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263 lines
14 KiB
ReStructuredText
263 lines
14 KiB
ReStructuredText
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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=================
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The bitByteRider RC car is powered by ESP32-C3 bitBoard. The Schematic and KiCAd PCB board files are available
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on GitHub_: https://github.com/alexandrebobkov/ESP32-C3_Breadboard-Adapter
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The bitByteRider RC car operates using two main units: the *transmitter*, which reads and sends the joystick's X and Y values, and
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the *receiver*, which interprets these values and converts them into PWM signals to control the DC motors. Both units communicate
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via **ESP-NOW**, a low-latency, connectionless wireless protocol that requires no Wi-Fi network or pairing.
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In addition to enabling real-time control, using ESP-NOW introduces key networking concepts such as **data encapsulation** and
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structured communication. By using data structures to group control variables, you gain hands-on experience with how information
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is packaged and transmitted, laying the groundwork for understanding the fundamentals of network communication in embedded systems.
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The joystick used in the bitByteRider RC car remote unit outputs analog voltages ranging from 0V to 3.3V on both the x- and y-axes,
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depending on the position of the joystick. These voltage levels are read by the ESP32-C3's ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) inputs.
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When the joystick is in its neutral (centred) position, the ADC inputs on the ESP32-C3 receive approximately 1.65V on both axes.
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This midpoint voltage is interpreted and interpolated into a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) value of 0, indicating no movement or
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motor activity.
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As the joystick is pushed to its maximum positions along the x- and y-axis, the voltage increases up to 3.3V. This maximum voltage
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is interpolated to a PWM value of 1024, which corresponds to a 100% duty cycle on the receiver side, resulting in full-speed
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operation of the DC motors.
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To transmit control data, the X and Y axis values are encapsulated in a C struct, along with the receiver's **MAC** address, and sent
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wirelessly using ESP-NOW. This protocol enables low-latency, connectionless communication between the transmitter and receiver
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without requiring a Wi-Fi network or pairing.
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Upon reception, the RC car's receiver decapsulates the data, extracts the joystick values, and interpolates them into PWM
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signals. These signals are then used to control the rotation speeds of the DC motors, enabling smooth and responsive remote control.
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This process not only facilitates real-time control but also introduces you to key networking concepts such as data
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encapsulation, data structs, and the fundamentals of wireless data transmission in embedded systems.
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.. admonition:: What is encapsulation?
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Encapsulation refers to the process of organizing and packaging data into a structured format before it is transmitted between
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devices. This is a fundamental concept in networking and communication protocols, including those used in IoT systems.
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.. _GitHub: https://github.com/alexandrebobkov/ESP32-C3_Breadboard-Adapter
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Reserved Pins & GPIOs
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---------------------
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The following table summarizes GPIOs and pins reserved for operations purposes.
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The GPIO numbers correspond to those on the ESP32-C3 WROOM microcontroller. The Pin number corresponds to the pin on the Breadboard and Power adapter development board.
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Reading the Joystick x- and y- axis
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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To determine the position of the Joystick, the BitRider RC car uses ADC to measure voltage on two GPIOs connected to the joystick
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x- and y- axis potentionometers (**GPIO0** and **GPIO1**).
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Controlling the Direction and Speed
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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To set any desired speed of BiteRider RC car, the *ESP32-C3 Breadboard Adapter DevBoard* uses PWM to control the rotation speed
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of DR motors. Similarly, to set the direction of the RC car, the rotation speed of corresponding DC motors is changed as required.
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Due to the design and limited number of available GPIOs, the *ESP32-C3 Breadboard DevBoard* can control rotation speed and direction
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of DC motors in pairs only (i.e. left and right side). Consequently, this means that the four PWM channels used for controlling the
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direction of the RC car.
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Based on this constraint, the RC car can only move front, back, and turn/rotate left and right. Any other movements are not
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possible (i.e. diagonal or sideways).
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+--------------------------+-----------+
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| PWM of DC Motors | Direction |
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+--------------------------+-----------+
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| PWM(left) = PWM(right) | Straight |
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+--------------------------+-----------+
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| PWM(left) > PWM(right) | Left |
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+--------------------------+-----------+
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| PWM(left) < PWM(right) | Right |
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+--------------------------+-----------+
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.. admonition:: What is PWM?
