Hello,
I recently bought a Hokuyo URG-04LX, and I’m trying to connect it with it using Serial.
The default baud rate is 19200, but I’m not receiving any data from it. I checked that the RX/TX lines are connected properly and powering the Hokuyo with an Arduino right now.
Cam someone help shed some light onto this problem?
Thanks
Are you using the 5V from the Arduino to power the Hokuyo? Is your Arduino powered from a battery, or from a PC with a USB cable? Depending on how you’re powering the Arduino, the 5V pin of the Arduino might not be powerful enough to power the Hokuyo sensor.
From the Hokuyo datasheet, it says that it has a current consumption of 500mA or less, with an inrush current of 800mA. The USB cable is able to provide at most 500mA for everything, including the Arduino, so this method wouldn’t be powerful enough for the sensor also. Depending on the Arduino board you are using, it will have a LDO regulator rated for 0.5A to 1.0A, so this may not work well either.
To help troubleshoot the sensor, we would recommend to first power the sensor from an external power supply like workbench power supply or a 5VDC wall adapter. With this power supply, you should be able to test that the serial connection is working properly.
We hope this helps,
