Introduction to Rover¶
This article describes the main components of a Rover system, including the ground vehicle, autopilot hardware, and the software/firmware.
Rover Components¶
While it is is possible to build a vehicle with Rover from scratch we highly recommend starting from an existing RC vehicle (this comes with a frame, escs and power supply). You will need to add the autopilot, GPS, and possibly some other hardware. Most importantly you will need to obtain an RC Transmitter that has spare channels needed for autopilot mode control and learning.
If you want a slow skid steering rover the WildThumper varieties are very popular. If you want a standard car then any 1/10 scale RC car is fine. We prefer 1/10 scale as its large enough to easily work on and fit any gear like companion computers etc. The 1/16 or 1/18 scale vehicles you have to squeeze everything on but as you can see from the photos in this wiki its certainly do-able. We tend towards 2WD instead of 4WD as well just because we get slightly longer battery life (fewer mechanical losses) and the car is less complicated. But if you’re looking to go on the dirt fast and corner hard then 4WD is the way to go. We also prefer vehicles with brushless motors and no RC - the RC units that come with most ready-to-run RC cars don’t have the spare channel needed for autopilot mode control and learning.
Autopilot Hardware¶
The list of supported autopilots is on the Choosing a Flight Controller wiki page. The Pixhawk family is the most common choice.
Developers creating robot vision applications should consider a Linux based autopilot board (e.g. Emlid Edge) or adding a separate Companion Computer.
Note
You will need servo extension cable to connect the autopilot to your RC receiver (choose length to suit)
4+ channel RC transmitter and receiver¶
You’ll need a radio control transmitter to manually control your Rover and to activate its control modes. You can use any RC transmitter/receiver system with at least 4 channels.
Don’t get one designed for cars (with a steering wheel and throttle trigger); we won’t be driving the Rover manually much at all. Ideally, it will have at least two toggles switches, and one of those switches will have three positions. If you’re on a budget, the Turnigy 9x ($54) is a popular choice. If you’d like better quality, we like the OpenTX/FrSky systems
Some other options are discussed in the topic Compatible RC Transmitter and Receiver Systems.
GPS module¶
Your Rover will require a GPS module. The recommended module is UBlox GPS + Compass Module which also includes a compass. You can check out other GPS solutions here.
LiPo batteries and charger¶
You’ll also need batteries and a charger. For a 1/16 or 1/18 scale almost any 2S (7.2v) LiPo under 2600 mAh will do - for example this one. For larger 1/10th scale this is a good size choice A simple LiPo charger like this one will work fine.
Optional hardware¶
Telemetry Radio¶
A telemetry radio allows your Rover to communicate with your ground station remotely using the MAVLink protocol. This allows you to interact with your missions in real time and receive streaming data from your vehicle’s cameras and other components. This adds considerable convenience to your missions!
Sonar/IR Sensors¶
Sonar/IR sensors are recommended for obstacle avoidance.
Ready to Use Rovers¶
A list of ready-to-use vehicles is on the RTF wiki page.
Ground Control Station¶
The list of supported ground stations is on the Choosing a Ground Station wiki page and we explain how to install a number of them in Installing Ground Station (GCS) software.
Note
This wiki uses Mission Planner as the reference GCS for most instructions.