RC Zumo with A-Star 32U4 Prime LV

I assembled a Zumo with the above mentioned board, and I noticed that there are two different libraries available for this combination. The first is the Github repository (pololu.com/file/0J743/a-star-1.3.1.zip). I haven’t quite got either to work properly yet, so I’m trying to figure out what the best place to start is.

Looking at the Zumo32U4Motors.cpp file and the ZumoMotors.cpp file, it looks like the biggest discrepancy at this point is the assignment of the DIR_L and DIR_R pins. Zumo32U4Motors.cpp calls out pins 16 and 15 respectively, which appears to be contradictory to the assignment on the shield.

I guess the short version of the question is: What code should I start with when trying to get my Zumo running with an A-Star 32U4 Prime LV?

Hello.

The Zumo 32U4 library is for our new Zumo 32U4 Robot.

If you are using the Zumo Robot for Arduino, you should use the Zumo Shield Libraries. You might find the Zumo Shield for Arduino User’s Guide helpful in getting started. I recommend trying some of the example programs before trying the RC example project.

- Amanda

Thanks Amanda! That makes more sense now that I understand that Zumo32U4 is a different product with an integrated 32U4 on the chassis board. It might be helpful to break out the Zumo32U4 specific code from the generic “Software and Drivers” Zip file on the A* board pages.

I actually got the RC example working. I had to change the PWM input pins from 4 and 5 to 0 and 1 on the A* board. 4 and 5 just made the Zumo go bananas for some reason (like, both motors full throttle in opposite directions).

I also noticed that it doesn’t seem to turn at full throttle, so that’s my first improvement to make.

Hello.

We are glad you got the example working. Thanks for the suggestion. We considered separating the Zumo32U4 code, but since the Zumo 32U4 uses the A-Star bootloader and drivers, this arrangement should make it easier for users of the Zumo 32U4.

If you are not getting full throttle on turns, you might try calibrating the code to match the maximum and minimum of your RC signal.

- Grant