AD-R1M Troubleshooting

This page provides solutions to common issues encountered when operating the AD-R1M robot.

Remote Control Issues

Radio Connection Problems

Problem	Solution
No bars on RC screen	Check robot is powered on and `bringup_radio.sh` is running
“NO DATA” on telemetry	Verify CRSF transceiver power (GPIO 24), check `/dev/ttyCRSF` device
RxBt blinking	Wait for ROS2 stack to fully initialize (~30 seconds)
Robot doesn’t move when armed	Check killswitch position, verify motor service is running: `docker compose logs motors`

Telemetry Status Interpretation

Status	RxBt Display	Description
Radio not connected	“NO DATA” message	No communication with robot
Connected, no ROS 2 data yet	RxBt blank or blinking	Connection established but ROS2 stack not publishing
Fully functional	RxBt shows robot system voltage	Full telemetry operational (e.g., “12.3V”)

Caution

Ensure RxBt (robot battery voltage) does not drop below 9V during operation.

CAN Interface Issues

If motor control fails, check the CAN interface:

ip link show slcan0
candump slcan0

Reset CAN interface (handled by bringup script):

sudo ~/recan.sh

Common CAN Error Messages

Error	Solution
`slcan0: link is not ready`	Run `sudo ~/recan.sh` to reinitialize CAN interface
`No CAN devices found`	Check USB-CAN adapter connection, verify `slcand` service is running
CANopen initialization timeout	Restart the motors service: `docker compose restart motors`

IMU Issues

IMU Not Publishing

Verify IIO device is accessible:

iio_info -u ip:localhost | grep adis16470

Check sampling frequency:

iio_attr -u ip:localhost -d adis16470 sampling_frequency

Common IMU Issues

Problem	Solution
No `adis16470` device found	Check SPI connection, verify kernel module is loaded: `lsmod \| grep adis`
IMU data frozen	Restart iiod service: `sudo systemctl restart iiod`
High noise in IMU readings	Check mounting, ensure IMU is securely attached to chassis

ToF Camera Issues

Camera Not Working

Ensure media configuration script has run:

sudo systemctl status media-config.service

Check depth image topic:

docker exec -it adrd_demo_ros2-tof-1 bash -c "source /ros2_ws/install/setup.bash && ros2 topic hz /cam1/depth_image"

Common Camera Issues

Problem	Solution
No depth image published	Run `~/Workspace/media_config_16D_16AB_8C.sh` and restart tof container
Camera shows all zeros	Check USB connection, verify camera is powered
Low frame rate	Check CPU usage, reduce resolution if needed
`/cam1/scan` empty	Verify `depthimage_to_laserscan` node is running

Docker Container Issues

Container Not Starting

Check container logs:

docker compose logs motors

Verify profiles are enabled:

echo $COMPOSE_PROFILES

Common Docker Issues

Problem	Solution
Container exits immediately	Check logs for error messages, verify device permissions
`Permission denied` errors	Ensure proper Docker flags (`--privileged`, `--cap-add`)
Network issues between containers	Verify `--network=host` is set
Container can’t access devices	Check `--device` flags, verify device exists on host

Restart Services

# Restart specific service
docker compose restart motors

# Restart all services
docker compose down && docker compose up -d

# Full system restart
sudo reboot

Navigation Issues

Common Navigation Problems

Problem	Solution
Robot doesn’t move to goal	Check `/cmd_vel_nav` is being published, verify twist_mux priority
Path planning fails	Ensure goal is in free space on the costmap
Robot oscillates near goal	Tune DWB controller `xy_goal_tolerance` and `yaw_goal_tolerance`
AMCL not converging	Set initial pose in RViz, drive robot to help particle filter converge
Costmap shows incorrect obstacles	Check LaserScan data, verify TF transforms are correct

Localization Issues

If AMCL localization is poor:

Set a good initial pose using RViz’s “2D Pose Estimate” tool
Drive the robot to help particles converge
Check the map matches the current environment
Verify LaserScan data is being received correctly

Transform (TF) Issues

Check TF Tree

ros2 run tf2_tools view_frames

This generates a PDF showing the complete transform tree.

Common TF Errors

Error	Solution
`Could not transform...`	Check if the publishing node is running
`Lookup would require extrapolation into the past`	Time synchronization issue, check NTP or use `use_sim_time` parameter
`map` frame not found	Start localization or mapping node
Duplicate TF publishers	Ensure only one node publishes each transform

Network and Communication Issues

RViz Can’t Connect to Robot

Check network connectivity:
```
ping ad-r1m-0.local
```
Verify Zenoh router is running:
```
docker compose logs rmw_zenoh_router
```
Check RMW implementation:
```
echo $RMW_IMPLEMENTATION
```

Topics Not Visible

# List all topics
ros2 topic list

# Check if node is publishing
ros2 topic info /topic_name

# Check topic frequency
ros2 topic hz /topic_name

Power and Battery Issues

Problem	Solution
Robot won’t power on	Press silver button to enable battery, then press green button to start
Robot shuts down unexpectedly	Battery voltage too low (below 9V), charge immediately
LED not blinking	Check battery connection, verify BMS is functioning
Motors not responding after power-on	Wait for full boot sequence (~45s), check bringup script status

System Recovery

Full System Reset

If the robot is unresponsive:

SSH into the robot (if possible):
```
ssh analog@ad-r1m.local
sudo reboot
```
If SSH fails, power cycle the robot:
- Press silver button to cut battery power
- Wait 10 seconds
- Press silver button again to enable battery
- Press green button to restart

Reflashing the SD Card

If the system is corrupted:

Download the latest AD-R1M image
Flash to SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager or dd
Boot the robot with the new SD card
Reconfigure WiFi and hostname as needed

Getting Help

If you cannot resolve an issue:

Collect logs:
```
docker compose logs > robot_logs.txt
```

Capture system state:

ros2 topic list > topics.txt
ros2 node list > nodes.txt

Post on Engineer Zone: Visit the ADI Engineer Zone with your logs and a description of the issue