RTK GPS Bill of Materials

Posted on | by Wade Gordon | Leave a Comment on RTK GPS Bill of Materials

Real Time Kinematic GPS has been a popular topic in Buggy Enhancement Grant proposals. As more teams are expressing interest in building out their own data loggers, I wanted to share some info on two proven systems that will allow you to get centimeter level accurate data from the buggy course.

This quality of data opens a lot of opportunities, and I’m sure we’ve still only seen the tip of the iceberg. Drivers can clearly see the differences in their line between rolls and quantitatively compare the rollouts. Mechanics can see where and how much energy is lost in different parts of the course to fine tune the steering configurations and tire treatments. Pushers can automatically collect split times and even drill down into technique and how much power was delivered during a transition shove.

If this has you feeling inspired, I hope you’ll consider applying for a Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grant. Applications are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd.

Arduino Based System

This system was developed by the CMU Robotics Club. Detailed documentation can be found in the project GitHub: https://github.com/CMU-Robotics-Club/rtk-datalogger Note that some soldering will be required. For specifics on where to purchase components and other tips and tricks for getting started with RTK, please refer to the Onboarding Doc.

I would have liked to recommend purchasing a ZED-F9R for the built in accelerometer and ability to integrate wheel rotation and steering input sensors, but that might require changes to the PCB design and updates to the firmware.

PartCost
Seed Studio RP2040$4
SparkFun ZED-F9P$250
GNSS Antenna$73
USB Breakout Board$5
SD Card Reader$4
OLED Board$14
USB-C Battery Pack$20
SD Card$12
PCBSee GitHub
Total$382

Raspberry Pi Based System

This system does not require any soldering. We’re working on building out a set of scripts to automate the setup, post processing, and gathering logs from a fleet of devices over WiFi. Keep an eye on the project GitHub and reach out if you are interested in the beta. For specifics on where to purchase components and other tips and tricks for getting started with RTK, please refer to the Onboarding Doc.

PartCost
Raspberry Pi Zero W 2$18
ZED-F9R Dead Reckoning Pi Hat$290
GNSS Antenna$73
USB-C Battery Pack$20
SD Card$12
Total$413

Special Thanks

I want to thank Anish Singhani and Delaynie McMillan as the original authors of the Buggy Enhancement Grants that made this possible and for the incredible amount of work that RoboBuggy and Radio Club put into establishing and maintaining the RTK base station on campus.

Thank you to all of our Golden Goose Lifetime Members who have donated to the Buggy Endowed Fund and made Buggy Enhancement Grants possible.

Thank you, Robbie, and Lewis, for helping me put together all the pieces for this BoM.

Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grant applications! If you haven’t submitted yours yet, applications are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd.

Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grants Open!

Posted on | by Wade Gordon | Leave a Comment on Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grants Open!

Apply Here!

It is time to submit your ideas for Buggy Enhancement Grants for the spring semester! We have over $12,000 available for this round of funding. This money belongs to you as a member of the buggy community, to enhance your enjoyment of the sport! If you have ideas that you think will make buggy better, we want to hear from you, please apply here!

Submissions are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd. The committee will complete its initial review on Friday, January 24th, and applicants will have 1 week to respond to the committee’s feedback before the final vote.

Last semester we saw $3723 allocated towards composites testing, expanding the Essential Build Book (while building DG’s first buggy!), improving shop safety, and improving the safety of existing buggies.

For more details on the program, a summary of previously approved grants, and tips from the committee on how to write a stellar grant application, please read All About Buggy Enhancement Grants.

If you would like to support this program, please consider donating to the Buggy Endowed Fund. Your gift will help perpetually fund this grant program and keep the buggy hype rolling for generations to come! A donation of at least $1000 to the endowment is recognized on our placard in the University Center and with a lifetime membership to the Buggy Alumni Association. There is no shortage of excellent project proposals coming from the community, so please consider supporting this program. Join us Now!

Giving Day 2024!

Posted on | by Cynthia Xu | Leave a Comment on Giving Day 2024!

Giving CMU Day is here! Now is the perfect time to donate to the BAA and, in doing so, support buggy enhancement initiatives, Raceday 2025, and so much more.

Our official Giving Day donation page can be found at https://cmubuggy.org/givingtuesday-baa.

It’s worth noting that this year, alumni who make a gift of $25-$100 will have their gift matched 1:1 by the Board of Trustees! There is $100,000 in matching funds available, so matches will go fast—be sure to make your donation earlier rather than later to take advantage of this and further support our efforts across the year and on Raceday.

In the past, your generosity has made it possible for teams and individuals involved with buggy to purchase materials for constructing a reusable mold, research and develop steering and brake refurbishment processes, and invest in video and photo upscaling software to process archival footage. Your contributions have also directly facilitated the acquisition of jumbotrons and the organization of Buggy Bash for Raceday. We hope that you will lend us your continued support this Giving Day and will keep helping us make the experience of buggy more engaging and accessible for students, alumni, fans, and family.

Remember that if you’re not already a member, a donation of at least $20 today can also cover your BAA membership for the year. You can learn more on our membership page.

Thank you for your support, and happy Giving CMU Day!

Rolls Report November 16, 17 & Semester in Review!

Posted on | by Dan Becerra | Leave a Comment on Rolls Report November 16, 17 & Semester in Review!

November 16 & 17 were the last rolls of 2024. Here at BAA Rolls Report HQ we took a little break, but now we are back with your final rolls report of 2024. It was not a sleepy last weekend; we saw the season debut of a storied buggy org and great weather meant teams continued to get many rolls. We also have a season summary to tide you over to the spring, read on!


