SLAMTEC RPLIDAR A3 Low Cost 360 Degree Laser Range Scanner User Manual
- June 13, 2024
- SLAMTEC
Table of Contents
SLAMTEC RPLIDAR A3 Low Cost 360 Degree Laser Range Scanner
Product Information
RPLIDAR A3
Low Cost 360 Degree Laser Range Scanner
Development Kit User Manual
Model: A3M1
Manufacturer: Shanghai Slamtec Co., Ltd
Overview
The RPLIDAR A3 development kit includes the necessary tools for evaluating the performance and initial development of the RPLIDAR. By connecting the RPLIDAR A3 to a PC via USB cable and connectingthe power adapter to the USB cable, users can observe the cloud map of the environment scanning point collected by the RPLIDAR inRoboStudio and start development based on the SDK.
Items in the Development Kit
- RPLIDARPWM motor driver embedded
- USB Adapter
- Micro-USB cable
- Power cable
The RPLIDAR A3
The RPLIDAR A3 is a 360-degree laser range scanner. It is embedded with a logic IO drivable motor controller, which can be used to configure the scan frequency by tuning motor speed. Developers can also choose to turn off the motor for power-saving purposes.
USB Adapter
The USB adapter comes with a dial switch that can be used to switch the Baud rate from 115200 to 256000 or vice versa. It is compatible with RPLIDAR A3 and former RPLIDAR series. Please note that the Baud rate should be set as 256000 if the USB adapter is connected with RPLIDAR A3.
Product Usage
Connection
-
Connect the RPLIDAR A3 with the USB adapter.
-
Connect the USB adapter to your PC via the Micro-USB cable. If the PC is on, after connecting the USB cable to your PC and connecting the power adapter to the USB cable, the indicator light of the USB will light up but the RPLIDAR will not start scanning.
Install Driver for the USB Adapter
The USB adapter converts UART to USB by using CP2102 chip. You need to install the device driver for the chip. The driver can befound in the provided SDK package or downloaded from Silicon Labs’official website: http://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/Pages/USBtoUARTBridgeVCPDrivers.aspx
Overview
RPLIDAR A3 development kit includes the matched tools used for evaluating RPLIDAR’s performance and initial development. After connecting the RPLIDAR A3 with PC via USB cable and connecting the power adapter to the USB cable,users can observe the cloud map of the environment scanning point collected bythe RPLIDAR in RoboStudio and start development based on the SDK.
Items in the Development Kit
RPLIDAR Development Kit contains:
- RPLIDAR（PWM motor driver embedded）
- USB Adapter
- Micro-USB cable
- Power cable
RPLIDAR A3
The RPLIDAR A3 development kit contains standard RPLIDAR A3 unit (A3M1). The RPLIDAR is embedded with logic IO drivable motor controller which can be usedto configure the scan frequency by tuning motor speed. Developers can also choose to turn off the motor for power saving purpose. RPLIDAR usage and interface definition will be introduced in the coming sections.
USB Adapter
The USB adapter comes with a dial switch. It can be used to switch the Baud
rate from 115200 to 256000 or vice versa, which is compatible with RPLIDAR A3
andformer RPLIDAR series. Please note that the Baud rate should be set as
256000 if the USB adapter is connected with RPLIDAR A3
Connection
RPLIDAR A3 can be easily connected to PC according to the following steps.
- Connect RPLIDAR A3 with the USB adapter.
- Connect the USB adapter to your PC via the Micro-USB cable. If the PC is on, after connecting the USB cable to your PC and connecting the power adapter to the USB cable, the indicator light of the USB will light up but the RPLIDAR will not start scanning.
Install Driver for the USB Adapter
The USB adapter converts UART to USB by using CP2102 chip. You need to install
the device driver for the chip. The driver can be found in the provided SDK
package or downloaded from Silicon Labs’ official website:
Here’s the installation steps in Windows: after connecting the RPLIDAR with PC, please find the driver file “CP210x VCP Windows” and choose correct operating system version accordingly: x86 for 32-bit OS and x64 for 64-bit OS.
