RC Range Measurement & Calibration

To resolve asymmetric detent mapping (e.g., left stick reaches 1500→2000 in only 2 detents, right stick in ~3.1 detents), use test_RC/test_RC.ino:

• Purpose: Interrupt-based PWM capture on pins 2 (Right) and 3 (Left). Prints per-channel raw (last/min/max) and per-channel calibrated norm (normalized to 1000–2000).
• How to use:
  • Upload and open Serial at 115200. Move sticks across detents and extremes; observe once-per-second prints.
  • Record min/mid/max (mid = around center detent).
  • Example calibration: Right min=1435, mid=1493, max=1994; Left min=1498, mid=1529, max=2006.
  • Normalization: piecewise around mid — min→mid maps to 1000→1500, mid→max maps to 1500→2000 to keep center stable and stretch both sides.

When to adjust the transmitter (RC controller)

If a channel hits 2000 µs within few detents, Arduino cannot increase its physical resolution. Adjust on the transmitter:

• Endpoints/ATV/Travel: increase the faster-saturating channel or unify both sides, so equal detent span maps to similar PWM.
• Subtrim/Center: ensure both channels center at ~1500 µs.
• Dual Rates/Expo: disable or unify during testing to avoid nonlinear detent effects.
• Output range (if supported): unify to 1000–2000 µs.
• Run the transmitter’s stick/channel calibration.

After transmitter calibration, re-measure with test_RC.ino and update calibration constants; we will apply the same per-channel normalization in test/test.ino and wifi_RC_control/wifi_RC_control.ino to align gears with physical detents.

Arduino Dual Thruster Control

中文文档

This is an Arduino project for controlling dual thrusters (Left/Right) with multiple control modes.

Project Structure

• original/ - Original RC remote control version
• ros_control/ - ROS + RC mixed control version
• wifi_control/ - WiFi control version
• wifi_RC_control/ - WiFi + RC hybrid control with automatic priority switching
• wifi_manager_RC_control/ - ⭐ Advanced WiFi + RC control with multi-network management (Recommended)

Features Comparison

Original

• Reads PWM signals from RX receiver
• Valid range: 950-2000 µs, mapped to ESC range 1100-1900 µs
• Center deadband control
• Timeout protection: auto-stop after 200ms without signal

ROS Control

• Supports mixed RC and ROS control
• Receives ROS commands via USB Serial
• Command format: C <left_us> <right_us>\n
• Auto fallback to RC control on ROS command timeout
• Real-time status output: S <mode> <outL> <outR>\n

WiFi Control

• TCP server on Arduino (192.168.50.100:8888)
• Receives commands from ROS via network
• Command format: C <left_us> <right_us>\n
• Status reporting: S <left_us> <right_us>\n at 10Hz
• WiFi-only, no RC fallback

WiFi + RC Control

• Combines WiFi and RC with automatic priority switching
• Priority: WiFi > RC > Failsafe
• WiFi timeout: 500ms (auto-switch to RC)
• RC timeout: 200ms (auto-switch to neutral)
• Best of both worlds: wireless control with RC safety backup

WiFi Manager + RC Control ⭐ (Latest)

The most advanced version with multi-network support:

• 🌐 Multi-WiFi Configuration — Save up to 5 WiFi networks with priorities
• 🔄 Priority-Based Auto-Connect — Tries networks by priority on boot
• 📱 Web Configuration Portal — Manage networks via phone/computer (192.168.4.1)
• 🔌 Persistent TCP Connection — Stable ROS communication, no reconnects
• 🔁 Auto-Reconnect — Background WiFi retry every 30 seconds
• 💾 EEPROM Storage — Configurations saved permanently
• 🎮 Hybrid Control — WiFi > RC > Failsafe with automatic switching
• 📊 Real-Time Status — Streaming status at 10Hz with detailed logging

Perfect for:

• Multi-location deployment (home, office, field)
• Production environments requiring reliability
• Easy setup without code changes
• Automatic network failover

See wifi_manager_RC_control/README.md for detailed documentation.

