Can you verify to see if you assembled the motors in configuration C - if the motor is configured in A or B the tracks are too tight and the motors will not be able to turn. We have encountered this situation several times and the motor configuration always seems to be the issue. The Rover should work well (without issue) off the LiPo battery alone.
With regard to attaching a solar panel with the battery - the effect while running should be to charge the battery. Do not use the AA pack if you opt for ths configuration.
We will create and post a video shortly. We are also updating the user guide.
In response to the steps, one step seems to be missing - the point where you upload the code to the rover. If led 13 is blinking, it likely means that the code currently on the rover is “blink LED” rather than the sample code for the rover. Although it may sound simplistic, ensure you have the right COM port selected when uploading code to the board (physically remove the USB cable from the computer to the shield to be sure). We hope to have the new guide available shortly.
Aliexis10 - your configuration of the Rover’s tracks is certainly interesting - it looks very cool. Please ensure that the tracks are not too tight. If pressing ‘W’ makes the robot move forward, then it seems the Rover hardware is fine and the issue is with the code or the configuration. In the image we can see that both the AA battery pack and the LiPo are conected - please disconnect and remove the AA battery pack entirely. The PCB has an on/off switch - to power the motors, you need to turn the PCB “ON” (follow the direction of the arror on the silkscreen).
Three things to verify given the photos you posted:
I don’t see a jumper on the Seeedstudio charger (refer to the Power section of the user guide - the jumper should be between 5V and Vin.
Please check that the washers are between the motor and the frame and that the motor’s gears do not make contact with the PCB (especially the pins protruding on the underside of the board from the barrel connector).
The metal connectors from the motors do not touch the PCB directly (you can wrap them in electical tape and/or ensure they are bent far away from the PCB (to prevent any accidental short circuits).
We hope to post a video showing the setup and configuration shortly.
We have uploaded a video describing how to configure the rover once it has been assembled (and you have downloaded the Arduino software).
The first half of the video describes the setup using AA batteries, while the second half describes the setup using the LiPo battery and Seeedstudio Solar Charger (now discontinued).
The video was shot without pausing or breaks to reassure users nothing extra was done.
We hope this helps.
[video=youtube;Tpe6ubhmzrI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpe6ubhmzrI
We had indicated in a previous post that your motors were assembled incorrectly - they need to be assembled in type C (it is obvious from the photo you have the motors configured in type A). Please look at the side of the gearbox to see the letters ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ next to the holes. In configuration A, the tracks are too tight and the motors will not turn. However in configuration C, the tracks should work perfectly. Most of our testing was done with LiPo battery packs, so it should work without issue, though using 4.8 to 6V will make the robot move faster. We are happy you have the rover up and running.
The AA batteries (especially alkaline) are a lot more powerful than the 3.7V LiPo and you would see a significant increase in power and speed. Most of the testing was done with the LiPo batteries which provided a good speed and fast recharge, as well as a significant weight savings.
The code from the guide should work without issue. We can issue and RMA for the PCB and shield as there seems to be a ghost in your system. As a last attempt, which program are you using to control the rover? If you are using Hyperterminal, please ensure the Baud rate is set to 9600. If you are using the Arduino Serial window, you also need to set the baud rate to 9600 and press enter after every command in order to execute it.
Please contact us via the RobotShop Support Center and we will look into refunding the solar shield and LiPo battery (please provide your invoice number). The manufacturer has discontinued the solar shield indicating that it had reliability issues. We will be changing the contents of the DFRobot Bluetooth and XBee kits accordingly. We apologize again for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
The defect rate for the rover is very small, and can usually be attributed to either a physical defect or the chip not being flashed properly. Many people seem to configure the motors in type A whereas it should be type C, and also encounter specific isues (like wrong COM port chosen in the software) all of which is resolved very quickly. Unfortunately in your situation, you seem to be doing everything correctly, and the results show the system (in theory) should be working. Once we receive your parts we will likely test them to see if they work with out setup. To confirm - are you able to get at least one of the rovers working using the AA battery pack, connected via USB to the computer?
Because the Seeedstudio Solar Charger Shield was discontinued, we will likely either release V2 of the DFRobotShop Rover with an onboard charger, or replace the charger with a different version.
You added music and everything We are happy to see the robot moving with the correct configuration. Can you confirm you removed the AA batteries before adding the LiPo shield? We can certainly see that you have the board configured properly (don’t quite recognize the additional wires going from the battery to the charger - was this done afterwards?). So long as you can confirm the LiPo is providing 3.7V (multimeter), it should be sufficient to power the board without needing the USB to be plugged in. It is possible the Seeedstudio Solar Shield is defective, and if this is the case, you can send an email to the RobotShop Support Center to exchange it (and the battery, so long as it is unmodified) for the LiPoly charger and corresponding battery (note that the Seedstudio and Sparkfun batteries use different white connectors). This battery plugs directly into the DFRobotShop Rover PCB and can be tucked nicely between the motor and the rear axle.