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**PWM** stands for Pulse Width Modulation. It is a technique used to simulate analog voltage levels using discrete digital signals. It works by
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rapidly switching a digital GPIO pin between HIGH (on) and LOW (off) states at a fixed frequency (often, at base frequency of 5 kHz).
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The duty cycle—the percentage of time the signal is HIGH in one cycle determines the effective voltage delivered to a device.
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A higher duty cycle increases the motor speed, and a lower duty cycle decreases the motor speed. This allows for fine-grained speed control
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without needing analog voltage regulators.
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A pair of PWM channels are used per DC motor for defining their rotation speed and direction on each side.
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In particular, **GPIO6** and **GPIO5** provide PWM to the left- and right- side DC motors to rotate in a **clockwise** direction.
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Similarly, **GPIO4** and **GPIO7** provide PWM to the left- and right- side DC motors to rotate in a **counter-clockwise** direction.
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Changing PWM on each channel determines the speed and direction of the RC car.
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The table below summarizes the GPIO pins used for PWM to control the direction of the DC motors in the remote-controlled car.
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+-----------+-------+---------------------------------------+----------+
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| GPIOs | State | Description | Function |
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+===========+=======+=======================================+==========+
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| GPIO6, | PWM | Left & Right DC Motors spin | Forward |
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| GPIO4 | | clockwise | |
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+-----------+-------+---------------------------------------+----------+
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| GPIO5, | PWM | Left & Right DC Motors spin | Reverse |
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| GPIO7 | | counterclockwise | |
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+-----------+-------+---------------------------------------+----------+
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| GPIO6, | PWM | Left DC Motors spin clockwise. | Left |
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| GPIO7 | | Right DC Motors spin counterclockwise | |
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+-----------+-------+---------------------------------------+----------+
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| GPIO4, | PWM | Left DC Motors spin counterclockwise. | Right |
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| GPIO5 | | Right DC Motors spin clockwise | |
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+-----------+-------+---------------------------------------+----------+
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The following images illustrate various PWM duty cycles registered by oscilloscope (duty cycles 0%, 48% and 91%, resp.).
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.. figure:: _static/ESP-IDF_Robot_PWM_Duty-0.bmp
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DC Motor PWM duty cycle 0%
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.. figure:: _static/ESP-IDF_Robot_PWM_Duty-50.bmp
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DC Motor PWM duty cycle 47.6%
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.. figure:: _static/ESP-IDF_Robot_PWM_Duty-95.bmp
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DC Motor PWM duty cycle 90.8%
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.. raw:: html
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<br/><br/><br/><br/>
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Fusion of Software with Hardware
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--------------------------------
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On one hand, we have the hardware designed so that the joystic x- and y- axis, and DC motors are wired to the proper GPIOs on the
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ESP32-C3 WROOM microcontroller. On the other hand, we have the software that reads the joystick x- and y- axis, sends the data
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to the receiver device, and converts that to PWM values on the receiver device.
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In essense, the direction and speed of the bitByte Rider car is controlled by the two variables. On the remote controller device,
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the joystic x- and y- axis values are sent to the receiver device in a raw format (i.e. analog voltages, "as-is"). On the receover
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device, these two values are converted to the two PWM values; one for each pair of DC motors on left and right side.
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When the joystick is pushed forward, the X-axis voltage remains at 1.65V (neutral), while the Y-axis voltage rises to 3.3V. The
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receiver on the RC car interprets this input and generates 100% PWM duty cycle signals on both sides, driving the car forward at
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full speed.
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Similarly, when the joystick is pushed fully to the left or right, the X-axis voltage shifts while the Y-axis remains neutral. For a
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left turn, the receiver translates the signal into 100% PWM on the left-side motors and 0% on the right-side motors, causing the car
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to pivot. The opposite occurs for a right turn, with 100% PWM on the right and 0% on the left, enabling precise directional control.
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The table below summarizes the reserved GPIOs. These GPIOs are hard-wired to the corresponding components, and hard-coded in the
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corresponding functions. For example, the GPIOs 0 and 1 are hard-wired to the joystick x- and y- axis, respectively; and, hard-coded
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to read analog values and store them in the corresponding x- and y- variables.
