FPV Wipermotor RC/Robot

Let's Make Robots Robots
1

This is really two projects in one:

  1. An Arduino Uno-based, video-enabled RC robot (not autonomous)
  2. An Arduino Leonardo-based DIY head tracker. It plugs into a fairly-generic 2.4ghz transmitter via the "trainer" port.

The drive motors are car wiper motors. They only turn at 60rpm, so it's not super fast, but it has a LOT of torque. It uses a couple of cheap servos and a cheap gimbal for the video. I'm using a fairly inexpensive goggle/video receiver, and the feeling is quite immersive.

I used an Arduino Leonardo for the head tracker because I also wanted it to work as a USB mouse to a computer. Leonardos have the ability to be a USB host device, whereas most other Arduinos can't do that.

The Turnigy 9x transmitter had to be flashed with the open-source firmware ER9X because the stock firmware doesn't support mixing PPM signals from the trainer port along with signals from the transmitter itself. That process is a whole nuther project in itself. It requires soldering a USB programmer onto the 9x circuit board.

Lots of parts went into this, and I'm not sure if I can round up the source for all of them, but I'll try.

  • 4 x 1ft steel angle iron, from Lowes - around $5 each = $20
  • Misc plywood strips from craft store - around $2 each = $8
  • 2 x 12vdc wiper motors - $25 each = $50
  • http://www.monsterguts.com/store/product.php?productid=17685
  • 2 x Home/Garden lawnmower wheels from Lowes - $8 each = $16
  • 1 x 3s LiPo battery - $10 from hobbyking.com
  • 1 x L298 H Bridge - $5 or so from Amazon
  • 1 x 5vdc cooling fan, for H Bridge (otherwise way too many amps pulled by these motors) - $3
  • 1 x Arduino Uno to receive PWM from 2.4ghz transmitter/receiver - about $17
  • 2 x small servos from hobbyking.com - about $4 each = $8
  • 1 x goggle+transmitter+receiver+camera FPV kit from hobbyking - $100
  • http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__63646__Quanum_Complete_FPV_Bundle_Set_w_Goggles_5_8GHz_32ch_Video_TX_RX_CP_Antennas_and_Camera_PNF_.html
  • 1 x Turnigy 9x transmitter+receiver - $69 (today)
  • http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__67087__Turnigy_9X_9Ch_Transmitter_w_Module_8ch_Receiver_Mode_2_v2_Firmware_AR_Warehouse_.html
  • 1 x Arduino Leonardo for DIY head tracker - about $15
  • 1 x Power supply for head tracker - $3
  • 1 x Pololu gyro+accel for head tracker - $20
  • https://www.pololu.com/product/2468

I have attached the Arduino vehicle code and the Arduino head tracker code as text files.

 

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/fpv-wipermotor-rc-robot
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nice work!

I have not been able to get rc controllers working with arduino so i resorted to Xbee so its great that you have. Is it possible for you to include a build log in your post? Are you going to take this project further too? it looks like a good platform you could use for a lot more

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RE: getting an RC controller

RE: getting an RC controller to work with an Arduino… That’s pretty simple. RC receivers have three pins per channel. Ground, +5vdc, and signal. The signal pin is a PWM signal that will usually be between 1000hz and 2000hz, with 1500hz representing the center of the RC axis. From the Arduino, run the 5vdc pin to the 5vdc pin on the RC channel, the ground to RC ground pin, and a PWM-capable digital input into the signal pin. You can then read the RC signal by setting up the signal pin as a digital input, and reading it via the pulseIn command. I attached the code to this project as bigwipermotorbot.txt. Hopefully it’s pretty self explanatory. I tried to comment things a lot.