Regenerative Braking Tester
This repo contains the Arduino code (C) and control software (Python)
for a regenerative braking test stand. The Arduino code resides in
main/main.ino, and the control software resides in tools/.
The Arduino and control software communicate via a custom protocol over serial.
Arduino Code
The Arduino maintains a state machine, which advances the states of pins 2 and 3 through the following states:
- 2 high, 3 low
- 2 low, 3 low
- 2 low, 3 high
- 2 low, 3 low
Attaching MOSFETs or relays to pins 2 and 3 in an H bridge-like circuit will produce acceleration and regenerative braking of an attached motor.
The program will also regularly poll the current detected by an ACS712 Hall effect current probe attached to A1 and output the current (in amperes) via serial.
Control Interface
The primary control software for interfacing with the Arduino is
tools/controller.py. To run it, attach the Arduino via USB and run
it with root privileges. The software will attempt to connect to the
Arduino and will run through the steps of a trial. Data will be output
to standard output, from which it can be logged and processed.
Tachometer
Speed sensing is done separately by tools/tachometer.py (requires
OpenCV to be installed: pip install opencv). Run this with a webcam
attached and pointed at the regions of interest, and it will prompt
you to select the two regions of interest in a camera frame. The speed
plots will then be displayed and updated in real time.