We want to conduct deep-water tests, but the maximum working depth of many T200 and T500 thrusters can only be 300 meters. Most of the thrusters in the deep water we investigated are controlled by CAN communication. Therefore, we want to control the thruster through can without changing the source code, that is to say, directly replace the pwm control with can communication control. May I ask how to operate it? Are there any requirements for the can communication protocol of the thruster? Or can it only be dronecan?
Hi @835056842 -
T200 and T500 thrusters have been used at depths greater than 300 meters, but they need to be terminated with a water-blocking connection, and may leak voltage to the water if potting in the thruster itself is compromised.
If you find an ESC (electrical speed controller) rated to control the brushless T200/T500 motor, that accepts CAN instead of servo-PWM signal, that shoudl work. The operation of the thruster itself is the same as any brushless DC motor, and is not relevant to the ESC control signal type.
The thruster we selected can only be controlled by can communication and does not require ESC. After setting the parameters CAN_P1_DRIVER = 1 and CAN_D1_PROTOCOL = 1, can it be directly connected to CAN for control? I saw on the official website that ESC receives CAN signals
Hi @835056842 -
If the thruster supports DroneCAN, you may have a path forward. You would need a USB to CAN adapter, or a Pixhawk with CAN output. While DroneCAN is supported in ArduPilot in general, Blue Robotics has not tested the functionality in ArduSub. If the thruster supports DroneCAN, let us know and we can advise on the best testing procedure!