Just finished the basic rover v2 kit. The tracks are a bit too short, and please don’t tell me that I have to pull really hard or to remove the last little wheel to force it in place cause it just won’t go on without the first axel bending… I solved this by putting a smaller cogwheel at the driveaxel, I guess it will affect the rovers speed, but I don’t mind about that. However, it is still sitting tight, when the tracks is mounted it sits so damn tight that it’s quite hard to turn them. I wonder if the motors is able to even move it forward. Yes, I used all of the track pieces that came with the package. one 30 links, two 10 links and two 8 links per side of course.
My next problem is the motors. When everything is connected and fully assembled as described with the USB cable connected and no batteries in the AA pack, I upload the sample WASD code to the board. The led’s blinks and confirms that it’s been loaded. When I start hyperterminal and try to send a command the motors at first didn’t move at all. At first I thought that it was something wrong with the code, so I triple checked and even uploaded a simple LED blinking code just to see if it worked at all and yes, it did. I got back to the motors and I then thought about the tracks, perhaps they are too tight afterall, but no… They still dont move… Even without tracks mounted. Then i removed the motors entierly from the gearbox just to see if they worked at all, with the same wires to the board using the same WASD code again… Then they start to move a little bit, and then they stop. If I try to help them rotate a bit with my fingers they eventually rotate on their own a bit more in one direction but then stops again. It seems like they move better in one direction and worse in the other.
Now, the thing is… I hadn’t had the time to go through this with my tools yet cause I had to leave for work. I mean as if there wasn’t enough power from the motorcontroller? Or from my USB on the computer. I did try to plug it directly into the motherboard slots on the PC, even pulled all other cables out like keyboard and stuff just to see if it got a little better but no results… I did try to take one motor and run it against one of the 1,5V batteries alone, and it worked really good. So I don’t think theres anything wrong with the motors.
My best bet is the power from my computers USB slots. But then again, wouldn’t it have worked when I plugged in even all the AA batteries in the battery pack to give the motors a bit more unff… + the USB cable but that didn’t work either, same damn result. There is no burned pins at all, of what I can see.
Like I said earlier, I didn’t have the time to check up on all the wires and stuff to see if it has the right volts to it yet. I’ll try to figure that out when I get home again. Just wanted to see if there were any helpful fellow robotbuilders here that could possibly give me a hint or two.
This means you assembled the gear box in type A or B configuration when the tracks only fit in type C configuration. Take a look at the assembly video.
Once the motor configuration issue is fixed, it may resolve this issue as well. If not, check to see that the ON/OFF switch is set to ON, otherwise you may be trying to power the motors from the USB cable (which can not and should not be done - you can fry your computer’s USB port because the rover needs high current). Also, check to see that the batteries are providing 3.7 to 6V.
Thanks for contacting us. It’s not normal that you have to stretch the parts like that. Would you be able to upload a picture of your setup so we can see what’s going on?
As for the motors not running, do you have a second power source besides the USB? The USB will only power the microcontroller and logic, but not the motor controller or motors: they would draw too much current from your computer and could break it. If you install the AA batteries or add an external DC power supply (and turn the power switch on), the rover should now move properly.
Please let us know if this fixes your problems, or if you want more help.
I understand it can be frustrating, especially when you have to go to work and the issue is not solved ( believe me it happens all the time when I work on something ) but the best way to interact with those problems is to lay back a little, drink a coffee, relax, change your mind, and then get to it again. You’ll be more aware of your environment and will be more relax to find the problem with it.
You oblviously don’t wanna do that. If that’s been manufactured there, it is probably for a reason. Modifying it can be a solution, but it can be a double-edge sword since it’s messing up it’s main purpose, and sometimes a micron can make the difference.
To me, it seems like something is sitting too tight in the mechanism. Try to move each part by itself to see where it could be too tight. Could be a rusty part in the mechanism if it’s made of metal ( Yes, even Stainless Steel and Alluminium will rust ) and if not, could be something dirty in the cogs ( plastic chunks, sand, ect ). Could be a grease problem too ( you eventually need some special grease for plastic against metal or metal vs metal. )
You should check all the motors, not only 1. If many of them are working together to get a result and you get problems like that, maybe you got a motor plugged in reverse ( can happen, wouldn’t be the 1st time I see that, did it myself many times )
So in overall, Relax, take a break and come back to look at it. Take your time, and laugh at it when you find the problem.
Thanks for the nice replys. I managed to get the kit going, the motors has been replaced by a pair of new ones I had laying around. I guess there was something wrong with them cause now the motion is flawless. The tight tracks is fixed by a new drilled hole for the front axels giving them some slack.
What I’m struggling with now is a portable powersupply of some sort. I’ve seen you Lipo batteries, for how long do you think it would be able to power the rover? I need enough power for the board itself and a ethernet shield plus a router mounted on top. Later on there will of course be a ip-cam aswell, so what battery do you recomend? Should i go for two powersupplys perhaps?
