Kangaroo Tuning with Radio Control or Analog Joystick

If you're not able to manually push your robot for tuning, these are the steps for "unlocking" Drive Mode to use an RC transmitter or analog joystick for open-loop control:

1- Press and hold the Kangaroo Autotune button to get to Mode 1 Teach Tune. The LED will flash one time to designate Mode 1. Release the button and press it again briefly to accept Mode 1. You will then get a steady flash of the LED. (If you were to release the button then press and hold it again, you will notice it flash twice. This is for Mode 2. This process repeats to cycle through all the available tune modes.)

2- Using the transmitter stick that corresponds to the channels for the Kangaroo (this may be forward/reverse or left/right), move the stick all the way to the endpoint in one direction, all the way to the endpoint in the other direction, then repeat, then bring the stick back to center. So this is moving the stick left, right, left, right, center (or forward, reverse, forward, reverse, center). While you are "unlocking" the Kangaroo in this manner, the on-board LED will stop flashing and remain steady on. After it is "unlocked," the LED will begin to flash again.

3- At this point your motors should respond to the transmitter. So you should now designate the travel range of the motors. 

• For a robot to be used in velocity or speed control mode, move it in one direction far enough for your transmitter stick to have reached full throttle position, then- this is important- move it the opposite direction past your center start point, then move it far enough for your transmitter stick to have reached full throttle position. Then move the robot back to the center start point. So you will have moved it in each direction from center about the same distance before returning to center. The LED on the Kangaroo will be flashing through this process.

• For making the motor into a servo or tuning a linear actuator, use the Drive Mode to position the motor in the center of the travel range. Then, you will need to enter Tune Mode 1 again to start over and unlock Drive Mode a second time, so that you can designate motor range from the center start point.

To summarize the motor movement procedure for tuning: With the motor or robot positioned at a center start point, move a distance in one direction, move in the opposite direction past center, then an equal distance in that direction, then return to center. An easy way to visualize this would be the example of turning the motor clockwise 2 revolutions, counterclockwise 4 revolutions, then clockwise 2 revolutions. 

4- After the range has been designated, push the Kangaroo Autotune button. You should notice the LED begin to flash rapidly in a countdown sequence, then the tune process will begin. The robot or motor will move on its own and the LED will be flashing. When it is finished tuning, it will stop and the LED will go solid on. This process can take an average time of about 3 minutes.

5- At this point you will turn off all power to the Kangaroo ensuring that the LED on the Kangaroo turns off. This will save the tune on the Kangaroo. When you turn power back on to the devices, you will be able to command the Kangaroo with the RC system as normal taking full advantage of motor feedback.

This method can also work with analog potentiometer or joystick input. The same procedures apply.