Drive System
Drive System
Driving Motors (CubeMars)
Each of the 6 driving motors requires power and data (CAN and UART) routed from inside the chassis of the rover.
Power
Power is delivered over a black (–) and a red (+) wire. These wires run through the interior of the aluminum extrusions and terminate in a female XT-60 connector at each of the wheels.
Each motor connects to this system via a short power cable with:
- Male XT-30 on one end — plugs into the motor
- Male XT-60 on the other end — plugs into the rover's female XT-60 connector
Data
Data is carried over Ethernet cables and connectors, wired to the T568B standard.
Each wheel has one Ethernet-in and one Ethernet-out connector, except the back wheels, which have an Ethernet-in and a terminator (a 120Ω resistor) in place of Ethernet-out.
Motor numbering:
Position | Motor ID |
|---|---|
Front wheels | M1 |
Middle wheels | M2 |
Back wheels | M3 |
Cable layout (per side, 3 cables total):
Cable | Run |
|---|---|
Cable 1 | Chassis → Front wheel |
Cable 2 | Front wheel → Middle wheel |
Cable 3 | Middle wheel → Back wheel |
Ethernet Connector Pinouts
Each wheel has two female Ethernet connectors: one in, one out. Pin assignments below follow T568B pairing (pins grouped by pair: 1–2, 3–6, 4–5, 7–8 in standard Ethernet), but here shown per the rover's female connectors labeling.
M1 – In
Pin | + | – |
|---|---|---|
1 | RX | M1 out 1– |
2 | M1 out 2+ | TX |
3 | M1 out 3+ | M1 out 3– |
4 | CAN HIGH 1 | CAN LOW 1 |
M1 – Out
Pin | + | – |
|---|---|---|
1 | — | M1 in 1– |
2 | M1 in 2+ | — |
3 | M1 in 3+ | M1 in 3– |
4 | CAN HIGH 2 | CAN LOW 2 |
M2 – In
Pin | + | – |
|---|---|---|
1 | M2 out 1+ | M2 out 1– |
2 | RX | M2 out 2– |
3 | M2 out 3+ | TX |
4 | CAN HIGH 2 | CAN LOW 2 |
M2 – Out
Pin | + | – |
|---|---|---|
1 | M2 in 1+ | M2 in 1– |
2 | — | M2 in 2– |
3 | M2 in 3+ | — |
4 | CAN HIGH 3 | CAN LOW 3 |
M3 – In
Pin | + | – |
|---|---|---|
1 | — | TX |
2 | — | — |
3 | RX | — |
4 | CAN HIGH 3 | CAN LOW 3 |
Motor-Side Connection
The female Ethernet connector cables connect to the motors via GH connectors.
Warning: The GH-side connector should never be disconnected from the motor. This connector sits inside the motor driver and is physically flimsy — one driver has already been bricked from being connected/disconnected too many times.
Steering motors
The steering motors are connected through 5-way wire (with one of the channels cut off) to the motor drivers.
