Motor Guide

When Roversa Is Not Moving As Expected

Check the surface. Roversa’s movement may vary depending on the surface. Try running it on a different, flat surface for comparison.
Verify the battery. Make sure Roversa is fully charged, then test the movement again.
Warm up the motors. Servo motors sometimes need a short warm-up before running consistently. Follow the Warm-Up Steps below.

Warm-up Steps

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Play button.
- Place Roversa on a flat surface as shown in the photo. The servo motors will go through a warm up process which will spin the wheels. This helps loosen up the grease and gears, so the servos operate more effectively.
- Once the wheels have stopped spinning and the smiley face is back on the micro:bit screen, you can test out movement again.
- Try this at least 2 times before moving on to making updates through the Calibration menu.

Calibration Menu

Roversa uses hobby servo motors to keep costs low and learning accessible. These motors work well but can sometimes run at slightly different speeds (RPMs). When one motor is stronger than the other, the robot may drift or turn instead of moving straight.

To minimize this:

Motor Pairing: We pair motors during before shipping to improve balance.
Calibration Menu: If you still notice uneven movement, use the built-in calibration menu. This tool allows you to fine-tune motor performance directly.

Tip: Small adjustments usually make a big difference—test after each calibration change.

Help Roversa Move in a Straight Line

If your Roversa strays left, you want to decrease the right motor power. If Roversa strays right, you want to decrease the left motor power. To decrease the motor power, use the “Motor Calibration” menu:

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Menu button to open the Calibration menu.
- Press Menu button again - you should see an "M" to indicate motor calibration.
- Right button - decrease right motor power by 2%
- Left button - decrease left motor power by 2%
- Stop button - reset all values to factory defaults and exits Calibration menu
- Menu button - go to the next menu option
- Play button - saves all the values you updated and exits the Calibration menu

Reset How Far Roversa Travels Forward and Backward

You can set how far Roversa goes forward and backward by setting a time value. The default value is 1250 ms (~6 inches). To increase or decrease the time value, use the “Distance Calibration” menu:

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Menu button to open the Calibration menu.
- Press Menu button twice - you should see a "D" to indicate distance calibration.
- Forward button - increase time it takes to make a forward or reverse move (+50 ms)
- Reverse button - decrease time it takes to make a forward or reverse move (-50 ms)
- Stop button - reset all values to factory defaults and exits Calibration menu
- Menu button - go to the next menu option
- Play button - saves all the values you updated and exits the Calibration menu

Reset How Far Roversa Turns Left and Right

You can set how far Roversa turns left and right by setting a time value. Default value is 670 ms (~90 degrees). To increase or decrease the time value, use the “Turning Calibration” menu:

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Menu button to open the Calibration menu.
- Press Menu button three times - you should see a "T" to indicate turning calibration.
- Forward button - increase time it takes to make a left or right turn (+10 ms)
- Reverse button - decrease time it takes to make a left or right turn (-10 ms)
- Stop button - reset all values to factory defaults and exits Calibration menu
- Menu button - go to the next menu option
- Play button - saves all the values you updated and exits the Calibration menu

Change the volume

Roversa defaults to a mid-volume level for the sounds. If you would like to adjust the volume or mute your Roversa you can do this by accessing this menu and adjusting up and down. Roversa will play a chime to let you know what the current volume is. There are 5 volume settings.

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Menu button to open the Calibration menu.
- Press Menu button four times - you should see a music note to indicate the volume levels.
- Forward button - increases volume level
- Reverse button - decreases volume level
- Stop button - reset all values to factory defaults and exits Calibration menu
- Menu button - go to the next menu option
- Play button - saves all the values you updated and exits the Calibration menu

Delete data log

Roversa keeps a log of buttons presses and calibration values. Over time this can fill up your memory or become very long. It is best to either flash your micro:bit with the latest .hex file or use the menu to clear the log.

- Hold your finger on the logo on the micro:bit and then press the Menu button to open the Calibration menu.
- Press Menu button five times - you should see a file icon to indicate the data log.
- Forward button - deletes the log
- Stop button - reset all values to factory defaults and exits Calibration menu
- Menu button - go to the next menu option
- Play button - saves all the values you updated and exits the Calibration menu

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