Blinking Light & Not Working Robot

#1

Hello everybody!

First of all, I am very new to the ROS and Raspberry Pi world. I am familiar with programming but not in the domain of Linux, let’s say. My problem is that the rover is not working, and I assume that I miss something essential (it’s the first time we use it). Let me tell you what I have done so far:

  1. This robot is actually bought a year ago, but never used. My friends assembled it (last year) except for the battery, but since there were some missing parts in the electronic parts, I dissassembled the electronics box, then flashed the image file for Raspberry pi.

  2. Then I flashed the firmware for Core2 ROS, but in a different way: It was very hard to remove the Raspberry Pi from the electronics box, therefore, I have used my own Raspberry Pi with the microsd card of the rover’s Raspberry Pi, I connected my Raspberry Pi to Core2 via Usb-MicroUsb cable (I also used the wifi module of the rover for connection) and did the necessary steps for firmware updating.

  3. In the end, I assembled Core2 and Wifi module into the electronics box, and everything seems okay, according to assembly page.

Now, I start the rover using the button, the light appears, but always blinking. I can connect via wifi, but in the browser it says the voltage is 0 V, there is no camera image, and therefore nothing. The light always keeps blinking (by the way, before I flashed the Core2 firmware, there was no light at all, but it was still possible to connect to the rover via wifi, and the output was the same: 0 V, no camera image).

Do you have any idea what the problem is?

By the way, I used Usb to MicroUsb cable only once, and Raspberry Pi and Core2 are not connected by any cables now, although the power is transferred from Core2 to Raspberry Pi, apparently.

Thank you very much! I could give additional info, if it is necessary…

#2

Hi,
Nice to know you ressurected the old Rover :smiley:

First - if you don’t have some parts (we didn’t deliver), just write to me and we’ll send them to you - szymon@turtlerover.com

Then, if the voltage is 0V (and as I assume the Rover doesn’t drive) it sure means you didn’t flash Core2-ROS properly. The only thing that bothers me is the video.

So, what I’d suggest is reflash the firmware and check the warnings that are shown there. Either you have poor connection, or you need to flash the bootloader (https://docs.leorover.tech/software-tutorials/flash-firmware-to-core2-board#core-2-ros-straight-out-of-the-box-bootloader-not-flashed), just tell us what’s written there (screenshot appreciated).

In case of the camera, make sure the tape connecting camera to RPi is intact. Just reconnect the tape - maybe there’s slight issue with connection.

Anyway, we’ll work on the video after you run the Rover (driving + voltage) as these are totally independent issues.

#3

Hello again Szymon,

Thank you for your support, I do appreciate it! I guess there are no missing parts, I just needed to borrow a usb-microusb cable from my friend, which is not a big deal :smiley: The connection problem between the camera and raspberry pi makes sense, because that part was already assembled and I didnt check or fix it. About the core2 ros part though, things have a bit changed: We will use a gps system that is compatible with pixhawk, and for that reason we decided to control the rover with pixhawk as well, without any GUI of course.

So, thanks again!

#4

And what’s the model of GPS?
I’m thinking as well about a tutorial on connecting Pixhawk to the current architecture. It will take some time ofc, but may be helpful for all of the people who know Pixhawk already.

#5

Hi @staycoolish,

the blinking LED means that the firmware is running but the CORE2 board can’t synchronize with the Raspberry Pi (they don’t exchange any messages).

Could you check for sure that you flashed the latest version of the firmware (v0.5.1 at the moment) and that you have the most recent version of Leo Image (2020-02-12) ? If the issue is still there, please paste the contents of /var/log/ros/latest/serial_node-5.log file.

#6

It is called Here+ V2 RTK GNSS, which can be found at http://www.proficnc.com/system-kits/77-gps-module.html .

Actually, although I have experience with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, it will be the first time I will use Pixhawk, but I’ve heard that my friends used it a couple of times, so I believe it is becoming a kind of standard in its domain. Also, there are some planning software, such as Mission Planner and QGroundControl, which can be utilized by using Pixhawk. That’s another reason we choose it. If it is going to be helpful, I can share my experience with Pixhawk and Leo (how I connected them, which power module I’ve used, etc), which may help with your tutorial. I think such a tutorial would be appreciated for some of your customers, or who knows, maybe you can include it in an optional Leo version in the future.

#7

Hello Blazej,

Thanks for your explanation. I guess either I flashed some outdated firmware, and/or I couldn’t flash it properly. We want to control the rover using Pixhawk at the moment, instead of Core2 ROS, therefore I will spend some time on that.