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. The manufacturer tries their best to assure the PCB is of a high quality, and if there are parts missing, not functional or broken upon receipt, we would be happy to exchange it. The motor controller should not become excessively hot (it will get hot though), except if there is something preventing the motors from turning (for example, if a heavy load is placed on the rover). Since components are missing upon receipt, we can exchange the board if you would like (contact us via the Support Center with your invoice number and a brief description if you would like to proceed).
A 2ms delay between full forward and full reverse is not avised - we suggest at the very least having the rover come to a complete stop first before changing the direction of one of the motors. We agree that the tracks and motors are a bit tricky to assemble, though everyone seems to get it in the end and once assembled there are no issues.
The pin on the shield associated with / corresponding to Vin on the Arduino board should be at 5V. However, the issue we seem to be encountering is that some boards cannot provide enough current (which is one of the reasons why the manufacturer discontinued it). Physically a defective board and a good board would look the same. Most of the shields seems to be ok, but should you have a board that does not work, we will certainly look into refunding it or exchanging it for you (note that you will likely need to change the LiPo battery). We will be revising the kits shortly.
You read my mind. We recently added the 300mA wireless charger (RB-See-108): http://www.robotshop.ca/Images/big/en/seeedstudio-300-ma-wireless-charger.jpg
In theory this can be used to charge the 3.7V LiPo battery and act as a “docking station”. You may need to add some additional electronics to allow the robot to detect the base, but it may be as simple as adding an IR LED and a receiver on the robot. You can also consider using a magnet etc (anything so it knows which direction to travel to get to the charger). We have not tested the wireless charger yet, but placng the LiPo battery between the motor and the rear axle seems to get it pretty close to the ground. If you decide to try it we are very interested to hear the results. As you indicated, using leads would also work, though you would need to have them connected to a charging circuit.
Theoretically, it should be able to charge the battery, even with the LED’s on and the microcontroller consuming minimal current (the Rover would need to remain stationary over the charging pad and be as close to centered as possible… Can it do it efficienctly is a different question. We have not tried that combination yet so cannot speak from firsthand experience.
It will be several months before a new version will be released. The kit will look almost identical, and the functionality will be almost identical. For example, it will likely include an ATmega chip for USB to serial conversion instead of an FTDI chip (to be more in line with the Uno). We will likely change the kit contents of the Bluetooth and XBee kits, though the basic rover itself will remain unchanged.
We will likely replace the charger and battery with the LiPoly charger and LiPo battery (note the connector for this new battery is different than the battery used with the solar charger shield). This combination has been tested and the battery can be plugged directly into the Rover PCB and tucked nicely between the gearbox and the motor as you can see in the image:
We have not tested it yet, though it looks very interesting. Adding a JPEG camera and WiFi, as well as a charger such as this one may allow you to build something similar to a Spykee or Rovio.
The basic design will remain the same (built in Arduino Uno with dual motor controller and onboard voltage regulator), and the revised version is some ways away. We are currently re-sourcing one of the parts and expect to have the DFRobotShop rover back in stock in mid-January.
Welcome to the RobotShop forum. The temperature an light sensors are included on the board to quickly let you work with pins, analog to digital conversion and sensors. The LM35 guide shows a relationship of 9.8 to 10.2 mV per degree Celcius. Since the Arduino has a ADC with 10 bit accuracy (1024 values between 0 and 5V), you would need to use this and the sensor’s offset value (since 0C does not necessarily correspond to an ADC value of 0) to get the equation to convert between the ADC value and the corresponding temperature. Since the relationship between mV and C can vary a bit, you will need to initially calibrate the sensor based on external input (thermometer for example). Given the low cost of the sensor, if you obtain a value of 17C when the real value is 20C, it would be “close enough”. The photocell has very similar specifications to the GL5528. You can get an idea of the relationship between the lux value and the output under “Gamma Characteristic” under Measuring Conditions. We suggest using the value relatively (simply darker of lighter) and not worrying about exact values.
Unfortunately the WiFi shield has been discontinued, and we are looking to find a replacement. That part of the manual was writen when the first version of the shield was available, and although we may have made a mistake with the pinout, not having the v1 or v2 shields available for distribution means we cannot go back and check. If you have checked thoroughly and can show it working, we would gladly change the manual.
Well done indeed! The video certainly shows the two are compatible (with a few things to keep in mind). It certainly is a shame that the manufacturer discontinued the shield and we really hope to have a replacement soon. Did you use the grease that came with the kit? A bit more would quiet it down considerably, and consider adding small capacitors.
DFRobot now has English documentation for the Bluetooth module which will be uploaded to the RB-Dfr-10 product page under “useful links”. Perhaps this will provide some extra information.
We are happy to see the robot moving with the correct configuration. Can you confirm you removed the AA batteries before adding the LiPo shield? We can certainly see that you have the board configured properly (don’t quite recognize the additional wires going from the battery to the charger - was this done afterwards?). So long as you can confirm the LiPo is providing 3.7V (multimeter), it should be sufficient to power the board without needing the USB to be plugged in. It is possible the Seeedstudio Solar Shield is defective, and if this is the case, you can send an email to the RobotShop Support Center to exchange it (and the battery, so long as it is unmodified) for the 