After Installing the driver according to the above installation steps, you will see corresponding serial port name in the [Control Panel] -> [Device and Printers]. Please refer to the below figure
Run Demo Application
SLAMTEC provides a Lidars plugin in RoboStudio for users in test and evaluation.You can view the scan result directly in the UI and save the scan result to files forfurther processing. This GUI demo can only run under Windows. For Linux and MacOS users, please refer to the other simple demo provided in the SDK. Please make sure you have connected RPLIDAR to PC by using USB adapter andinstalled the device driver correctly before running the demo application in RoboStudio. Launch RoboStudio and log in.
If the connection is ok, you will see the user interface is shown as below.
Click the ” Lidars ” option in the “File” menu, and then right click on the
Lidars below the box area, the content of dialog box will be “Manual Connect
to Lidar… / Auto Discovery to Lidar…”.
The serial number, version and model of the RPLIDAR A3 will show next with its icon in the lidar control panel. The supported commands of RPLIDAR are showed in the tool bar. The descriptions are listed in the bellow table.
| Button | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Restart RPLIDAR | Restart scan core to clear internal errors | |
| Save Scan Data | Save current scan data to the local file | |
| Stop Scan | Scan core enter power save mode | |
| Start Scan | Scan data will be displayed after scan core starting work | |
| Work Mode Switch | Switch among different work modes to fit in specific |
environments
| Adjust Motor Speed| Adjust the motor speed as required
Press the Start Scan button ，the scan data will be displayed as below(by
default, the motor rotating speed should be about 10Hz.):
Right click in the major working area to choose a range so as to zoom in or out the view.The scan frequency is also showed in the above interface.
Troubleshooting
When the scan core or the laser power works abnormally, the scan core will enter protection mode. This state can be retrieved via SDK API. If such scenario happened, please send restart command to reset the scan core
Motor Speed Adjustment
During the running process, different motor rotating speed can be achieved by pressing the button, which can fit in different working environments or meet specific requirements. There will be a speed adjustment dialog box and dash board popped up for users to enter required speed. After entering a value, the motor will work as the settled rotating speed automatically. User can also drag the sliding handle to the required rotating speed.
The current actual rotating speed will show in the upper left corner of the
major work area. For instance, the actual rotating speed in the following
screenshot is11.92Hz.
SDK Introduction and Usage
RPLIDAR A3 Pin Definition and Specification
RPLIDAR A3 is using XH2.54-5P specification plug. Please use it with socket
that meet the specification of XH2.54-5P. The detailed pin definition is shown
as below:
| Color | Signal name | Type | Description | Minimu m | Typica l | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | VCC | Power | Power supply for the whole RPLIDAR | 4.9V | 5V | 5.2V |
| Yello w | TX | Output | Serial output for RPLIDAR scan core | 0V | 3.3V | 3.5V |
| Green | RX | Input | Serial input for RPLIDAR scan core | 0V | 3.3V | 3.5V |
| Black | GND | Power | GND | 0V | 0V | 0V |
Blue
|
MOTOCT L
| Input (pull down)| Enable pin for RPLIDAR scan motor/PWM control signal
(active high)
|
0V
|
3.3V
|
5V
RPLIDAR A3 uses the one 5V DC power supply for powering the scan motor and the scan core at the same time. No extra power is required. With build-in and speed-adjustable motor driver, RPLIDAR A3 can control the start, the stop and the rotating speed of the motor via the MOTOCTL signal.
- Reference Design for RPLIDAR development
Pin Definition for the USB Adapter
The USB adapter is also using XH2.54-5P specification socket, and it can be
connected with RPLIDAR A3 directly. The pin definition is the same as the
RPLIDAR A3.
USB-DC power cord instruction
The developer kit provides USB-DC power cord for the user to connect
additional power to the USB adapter for additional power supply. For the
output voltage and current requirements of the power supply, please refer to
the datasheet of the corresponding lidar model.
Configure RPLIDAR A3 Scan Frequency
The motor speed control signal MOTOCTL can be configured directly via the USB
adapter of RPLIDAR A3. Therefore, the RPLIDAR A3’s scan frequency can be
modified by invoking the related functions in the SDK to configure the motor
speed.
