Hardware Options

This page lists the hardware required for an autonomous Balance Bot

Frame

Any readily available or custom made frame suitable for Balance Bots can be used. Ensure that there is sufficient space to hold all the components.

For a 3d printable frame, check out Arduroller.

Autopilot

The autopilot needs at least two PWM outputs for controlling the two motors and four GPIO pins to connect to two wheel encoders. Some autopilots without an IOMCU will not have enough GPIOs to support wheel encoders.

Motors and Wheel Encoders

The recommended solution is to use brushed motors with built-in quadrature wheel encoders but other motors may be used if external encoders are attached to the motor shafts. Note that only quadrature encoders with two output pins are supported. Wheel encoders allow faster and more precise control of each wheel which greatly improves the vehicle’s balance.

Stepper Motors and motors that use UART/I2C interface are not currently supported.

Gear backlash is a problem with many geared dc motors and this can negatively affect stability. It is recommended to use motors that are specified to be zero-backlash or have very little backlash.

ESCs/Motor Drivers

A list of verified ESCs/motor drivers can be fouind on the brushed motors page.

GPS + Compass

A GPS+Compass module is recommended if the balance bot will be used outdoors in autonomous modes (e.g. Auto, Guided, RTL). A compass is required so the vehicle can estimate its heading. For more details on supported GPS hardware, refer to the GPS/Compass page.

Telemetry Radio(optional)

Telemetry radios are very useful for tuning and debugging. For more information on supported hardware options refer telemetry page.