Tag: wrct

RTK GPS Bill of Materials

Posted on January 16, 2025 | by Wade Gordon | Leave a Comment

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.

Part	Cost
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
PCB	See 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.

Part	Cost
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.

Raceday is Coming! WRCT 88.3 FM Preview Broadcast Tonight at 6 PM

Posted on April 12, 2023 | by Matt Gallabrese

WRCT BROADCAST

Tune in tonight at 6 PM EDT for a preview of Sweepstakes 2023. Moderated by our long-time play-by-play commentator Will Weiner, current students will discuss all things buggy to get you hyped for Raceday.

Introducing our on-air talent:

Elena Harllee – She first witnessed buggy as a high school student, when she visited CMU during Raceday 2019 and fell in love with the spot. She joined Apex Buggy as a freshman and was build lead in 2022-2023, where she built Apex’s first forward trike. This year, she is a part of Sweepstakes as the Design Comp chairman, while still maintaining her status as an active mechanic for Apex.
Ethan Husted – He is a current MechE masters student and resident old person on CIA. He held a number of roles in the org from 2018-2023, including the hill 5 pusher dubbed “Long Chungus”, build lead of Kingfisher, chair during the mid-COVID RD that never wasn’t, and reluctant head mechanic. He is now obsolete and has thus been allowed to leave the yellow tent to enter the broadcasting tent. He will be moving to Baltimore this summer to work on medical devices at Key Tech.
Julia “Juju” Nieto – A PiKA driver and this year’s Buggy Book Chairmen, she is a School of Drama grad (dramaturgy), currently working on her MEIM at CMU’s Heinz College. In her words, “Buggy has been one of the best things I could have ever gotten out of my time here. What I thought would be a short-lived attempt at becoming an athlete, quickly turned into an unexpected gift. Over the past four years, I have developed a deep love for this sport and a deep admiration for those crazy enough to be involved in it. Being able to make this year’s Buggy Book was a joy and in the words of Jon Hua, ‘the jacket is always a plus.'”
Elizabeth Zapanta – A buggy legacy herself, she has been watching buggy for as long as she can remember. The first-ever Sweepstakes Marketing and Communications Chair, she is excited to help coordinate and participate in this year’s broadcast.

Moderator:

Will Weiner (DC’13) – He got into buggy through doing sports broadcasting with WRCT as a freshman at CMU. Somehow, he’s stayed in the play-by-play role for the races ever since. He now lives in nearby Braddock, PA, and runs a company called Xpogo, which manages the top athletes in the sport of extreme pogo sticking, which was a clear next step after buggy.

You can find the broadcast on air locally in Pittsburgh at 88.3 FM or stream it online from wrct.org! Join in the conversation via the BAA’s CMUBuggy Discord (cmubuggy.org/chat). Have any questions for the broadcasters? Ask them in the #wrctracedaypreview channel under Raceday-Specific Channels. You can also send any questions via comments to this post.

After what will be a great conversation, there will only be 17 hours left until Buggy Showcase (Thursday, April 13, 2023, at noon EDT) in Weigand Gym in the CUC. And, don’t forget our Prelims Lead Truck Auction, ending tomorrow night at 11 PM, so get your bids in while you can!

And, if you aren’t a member already, join now to receive this year’s Raceday Preview featuring MechaJockey! Learn more at cmubuggy.org/membership.

See you on the course!

News Tag: wrct