Without the USB adapter, users can also control the speed by setting the PWM duty cycle of MOTOCTL. Please note that the PWM frequency is 20kHz. For more detailed parameter and index, please refer to the datasheet. Please refer to the RPLIDAR protocol and application note for more information and the SDK for the sample code on RPLIDAR scan frequency.
SDK Usage
SLAMTEC provides RPLIDAR SDK support on both Windows and Linux platform. And
users can embed the SDK source code to other operational system or embedded
system quickly. Please refer to the SDK document for more information.
Operation Recommendation
Pre-Heating for Best Performance
The scan core will be heating when start working. We recommend pre-heating
RPLIDAR (Start the scan mode and the scan motor is rotating) for more than 2
minutes to get the best measurement accuracy.
Ambient Temperature
RPLIDAR’s measurement resolution is sensitive to the ambient temperature.
Improper use may even damage the sensor. Please avoid using RPLIDAR inextreme
high temperature (>40 degree) and too low temperature (<-10 degree).
Ambient Light
Compared with RPLIDAR A2 series, RPLIDAR A3 performs better to resist ambient
light interference, which supports it to work properly in outdoor environment.
RPLIDAR A3 can work in two modes: enhanced mode and outdoor mode. Enhanced
mode is designed for indoor environment. Typical indoor light (including
situations without light) will not affect the performance of RPLIDAR. Strong
light (such as high power laser) will harm the optical system of LIDAR,
whichshould be avoided. During outdoor mode, RPLIDAR A3 can work normally to
detect objects under direct ambient light. However, the ranging distance might
be shorter under strongdirect sunlight and it is still necessary to protect
the optical system from direct sunlight.
Revision History
| Date | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-31 | 1.0 | RPLIDAR A3 initial version |
| 2019-06-18 | 1.1 | Items change in the Development Kit |
| 2019-10-23 | 1.2 | Change the power adapter to USB- DC power cord |
| 2021-04-02 | 1.3 | Modify the maximum VCC voltage of 5.5V to 5.2V in Figure 3-2. |
| 2022-08-05 | 1.4 | Updated Figure 2-7. |
Image and Table Index
FIGURE 1-1 ITEMS IN THE RPLIDAR DEVELOPMENT KIT
……………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
FIGURE 1-2 THE RPLIDAR ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
FIGURE 1-3 RPLIDAR ADAPTER ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
FIGURE 2-1 CONNECT RPLIDAR A3 AND USB ADAPTER
……………………………………………………………………………………. 5
FIGURE 2-2 CONNECT THE USB ADAPTER TO PC VIA MICRO-USB CABLE
…………………………………………………………. 5
FIGURE 2-3 CHOOSE USB ADAPTER DRIVER FOR INSTALLATION
………………………………………………………………………….. 6
FIGURE 2-4 START PAGE OF USB ADAPTER DRIVER INSTALLATION
……………………………………………………………………… 6
FIGURE 2-5 RECOGNIZED SERIAL PORT NAME MATCHED WITH THE USB ADAPTER
…………………………………………… 6
FIGURE 2-6 ROBOSTUDIO LOGIN PAGE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
FIGURE 2-7 THE LIDAR PLUGIN IN ROBOSTUDIO
…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
FIGURE 2-8 THE SUPPORTED COMMANDS OF RPLIDAR IN ROBOSTUDIO
…………………………………………………………. 8
FIGURE 2-9 THE SCAN OUTLINE BY RPLIDAR IN ROBOSTUDIO
………………………………………………………………………….. 9
FIGURE 2-10 THE MOTOR SPEED ADJUSTMENT DIALOGUE OF RPLIDAR IN ROBOSTUDIO
…………………………….. 10
FIGURE 3-1 RPLIDAR A3 PINS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
11
FIGURE 3-2 RPLIDAR PIN DEFINITION AND SPECIFICATION
………………………………………………………………………………. 11
FIGURE 3-3 RPLIDAR A3 PINS REFERENCE DESIGN
……………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
- Copyright (c) 2009-2017 RoboPeak Team
- Copyright (c) 2013-2017 Shanghai Slamtec Co., Ltd.
- www.slamtec.com.
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
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