Another day another update.
Not much time to work on anything last night or today. But I did get Orngy, the four-wheeled rover, ready for electronics.
I needed to redesign the counter-rotating differential to be used without the tub, it needs side supports to work.
Orngy measures 23″ (585mm) long, 13″ (330mm) wide, and 10″ (255mm) high.
I am taking time off work next week, so I should have a rolling rover by the end of next week after that, is adding GPS, Sonar, and other sensors from ADAFruit.
Hiwonder has a new 35KG serial bus servo that may be better for the wheels. The LX-16A I am using now has some disadvantages over the new ones.
| LX-16A | HX-35HM | |
| Size | 45.22×24.72×36.3mm | 45.2×24.7x35mm |
| Torque | 17kg @6v, 19.5 @ 7.4v | 25kg @ 11.1 V |
| Rotation | 0-240, or motor mode | 0-360, or motor mode |
| No-Load Current | 100mA | 100mA |
| Stalled Current | 2.4-3A | 3A |
Looking at the specs, I notice a few things:
- They are using more voltage to get the torque
- The size is the same, so a direct replacement
- The new servo uses a “high precision magnetic encoder” instead of the “High accuracy potentiometer” the difference is that the magnetic will measure the full 360 degrees. In contrast, the potentiometer will only measure 240 degrees.
#3 is the thing that interests me the most. With it measuring the full 360 degrees, I might be able to measure wheel slip, distance, and such. That may be the next investment.