Autonomous Vehicle Challenge project

This is the project page for the AVC contest at National Robotics Challenge, 2019

Presentations at AVC project meetings

Hall Effect Encoders

GEAR has some AndyMark hall effect encoders that can be attached to AndyMark DC motors to measure distance traveled by a robot.

AndyMark encoders

The purpose of the 2 channels is to make it possible to detect rotation direction. If you only want to track distance in one direction, it is only necessary to use one channel. As the motor spins, the channel lines will output pulses of +5 volts (7 pulses per one rotation for each channel, 90 degrees out of phase, a so-called quadrature encoder design). You can use an Arduino to supply power to the encoder and to program it. The tutorial linked below should be helpful with programming.

Encoder programming tutorial

Here is a sample Arduino code that works with the AndyMark encoder:
Encoder sample program

Exercises

Here are some exercises to help you sharpen your engineering skills

Exercise One - calculating speed of a robot

Exercise Two - converting encoder counts to distance traveled

Exercise Three - making your robot turn

Last update: October 18, 2018