I’m in the process of trying buying an electric zero turn mower. If everything goes through, I will be trying to convert it to autonomous. I have a pixhawk orange and purple cube loaded with the rover firmware and setting up the flysky transmitter.
I am assuming the control arms on the mower uses a form of rotary encoder. Is there a PWM interface/module to connect to main out of the pixhwawk board to the encoder pot/switch plug? Have seen other zero turn mower conversions where a high torque server is attached to the actual control arm.
Just starting and hoping to expand this thread with progress…
Looks like this it the part used 996499001 - SWITCH SPEED CONTROL (HOMELITE ORIGINAL OEM) Might see about buying two, and 3d print a bracket to attache a servo to the switch. Or, a bracket and replace the damper with linkage to a servo. Still have to buy the mower first.
Which machine are you using? I have a high interest in building a solar charged large format autonomous mower. I’ve built 2 gas powered zero turn rovers and they work great but I’d rather go electric. I’m on several acres so the small electric mower platforms won’t cut it, so to speak.
Ryobi ZT480E Electric Zero Turn mower. it is the 75ah not the 100ah. From what I read, it will take the 100ah batteries. It uses lead acid batteries, will eventually upgrade it to Lithium.
Interesting, the google search I see on it says discontinued?
I’m considering the ego mainly as it’s current production and I can have bezos drop one off at the house.
A design goal is to have it work in a hybrid fashion wherein I can have it run automated missions for the majority of the yard and manual mode (aka “sitting on the machine”) for close trim ops.
I guess I’d have to buy one and reverse engineer the controls to see what it’d take to do that if at all practical.
It sure seems a prefab kit to convert these would be a desirable product especially if it comes pre-tuned. The fiddly bits are what make these rovers difficult.
I’m considering selling at least one of my gassers to fund the project. Anyone in Ocala FL interested in a tuned working mower?
Here is the mower, Got it for $400. It has two storage boxes, same on both sides. Thinking of making an adaptor to fit into them to mount servos to drive the control arms. Want to do the make it where I can drive it and it dives itself also.
You could try and how the control arms function then try and duplicate that signal with a switch to swap between the control arms and electric control.
