Hi,
I am looking into controlling a traditional robot with skid steering using the pixhawk autopilot.
to achieve better precision and repeatability I was going to use motors with encoders and facing a challenge of picking the best way to control the motors. It looks like there are controller options (e.g. RoboteQ SDC2130) that take encoder outputs from motors but its not cheap. So I was wondering if my thinking on achieving better precision this way is actually valid and makes sense.
The scenario I have in mind is very similar to the lawn mowing: low speed (5-7mph), flat grassy terrain, carrying ~5lb of weight in addition to chassis (this is where the traditional rc controlled chassis fails to me).
Would greatly appreciate any pointers/suggestions on my current thinking above.
Serg
As the wheels always slip on grass surface and because grass is never flat enough I don’t think encoders will help much.
I expect you are going to run outdoors so consider using RTK for positioning instead. It will probably help you achieve your result.
I prefer DC-motors (brushed) for rovers. They can move slowly with high torque making precision movement possible. Using good servo controllers like Sabertooth also helps a lot.
Good luck
Anders
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