. I am not using Ardu pilot yet and so can't tell you exactly where to look, sure some one will help you out soon.good luck :)
Replies
I am presently building an autonomous rover with skid steering using the Ardupilot. However, my approach is somewhat different than yours.
I am using the Arudpilot to provide steering input to a Parallax BS2p that is used for front and side object detection and avoidance. The Ardupilot is loaded with the way points and its rudder output is used as input to the BS2p. If the BS2p did not have object detection and avoidance, it would try and take a straight line path to the next waypoint. The object detection and avoidance steers the rover around or parallel to objects, like curbs or parked cars, while attempting to arrive at the next waypoint.
I doubt that the EM406 has sufficient resolution for your backyard unless it is several acres in size. You might want to take a look at Steve Norris' "CoolerBot" that will be in the next issue of Robot mag. You can also see it on his website:
http://www.norrislabs.com/
Regards,
TCIII
There is a RTK project which will significantly improve positions to the cm level if you have 2 GPS with 'raw/pseudorange outputs' and a data link bewteen the two (or a local reference station/VRS you could use).
http://gpspp.sakura.ne.jp/rtklib/rtklib.htm
Unfortunately I suspect that the module you have will have the raw output diabled (which seems to be the fashion on SiRFStar these days). There is a list of supported board on the above website.
Cheers,
Mungewell.
IMHO the current code would be a good place to start with atleast for now & to learn the possibilities as we already know how it works.You may not have to reinvent the wheel. I am not using Ardu pilot yet and so can't tell you exactly where to look, sure some one will help you out soon.good luck :)