Telemetry Package for the Drive System of a Remotely Controlled Rover

This paper will explore the transfer of data through the drive system of a remotely operated rover designed to compete in the 2022 University Rover Challenge. The system consists of six independently controlled motors, six electronic speed controllers (ESCs), and a microcontroller. The ESCs are based on the open-source VESC project. This is a highly adaptive approach that allows PID speed control, battery management, regenerative braking, and a watchdog that will cut power if certain safety measures are not met. The microcontroller has an independent serial connection to each ESC, allowing the microcontroller to control and receive telemetry data from each ESC without each other ESC needing to be operable. The microcontroller communicates wirelessly with the base station over a 900 MHz radio connection using TCP. Packets follow a custom-built protocol which allows the drive system to send and receive vital information such as speed targets, current motor speeds, and fault states.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact-us/ if you have questions about items in this collection