Note

Hello, welcome to the SunFounder Raspberry Pi & Arduino & ESP32 Enthusiasts Community on Facebook! Dive deeper into Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and ESP32 with fellow enthusiasts.

Why Join?

  • Expert Support: Solve post-sale issues and technical challenges with help from our community and team.

  • Learn & Share: Exchange tips and tutorials to enhance your skills.

  • Exclusive Previews: Get early access to new product announcements and sneak peeks.

  • Special Discounts: Enjoy exclusive discounts on our newest products.

  • Festive Promotions and Giveaways: Take part in giveaways and holiday promotions.

👉 Ready to explore and create with us? Click [here] and join today!

FAQ

How to Change Wi-Fi Channel?

The 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band has channels ranging from 1 to 13. ESP32 supports channels 1 to 11. Other devices operating on the same channel may cause interference, leading to connection issues. To mitigate this, you can try changing the channel. By default, the channel is set to 1. When selecting a new channel, it’s recommended to skip 1-2 channels at a time. For example, if the current channel is 1, try channel 3 first, and if the signal is still poor, proceed to channel 5.

Note

ESP32 CAM firmware version 1.4.1 or above is required to change channels. Refer to How to Update Firmware for ESP32 CAM for more details.

  1. Power on the GalaxyRVR. To activate the ESP32 CAM, move the mode switch to the Run position, and press the reset button to reboot the R3 board.

  2. Find GalaxyRVR on the list of available networks on your mobile device (tablet or smartphone), enter the password 12345678, and connect to it.

    Note

    _images/camera_lan.png

  3. Open a web browser on your mobile device and navigate to http://192.168.4.1 to access the ESP32 CAM OTA update page.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_141.jpg

  4. Under the Wi-Fi AP Channel section, select a different channel.

    • The default channel is 1. When selecting a new channel, skip 1-2 channels at a time (e.g., from channel 1 to 3, and if needed, to 5).

    • Click the Confirm button to save the changes.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_channel.png

  5. A confirmation popup will appear, prompting you to reset the device. Click Confirm.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_reset.jpg

  6. Press the Reset button to reboot the device. The GalaxyRVR is now ready for normal operation.

    _images/camera_reset.png

How to Update Firmware for ESP32 CAM

Follow these detailed steps to update the firmware for your ESP32 CAM:

  1. Power on the GalaxyRVR. To activate the ESP32 CAM, move the mode switch to the Run position, and press the reset button to reboot the R3 board.

  2. Find GalaxyRVR on the list of available networks on your mobile device (tablet or smartphone), enter the password 12345678, and connect to it.

    Note

    _images/camera_lan.png

  3. Click the link below to download the firmware file ai-camera-firmware-v1.4.1-ota.bin and save it to your mobile device.

  4. Open a web browser on your mobile device and navigate to http://192.168.4.1 to access the ESP32 CAM OTA update page.

    _images/faq_cam_ota.jpg

  5. On the OTA page, click the button to select the firmware file.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_choose.png

  6. Choose the previously downloaded ai-camera-firmware-v1.4.1-ota.bin file from your device and click OK.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_file.png

  7. Click the Update button to start the firmware update process.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_update.png

  8. Wait for the update to complete. Once the displayed version number changes to 1.4.1, the update is successful.

    _images/faq_cam_ota_finish.png

  9. After the update is complete, you can close the web browser. Press the Reset button to reboot the device. The ESP32 CAM is now ready for normal operation.

    _images/camera_reset.png

How to Upload the galaxy-rvr.ino Code?

By default, the GalaxyRVR’s Uno R3 board comes preloaded with the necessary firmware, allowing you to control it via APP. If your R3 board has been overwritten with other code, but you’d like to return to the default firmware and continue with the Quick Play with APP process, follow these steps to re-upload the code to your R3 board:

  1. Use a USB cable to connect the Arduino to your computer. Then, switch the upload switch on the rover to the “upload” position.

