I am using Ardurover firmware and I can’t figure out how to make the rover reverse when the Throttle stick is “below” the middle position.
So I would like the Throttle to work so that in the middle position the motor stops. When I forward the Throttle stick the model moves forward and when I reverse the stick position I get a reverse gear.
It seems like a very basic thing for a rover, but I somehow can’t find proper materials for that.
Can someone help?
If I just select “RC1” instead of “Throttle” in “Servo Output” menu in the Misison Planner I get the exact behavior that I want. The downside is in that case the arm / disarm and mode functions do not work, because the Pixhawk is just bypassing the RC signal.
When I am looking at he “Servo Output” screen in Mission Planner I can see that min is 1000, trim is 1500 and max 1900 for Throttle. But actually the stick goes from 1500 to 1900 (and does not allow to go below 1500).
Hi I’m facing a similar issue- not able to move the rover in reverse direction.
ESC: hobbywing platinum V4 130A HV.
Servo1 : Function- ThrottleLeft,min-1066,trim-1500,max-1860
Servo3 : Function -ThrottleRight,Min-1066,Trim-1500,Max-1860
I have ticked the reverse[ ] checkbox it toggled my throttle (when its ticked the motor rotates forward when throttle is on the down position).
Is there is any way to test the ESC supporting reverse mode or not ?
or should I set any other prams to make it possible ?.
or any work-around to make it possible to rotate in both direction ?
This is a fixed wing/helicopter ESC. Those ESCs usually do not support bidirectional operation and a quick look in the user manual confirms this. You can set the rotation direction with the programming box, but not bidirectional mode. What kind of rover do you want to power with a 130A non sensored ESC?
Hi @count74 ,
Thank you for the confirmation.
I have 2 PMS Motor of 48V, and 13S lipo battery, I would like to make use of it to build a autonomous rover(skid steer).Could you suggest any better ESC for this?
VESCs by Benjamin Vedder are also available in a wide variety of voltage and current ratings. The VESC 75 (V)/300(A) should match your battery. The smaller models are rated for 12S and voltage spikes not higher than 60V. The 75/300 know costs around 480€.
Hi @count74 ,
I’m planning to go forward with your suggestion VESC
Or flipsky( based on vesc)
As I’m new to VESC, i would like to get some insights from you regarding connections and initial setups,
can I use the PPM connection of VESC to Pixhwak as i used to connect normal PWM based ESC ?
or should I use UART or other communication methods instead?
If you have any other suggestions from your experience to a new VESC user please post.
Great find! I also use Flipsky VESCs on my rover, but there is some discussion if they actually pay Benjamin something for using his design, so I thought I post a link to the “original”.
The VESC software is a little bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is easy. The most important thing is to remember is that, even if you are connected to the ESC, all settings are done “offline” and need to be written to the ESC. It is also a good practise to do a read after writing the settings to verify.
I use PPM as an input signal, because even so Ardupilot and VESC support UAVCAN, I never got them to work together. I also seem to remember, CAN in Ardupilot does not support bidirectional operation yet.
The VESC software features an autosetup for the motor parameters. You select the weight/size of your motor, input voltage and the type of sensor/no sensor. Then the VESC software uses some safe base values and starts to energize the motor. This will cause the motor to make some scary noises and rotate in different directions and after that you can test the motor and change the rotation direction. Do not forget to write the settings! Then you need to configure the input you want to use. Be aware that, if you choose multiple inputs, keyboard and PPM for example, they might interfere.
The VESC software also lets you see the input PPM/PWM signal the VESC receives. This makes calibration really easy. It has been a while since I last had to do it, so I will need to refresh my memory once I am at home again. There is a sequence of settings to prevent the motor to spin during calibration and I do not trust my memory enough to write down now.
It seems to be more cost effective and high current version.
Do you able to get reverse(& skid-steer)working in your rover(from throttle) by connecting to PPM port of FLIPSKY ESC?
here in the blow blog they have mentioned like “PPM control mode - without positive and reverse switching” any idea what it means?
You can configure VESCs for bidirectional operation with PPM. What the PPM signal controls can also be configured. You can use Duty Cycle, Current, RPM, Position (Servo) mode.
I use Duty Cycle on my rovers (10kg and 25kg), but with large and heavy vehicles Current control mode might be more suitable.
In the blog you linked they use a waterjet and you would not want to turn the impeller backwards. The thrust bearing on those things only really works in one direction and running them in the wrong direction might damage the waterjet. They also disabled the brake function and perhaps the drag brake (I did not read it all), so the waterjet just spools down without putting active resistance at the passing water.
I have successfully tested my rover with flipsky 75200 ESC,(reverse is working perfectly !! thank-you!)
Parameters
Motor type : medium in-runner (750g)
Battery : BATTERY_TYPE_LIION_3_0__4_2(as I’m using Li-po)
Cell: 12 (i have 13s but to be safe i kept 12)
I have 6 wires coming from the motor,blue,green,red,black ,yellow and white
I guess its hall sensor(i don’t have data-sheet or any details of this motor)
So i have connected
Black-GND
Red-5V
white - TEMP
Yellow-Hall1
Green-Hall2
Blue-Hall3
(This connection made based on general color code on motor sensors)
I would like to find out the exact wires by trial and error( keep gnd and 5v and check all other sensors)
How can I verify my sensor connection from VESC software?
You do not need to sort out the sensor wires. The VESC does that for you during motor setup.
If your motor runs smooth and starts without cocking while under load, everything is fine.
