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Hardware

Hardware is the newest department to FT Autonomouts (as of Septermber 2025) and serves to build the autonomous test rig "Rigby" and to improve the sensor mount.

Goals

General

  • Create and maintain a working test rig 'Rigby'.
  • Simulate a DDT car using Rigby.
  • Design interchangeable sensor mount for DDT car and Rigby.
  • Support rest of FT Autonomous with Hardware assistance.

Current year (2025/2026)

Electronics

  • Implement potentiometer based control loop for steering system.
  • Finalise and implement communication protocols for Jetson to Jetson, and Jetson to Arduino communtications.
  • Integrate independant power supply for drive and steering motors onto rigby.

Mechanical

  • mount poteentiometer to Rigby for control of steering.
  • Add a more permanant weatherproofing solution to the sensor mount.
  • Add mounting plate to Rigby, to give more space for onboard electronics and morot power supply.

GitHub Overview

FT-Hardware
├─ CAD
│  ├─ Circuit Diagrams
│  ├─ Comp Resources
│  ├─ Mount
│  │  ├─ [Design processes for printed mount components]
│  │  ├─ [Previous years' mounts]
│  │  └─ [Current year's mount]
│  └─ Rigby
│    ├─ 3D Printed Parts (reproducible)
│    │  └─ [SolidWorks files]
│    ├─ Bought Parts (to be replaced)
│    └─ Printable Parts
│      ├─ Bambu A1
│      │  ├─ 3MF
│      │  └─ GCODE
│      ├─ Prusa
│      │  ├─ 3MF
│      │  └─ GCODE
│      └─ STL
│
└─ Code
  └─ [WIP]

Previous Implementations

2022/2023

Rigby was made summer 2023, so no Hardware work was done in this time period

2023/2024

  • First pass at a steering improvement on rigby, changed motor
  • First pass at electronics systems, steering angle feedback

2024/2025

  • Improve steering solution to remove toe out geometry
  • Redo electronics wiring
  • Implement feedback sensors and PID control, and modular control systems (Arduinos and Jetson)

Resources

… (list of links here)