5. Device Setup

This page is a workspace installation guide for all tools currently used by our team.

This page may contain information relating to ROSSerial. As of September 2025, our team has fully migrated from ROSSerial (ROS 1) to micro-ROS (ROS 2). All new code contributions must use the micro-ROS library. Support for rosserial has been deprecated and will not be merged into the main branch.

Embedded Systems Setup

1. Install Arduino IDE

   • Download the Arduino IDE from the official Arduino website and follow the installation instructions.

2. Optional: Install STM32CubeIDE

   • If you plan to program STM32 microcontrollers, download STM32CubeIDE from the STMicroelectronics website and follow the installation instructions.

3. Install Git

   • Download Git from the official Git website and follow the installation instructions.

4. Clone the AUV Embedded Repository

   • Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to clone the repository:

     git clone https://github.com/mcgill-robotics/auv-embedded-2025

5. Install Visual Studio Code (VSCode)

   • Download and install VSCode from the official VSCode website.

6. Install PlatformIO Extension in VSCode

   • Open VSCode, go to the Extensions view by clicking on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar on the side of the window, and search for "PlatformIO IDE". Click on Install to add the extension.
   • PlatformIO allows you to build and upload code to microcontrollers like the Teensy 4.0 without requiring you to manually install all the libraries.
   • You will likely need to install python for PIO to work.
   • For more specific steps related to your OS, please see the System Requirements page in the Platform IO Documentation.

7. **(Optional Advanced Setup) Install WSL and ROS2 **

   • Follow How to install Linux on Windows with WSL to install Ubuntu 22.04.
   • Method 1: If you want to use ROS2 alone inside WSL, install it from this guide.
   • Method 2: It may be easier to launch the Dockerfile (within WSL) made by our beautiful software team which has ROS2 and all other dependencies already installed. You will need to install Docker desktop by following these instructions.
     • After installing Docker desktop, follow the instructions in the README file to clone the repository and set up the environment. Follow the steps for using VS Code.

PCB Design Setup

1. Install Altium Designer

   • Download and install Altium Designer from the Altium website.
   • Note: Altium Designer only runs on Windows. If you are using Linux or macOS, you will likely need to run a virtual machine with Windows. Please talk to a lead about that.

2. Install LTspice (recommended)

   • Download LTspice from the Analog Devices website to simulate circuits as you develop your PCBs.

Notes

• ROS1 vs ROS2: If you want to run ROS 1, then install Ubuntu 20.04. If you want ROS 2, then install Ubuntu 22.04. Choose which one based on software requirements and by asking the electrical leads. It may or may not be simpler to run Docker to simulate the environment.

• If you want to run ROS 2, you will require a 32-bit microcontroller (no Arduino Uno will not work, yes Teensy 4.0). To patch your Arduino IDE to be able to upload Micro-ROS to the Teensy, check the steps in this link: Installing Micro‐ROS on Teensy.

• For WSL installation, check this link: Installing ROS Noetic on WSL with Ubuntu 20.04 (for Windows).