Quick Start

For beginners or simple setups:

Use wifi_RC_control — Single WiFi network, quick setup

For production or multi-location use:

Use wifi_manager_RC_control — Multiple networks, web configuration, automatic failover

Basic RC control only:

Use original — No dependencies, pure RC control

Hardware Connection

Pin Definition

• CH_LEFT_IN: Pin 2 - Left channel PWM input (RC receiver)
• CH_RIGHT_IN: Pin 3 - Right channel PWM input (RC receiver)
• ESC_LEFT_OUT: Pin 10 - Left ESC signal output
• ESC_RIGHT_OUT: Pin 9 - Right ESC signal output

Typical Wiring

RC Receiver:
  CH1 → Pin 2 (CH_LEFT_IN)
  CH2 → Pin 3 (CH_RIGHT_IN)
  GND → GND

ESC Controllers:
  Left ESC Signal → Pin 10
  Right ESC Signal → Pin 9
  GND → GND (common)

Power:
  ESC Power → 5-12V (depends on ESC spec)
  Arduino USB or external 5V

Communication Protocol

WiFi Command Format

Command: C <left_us> <right_us>\n
Example: C 1600 1400

Response: S <mode> <left_us> <right_us>\n
Example: S 1 1600 1400
  mode: 0=RC active, 1=WiFi active

Python Example

import socket

# Connect to Arduino
s = socket.socket()
s.connect(('192.168.50.100', 8888))

# Send command
s.sendall(b'C 1600 1400\n')

# Receive status (10Hz stream)
while True:
    data = s.recv(1024)
    print(data.decode())  # S 1 1600 1400

s.close()

Usage

Option 1: WiFi Manager (Recommended)

1. Open wifi_manager_RC_control/wifi_manager_RC_control.ino
2. Upload to Arduino UNO R4 WiFi
3. First boot: Connects to AP "ArduinoR4-Config"
4. Visit http://192.168.4.1 to add WiFi networks
5. System auto-connects by priority

Option 2: WiFi RC Control (Simple)

1. Open wifi_RC_control/wifi_RC_control.ino
2. Edit WiFi credentials in code:
   const char* ssid = "Your_SSID";
   const char* password = "Your_Password";
3. Upload to Arduino
4. Connect and control via TCP port 8888

Option 3: RC Control Only

1. Open original/original.ino
2. Upload to Arduino
3. Connect RC receiver to pins 2, 3
4. Manual control via RC transmitter

Parameter Configuration

• RX Valid Range: 950-2000 µs
• ESC Output Range: 1100-1900 µs
• Center Position: 1500 µs
• RC Timeout: 200 ms (failsafe to neutral)
• WiFi Command Timeout: 500 ms (fallback to RC)
• Status Update Rate: 10 Hz (every 100ms)

Serial Commands (WiFi Manager version)

Open Serial Monitor at 115200 baud:

Command	Function
CONFIG	Start configuration AP
LIST	Display all saved WiFi profiles
STATUS	Show WiFi connection status
SWITCH <i>	Switch to profile index i
DELETE <i>	Delete profile index i
RESET	Clear all profiles and restart

Safety Features

• ✅ Auto-stop on signal timeout — RC 200ms, WiFi 500ms
• ✅ Input range validation — Constrains to safe ESC range
• ✅ Center deadband protection — Prevents drift
• ✅ Priority failsafe — WiFi → RC → Neutral (1500µs)
• ✅ Persistent configuration — EEPROM storage survives power loss
• ✅ Connection monitoring — Real-time status logging

Development Environment

• Board: Arduino UNO R4 WiFi (Renesas RA4M1)
• IDE: Arduino IDE 2.x or later
• Required Libraries:
  • Servo.h (built-in)
  • WiFiS3.h (built-in for R4)
  • EEPROM.h (built-in)

Tested Configurations

✅ Hardware:

• Arduino UNO R4 WiFi
• Standard RC receiver (PWM output)
• Standard ESCs (1100-1900µs range)

✅ Software:

• ROS Noetic + Python 3
• TCP socket communication
• Multiple WiFi networks (2.4GHz)

✅ Performance:

• TCP connection: Stable, no drops
• Status update: 10Hz consistent
• WiFi switching: < 30 seconds
• Command latency: < 50ms

Troubleshooting

WiFi won't connect

• Ensure 2.4GHz network (R4 doesn't support 5GHz)
• Check SSID and password are correct
• Move closer to router for initial setup

TCP connection drops

• Verify using latest wifi_manager_RC_control version
• Check serial output for connection logs
• Ensure client sends commands with \n terminator

Thrusters not responding

• Check RC receiver wiring (pins 2, 3)
• Verify ESC calibration (neutral = 1500µs)
• Confirm ESC power supply is adequate

Configuration not saving

• Wait for serial confirmation after adding profile
• Don't power off during EEPROM write
• Use RESET command to clear corrupted data

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test thoroughly on actual hardware
4. Submit pull request with description

Version History

• v2.0 (2025-12-05) - WiFi Manager with multi-network support
• v1.3 - WiFi + RC hybrid control
• v1.2 - WiFi control via TCP
• v1.1 - ROS + RC mixed control
• v1.0 - Original RC control

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Contact

• Repository: https://github.com/exordor/Arduino_thruster_control
• Issues: Report bugs via GitHub Issues
• Documentation: See individual project README files