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| GPIO | Pin | Function | Notes |
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+======+=====+=========================================================+================+
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| 0 | 16 | Joystick x-axis | ADC1_CH0 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 1 | 15 | Joystick y-axis | ADC1_CH1 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 8 | 5 | Joystick push button | NC |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 6 | 4 | PWM for clockwise rotation of left-side motors | LEDC_CHANNEL_1 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 5 | 3 | PWM for clockwise rotation of right-side motors | LEDC_CHANNEL_0 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 4 | 2 | PWM for counter-clockwise rotation of right-side motors | LEDC_CHANNEL_2 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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| 7 | 6 | PWM for counter-clockwise rotation of left-side motors | LEDC_CHANNEL_3 |
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+------+-----+---------------------------------------------------------+----------------+
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The struct used to store motor PWM values is shown below. While the bitByteRider RC car can be effectively controlled using
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just two PWM signals—one for each side—the structure is designed to hold four values, allowing room for future enhancements. This
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forward-thinking design supports potential upgrades such as improved maneuverability, individual wheel control, or advanced driving
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modes, making the system more adaptable and scalable for future development.
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.. code-block:: c
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struct motors_rpm {
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int motor1_rpm_pwm;
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int motor2_rpm_pwm;
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int motor3_rpm_pwm;
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int motor4_rpm_pwm;
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};
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On the transmitter`` device, the PWM values for the DC motors are send to the receover using the following function. The variable
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**receiver_mac** stores the MAC address of the receiver device (ESP32-C3 bitBoard on the RC car).
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.. code-block:: c
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// Function to send data to the receiver
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void sendData (void) {
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sensors_data_t buffer; // Declare data struct
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buffer.crc = 0;
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buffer.x_axis = 0;
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buffer.y_axis = 0;
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buffer.nav_bttn = 0;
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buffer.motor1_rpm_pwm = 0;
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buffer.motor2_rpm_pwm = 0;
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buffer.motor3_rpm_pwm = 0;
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buffer.motor4_rpm_pwm = 0;
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// Display brief summary of data being sent.
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Joystick (x,y) position ( 0x%04X, 0x%04X )", (uint8_t)buffer.x_axis, (uint8_t)buffer.y_axis);
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "pwm 1, pwm 2 [ 0x%04X, 0x%04X ]", (uint8_t)buffer.pwm, (uint8_t)buffer.pwm);
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "pwm 3, pwm 4 [ 0x%04X, 0x%04X ]", (uint8_t)buffer.pwm, (uint8_t)buffer.pwm);
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// Call ESP-NOW function to send data (MAC address of receiver, pointer to the memory holding data & data length)
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uint8_t result = esp_now_send(receiver_mac, &buffer, sizeof(buffer));
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// If status is NOT OK, display error message and error code (in hexadecimal).
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if (result != 0) {
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ESP_LOGE("ESP-NOW", "Error sending data! Error code: 0x%04X", result);
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deletePeer();
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}
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else
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ESP_LOGW("ESP-NOW", "Data was sent.");
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}
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This function is invoked by a dedicated FreeRTOS task every 100 milliseconds, ensuring consistent and timely transmission of
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control data to the receiver device. By leveraging FreeRTOS's precise task scheduling, the system maintains low-latency
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communication and predictable behavior—critical for real-time control in embedded applications.
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.. code-block:: c
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// Continous, periodic task that sends data.
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static void rc_send_data_task (void *arg) {
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while (true) {
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if (esp_now_is_peer_exist(receiver_mac))
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sendData();
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vTaskDelay (100 / portTICK_PERIOD_MS);
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}
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}
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As data is being sent, the function onDataSent() is called to check & display the status of the data transmission.
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.. code-block:: c
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// Call-back for the event when data is being sent
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void onDataSent (uint8_t *mac_addr, esp_now_send_status_t status) {
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ESP_LOGW(TAG, "Packet send status: 0x%04X", status);
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}
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... ... ...
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... ... ...
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On the receiver device, the data is saved in the variables by the call-back function onDataReceived().
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.. code-block:: c
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// Call-back for the event when data is being received
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void onDataReceived (uint8_t *mac_addr, uint8_t *data, uint8_t data_len) {
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buf = (sensors_data_t*)data; // Allocate memory for buffer to store data being received
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ESP_LOGW(TAG, "Data was received");
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "x-axis: 0x%04x", buf->x_axis);
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "x-axis: 0x%04x", buf->y_axis);
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ESP_LOGI(TAG, "PWM 1: 0x%04x", buf->motor1_rpm_pwm);
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}
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Schematic
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---------
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.. image:: _static/ESP-IDF_Robot_schematic.png |