Description

The LURC (the Long-Range UCC Reconnaissance Car) is planned to be a remote control car with all the bells and whistles. Picture a standard remote control car. Now, throw out the radionics and replace it with a decent computer, controlled over the internet. Then add a webcam with pan and tilt, so the remote driver can see where he/she is going. Then add GPS. Then add solar power boosting. Then add battery level feedback to the remote driver. Top all this off with a whiz-bang steering wheel and driving pedals on a desktop, and you have yourself UWA's coolest car.

Creation date: November 2009

Location of source: http://svn.ucc.asn.au:8080/oxinabox/LURC/ (soon to be moved to a public repo)

Project leader

Bob Adamson is the leader and finance for this project.

List of people involved

Lyndon 'Frames' White is doing the AVR code and serial interface.
John Hodge has volunteered to write some fancy code for the web interface, and has threatened to put his acess kernel on the router :S.
Other people such as Rufus Garton-Smith and Adrian Chadd have been conscripted into helping with the webcam and the 3g dongle respectively (thanks guys!).
Did I mention that OTHER PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO GET INVOLVED?
Also, thanks to Mitch Kelly for his advice, even though we don't always agree on things

Project plan

What is done

• Assemble cells into a 7.2V battery pack

• A significant amount of waiting for parts to arrive :S
• Set up bifferboard with a basic operating system such as openWRT

What is being done

• Serial interface on the AVR (over-all 80%)
  • match polulo protocol for servo controllers (not done)

  • set up framework/datastucture for storing and retrieving received commands

  • framework for execution of commands,

  • implement vast array of all required commands including PWM, LCD. (20% done)
  • Implement serial communication, (receiving). (90% done, more conclusive testing remains)
• Setting up the bifferboard for webcam, serial control, etc.
• Chassis and motor pod prototype

What needs doing next

• Order USB dongle (crazy johns claims to have cheap ones at the moment)
• Test AVR serial code for robustness and completeness
• Get serial commands sent from a computer to control the servos

Parts we have got

• Brushless motor, 3800 Kv

• Servos x 3. These are smaller than what was expected at about 1x2x3cm, but should be strong enough
• C size rechargeable cells, 6x3300mah NiMH
• AVR atmega169 butterfly board
• Solar panel

• A Bifferboard. This will be used to connect to the outside world, the webcam, and the AVR Butterfly.

• Wheels and tyres, 2.2" hubs to suit a 3/16" axle - f*** these were expensive -- BobAdamson

• USB power adapter for the bifferboard (for testing)

• Webcam, which should be sufficient to display a 640x480 image

• BEC and ESC, this one is on order

• FT232 converter (MAX232 works, but need a usb adapter for the bifferboard-gps connection anyway) - on order from sparkfun

Parts still to get or make

• Gears, axles, and other RC car parts - mechano doesn't cut the mustard.
• Motor pod/mount
• Chassis
• USB broadband dongle (borrow off of Adrian for the moment!)

• Battery charger

• USB to serial adapter and serial GPS module

Other info

Some programs we are probably going to need

• openWRT
• wvdial (a command line dial-in PPP utility)
• MJPG-streamer (stream webcam using various output plugins)
• AVRstudio 4
• WinAVR (wich has the AVR-GCC C compiler)
• br@y's Terminal, one of the best GUI COM terminal programs.

Links

• http://wiki.openwrt.org/oldwiki/ddnshowto for dynamic dns

• http://wiki.openwrt.org/inbox/asus-wl500gp will be handy for getting usb and webcam going

• http://josefsson.org/openwrt/dongle.html will help with getting Huawei usb dongle going

• http://linux-uvc.berlios.de/faq/ just to check webcam compatibility

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