This repository contains a number of programs used to control a Heng Long RC tank using a Raspberry Pi. For more information on the Raspberry Tank project, go to https://ianrenton.com/hardware/raspberry-tank/.
rt_http is a tank control program with an HTTP server built in (using mongoose). It takes commands in a specific format on its port as HTTP GET requests, and uses them to control the tank. It also reads data from an ultrasonic rangefinder and compass module over I2C.
You can compile it by running "make" in its directory, assuming you have make
installed. You also need libpthreads, and kernel modules for I2C if you
intend to use the I2C devices. It should build mongoose automatically,
if not, run cd mongoose && make linux.
You need to run it as root so that it can talk to the GPIO pins. (sudo ./rt_http)
It was designed for use with the Web UI, though you can probably figure out how to use it without :)
web-ui is the frontend for rt_http. It renders a web page that includes the tank's video feed, plus buttons with Javascript that sends the appropriate commands to rt_http, and the readings from the sensors.
The web UI comes in two flavours - a laptop/non-touch flavour where tank commands are activated by holding the mouse down on an icon, and a phone/ tablet flavour where you just click an icon then click Stop to stop. (Touch devices tend to do a "right-click" action when you click-and-hold, so this form of interaction doesn't work very well there.
You can run it with any web server such as lighttpd. If your document root isn't /var/www, you'll need to edit the directory that rt_http writes its sensordata.txt file too.
rt_py will possibly become a Python port of the main tank control code. However, it's currently not working, which I think is due to the lack of accuracy in Python's time.sleep() as opposed to C's usleep(). This means that a pure Python version may never happen. Feel free to take it and see if you can get it working.
henglong_test is a program to exercise the tank's drive motors in sequence.
rt_ssh operates each of the tank's primary functions via text entry, e.g. "W" followed by "Enter" makes the tank move forward a bit. Designed to be operated over SSH.