Getting started with Raph Rover
Unboxing
Currently, Raph Rover comes only in assembled version. All essential components are pre-installed and ready for use out of the box.
Before attempting to power on the rover, unbox the robot from protective foam package and verify that all accessories listed in the package contents are present and undamaged.
| Item | Count |
|---|---|
| Raph Rover | 1 |
| Raph Rover battery pack | 2 |
| Raph Rover battery charger | 1 |
| Li-Ion charger 6S 4A | 1 |
| Tools | 1 |
Rover buttons
Raph Rover is equipped with 2 physical buttons that we will reference in this guide. Power button is located next to the left battery slot. Second, control button is located at the rear of the robot.
| Button | Placement |
|---|---|
| POWER | Left |
| CONTROL | Rear |
Each button has a different function. What it does depends on the robot's state.
| Condition | Button | Function | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any | POWER | Check battery charge | Click |
| Rover off | POWER | Turn on | Hold - 1.5s |
| Rover on | POWER | Turn off | Hold - 5s |
| Rover on | CONTROL | Toggle maintenance mode | Click |
| Rover on | CONTROL | Calibrate servos | Hold - 2s |
Connecting batteries
Each Raph Rover is equipped with two dedicated 6S (22.2V) Li-Ion battery packs. As long as at least one charged battery is plugged into the rover all of the functionality is available. It is allowed to hot-swap batteries (replace discharged ones with new ones without turning the rover off for the process).
To power the rover, insert at least one battery pack into its designated slot located on either side of the rover.
Make sure that there is no debris inside the slots or in the battery connectors!
The batteries are secured by ball catches, which provide slight resistance during insertion and removal. A properly inserted battery should be fully nested within the slot.
You should hear a click when the batteries are fully inserted.
To verify proper battery insertion, press the power button once.
If the batteries are properly connected (and have any charge left) the LEDs on the sides of the rover will display current battery charge level.
First power on
First, with the charged battery connected, you can switch on the rover. Simply press and hold the Power button for 1.5 seconds. You'll see the rear LED panel gradually turn green as you hold the button. A quick, single green flash across all LED panels confirms the rover is successfully powered on.
In just one to three minutes, the Raph rover will set up its Wi-Fi network for you to connect to.
- SSID 2.4 GHz:
Raph-XXXX-2G - SSID 5 GHz:
Raph-XXXX-5G - Password:
fictionlab
Where XXXX is the ID of the robot.
Wheel calibration
Before driving the robot is is required to calibrate the rear steering wheels. This process is initiated using the CONTROL button positioned at the back of the rover. Hold it for 2 seconds until the LED strips shines blue.
Wheels will begin to rotate inwards to locate the induction sensor, then bump into the frame to set zero position. This 2-step process ensures that the wheels are calibrated without obstruction.
Every time the Raph Rover is switched off, it looses the steering wheel position. Because of this, it is required to calibrate the steering wheels each time you turn it back on.
Web interface
Raph Rover has dedicated web interface that you can connect to from any device like mobile phone or PC. It allows to test basic robot functionality like driving, preview stream from on-board camera.
To access it, open your web browser and navigate to 10.10.0.2.
From here, you can control the rover, access the camera feed, and configure various settings. You can control the rover using the on-screen joystick.
You can use gamepads, including Xbox and PlayStation controllers, with the Web UI. First, plug the controller into your device. The UI will confirm the connection with a "Gamepad connected" notification. You can then immediately start controlling the robot with the gamepad.
More inforation coming soon
Maintenance
Charging batteries
Raph Rover comes with a 4A 25,2V Li-Ion charger. It can charge 1 battery pack in about 1.5 hour via the dedicated charging slot.
The charger (not the dock) is outfitted with an LED status indicator designed to provide information about the charging status of the battery. A green LED signifies that the battery has reached full charge, while a red LED indicates that the battery is currently in the charging process.
As an alternative, the batteries can be charged via the rover, by leaving them inside the battery ports and connecting the charger to the rover's power input located at the back.
This way it's possible to charge both batteries at the same time, however the charging current will be split between them, resulting in a longer charging time of around 2.5 h. The Rover does not need to be powered off for this process.
When working on the rover while charging the batteries the LED indicator of power adapter will not transition to green when charging is complete. Power draw of the rover will keep the charger in active (red) state. To check battery level, press the power button once. Fully illuminated LED side panels will indicate fully charged batteries.
What's next
After initial testing, you can explore what else Raph Rover has to offer. Start developing your own robotic application with help of our tutorials:
Coming soon
Support
If you get stuck or run into any issues with the robot, remember: you are not alone! Join our Discord community to access a private support channel directly with Fictionlab employees. Alternatively, you can simply contact us by email.