We are channeling pikabuggy.com this week

OrgSaturdaySunday
ApexMolotov, Scorch—
CIARoadrunner, Emperor, KingfisherKingfisher, Equinox
DG—Insite
FringeBlackbirdBlueshift
PiKARaptor—
SDCVice, BaneVice, Bane, Lust, Avarice
SpiritInviscid, ZukeInviscid, Zuke, Kingpin

Photos: Saturday Gallery (upload) / Sunday Gallery (upload)

Continue reading →

Rolls Report November 9 & 10 : Rain Dance

Posted on | by Dan Becerra

Thanks again to those who joined us for Homecoming and Mini-Raceday last week. We hope all of you enjoyed reviewing some actual buggy data! This weekend had two smooth days of rolls with no buggy incidents. The most notable thing was a little rain Sunday, and the most notable thing about that was how notable it was (as Pittsburgh is in the midst of a drought)!


Credit to Guillermo Gomez for this Scorch action shot

OrgSaturdaySunday
ApexMolotov, Scorch—
CIARoadrunner, Emperor, KingfisherRoadrunner, Emperor
FringeBurnout, BlackbirdBlackbird
RobobuggyShort Circuit, NANDShort Circuit, NAND
SDCVice, Bane, LustVice, Bane, Lust
SigNu—Jaeger
SpiritInviscid, Zuke, SeraphInviscid, Seraph, Kingpin

Photos: Saturday Gallery (upload) / Sunday Gallery (upload)

Continue reading →

BAA Survey & New Board Member!

Posted on | by Rob Siemborski

A few quick news updates from the BAA!

First, congratulations to Cynthia Xu, who has been elected as our new Comms chair! Cynthia is a 2023 SPIRIT Alum and we’re excited to have her join the board!

Second, we recently sent out our October member’s newsletter. If you are a member (check the list), and you didn’t get it in your email, please make sure we have your most recent contact information by filling in this member update form.

Finally, we’re running a survey for everyone who considers themself a part of the buggy community to let us know what matters most to you. Regardless of if you are a student, alumni, or just a fan, please give us your feedback!

Rolls Report November 2 & 3 : Mini Raceday!

Posted on | by Dan Becerra

Welcome to the 2024 Mini Raceday Rolls Report! Thanks to the preparation and very cooperative weather this year, the teams had built up some impressive speed this fall season.The weather was a little chilly but we still had some impressive rolls, read on to see!

Spirit race on Hill 5

OrgSaturdaySunday
ApexFirefly, ScorchFirefly, Solaris
CIARoadrunner, Emperor, KingfisherEmperor, Kingfisher
FringeBaltic, BlackbirdBaltic, Burnout, Bumper
SDCVice, Lust, BaneVice, Avarice, Bane
SpiritKingpin, Zuke, Seraph, InvisicdKingpin, Zuke, Seraph, Invisicd

Photos: Saturday Gallery (upload) / Sunday Gallery (upload)

Continue reading →

Rolls Report October 26 & 27

Posted on | by Dan Becerra

This was an eventful weekend out on the buggy course! After two weeks off for Fall Break, the teams returned and wow- we had a lot going on. A team making its season debut, freshly painted Hill 1 lines, mechanical failures in the chute, Buggy Halloween costumes, and a rogue police car causing a very concerning incident on the course.

OrgSaturdaySunday
ApexFirefly, MolotovScorch, Molotov
CIARoadrunner, Goldfinch, KingfisherEmperor, Goldfinch
FringeBaltic, Blackbird, BurnoutBaltic, Blackbird
SDCVice, Avarice, BaneVice, Lust, Bane
SigNuBungarus Krait—
SpiritKingpin, Zuke, SeraphKingpin, Zuke, Seraph, Invisicd

Photos: Saturday Gallery (upload) / Sunday Gallery (upload)

Continue reading →

[Updated] Communications Chair Nominations

Posted on | by Jeremy Tuttle

UPDATE: The BAA Officers have nominated Cynthia Xu as Comms Chair. If there are no additional nominations by November 5, she will be automatically elected as per our Vacancy rules.

We currently have a vacancy at the position of Communications Chair. Would you or any of your friends like to run the BAA’s social media pages, coordinate posts for the website, and handle communications and newsletters for the BAA membership? If so, please nominate yourself or someone else here. This position is a two-year term through Spring 2026.

If you might be interested but have questions about the role, feel free to reach out to me or our previous Comms Chair, Dave Singh.

Funding for Safety and New Builds

Posted on | by Wade Gordon

The Buggy Enhancement Grant Committee, and the BAA have two new options for teams that would like additional financial support.

If your team has not rolled a new buggy in the past 4 years, the BAA will reimburse up to $500 of build related expenses. This applies to new and ongoing builds. Reach out to Diya Nuxoll <diyanuxoll@cmubuggy.org> if you are interested in taking advantage of this funding!

Existing buggies have been granted up to $200 for improvements to the harness attachment system. This Buggy Enhancment Grant includes funds for 10 buggies, with the option for some discretionary funding for tools and bulk purchases. Reach out to Wade Gordon <wadegordon@cmubuggy.org> if you are interested taking advantage of this funding.

Even if neither of these apply to your team, reach out to the BAA Teams Committee if you would like help finding sustainable sources of funding for your team, need advice to support your build, or need to find an extra set of hands for a critical work session.