    _images/camera_upload.png

  2. Download the required firmware from the link below:

  3. Extract the downloaded zip file, then double-click the update-arduino-firmware.bat file to run it.

    _images/faq_firmware_file.png

  4. Type the corresponding number for your GalaxyRVR’s Arduino Uno (e.g., 2) and press Enter to begin the update.

    Note

    • If the correct COM port does not appear, or if you’re unsure which one it is, disconnect other USB devices from your computer, leaving only the rover connected.

    • If you encounter an error like “avrdude.exe: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xXX”, ensure the upload switch on the rover is set to the “upload” position, as described in step 1.

    _images/faq_firmware_port.png

  5. After a short while, the new code will be successfully uploaded to the Uno R3 board on GalaxyRVR.

    _images/faq_firmware_finish.png

Rover Network Configuration: Home WiFi and AP Mode

By default, the Uno R3 is preloaded with code configured in AP mode. This means the GalaxyRVR will broadcast a hotspot, allowing you to connect your mobile device to control it via the SunFounder Controller APP.

If you prefer to control the rover using your home WiFi, or need to reset to AP mode for different use cases, follow these steps to upload the modified code to the Uno board:

  1. Download the required files from the following link:

  2. Refer to the installation guide: Install Arduino IDE.

  3. Use the Library Manager to install the SoftPWM and SunFounder AI Camera libraries. For detailed steps, see Compilation error: SoftPWM.h or SunFounder_AI_Camera.h: No such file or directory？.

  4. Navigate to the galaxy-rvr-main\galaxy-rvr directory and open the galaxy-rvr.ino file.

    _images/faq_galaxy_code.png

  5. Comment out lines 69-71, uncomment lines 73-75, replace SSID and PASSWORD with your home WiFi credentials.

    // /** Configure Wifi mode, SSID, password*/
// #define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_AP
// #define SSID "GalaxyRVR"
// #define PASSWORD "12345678"

#define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_STA
#define SSID "xxxxxxxxxx"
#define PASSWORD "xxxxxxxxxx"

  6. Connect the GalaxyRVR and computer with a USB cable, and then turn the upload switch of the rover to the upload end.

    _images/camera_upload.png

  7. Click the Upload button in the Arduino IDE to upload the modified code to the Uno board.

    _images/faq_galaxy_upload.png

  8. To activate the ESP32 CAM, move the mode switch to the Run position, and press the reset button to reboot the R3 board. You will then observe a cyan light flashing on the bottom strip.

  9. Ensure your mobile device (tablet or smartphone) is connected to your home WiFi network.

    _images/faq_connect_wifi.jpg

  10. Open the SunFounder Controller App, tap the “+” icon to create a new controller, select the “GalaxyRVR” preset, enter a name or tap “Confirm” to proceed.

    _images/play_preset.jpg

  11. The app will automatically search for the GalaxyRVR. After a moment, you will see a prompt stating “Connected Successfully.”

    _images/auto_connect.jpg

  12. Now, tap the app_run button enables you to view the live video feed from the camera and control the rover using the provided widgets.

    _images/play_run_view.jpg

Resetting AP Mode

  1. To reset to AP mode and change the SSID and PASSWORD, make sure the AP mode lines are enabled and update the SSID and PASSWORD to the new values.

    #define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_AP
#define SSID "newSSIDName"
#define PASSWORD "newPassword"

// #define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_STA
// #define SSID "xxxxxxxxxx"
// #define PASSWORD "xxxxxxxxxx"

  2. Follow the same steps for uploading the code as detailed above.

  3. Once uploaded, the GalaxyRVR will broadcast its network with the new network name and password, allowing direct connections without a home WiFi network.

How to Invert the Camera?

If you find the camera feed upside down while using the SunFounder Controller, you can easily correct it through the app. Follow these steps:

  1. Tap the app_edit button in the top-right corner.

    _images/faq_edit.png

  2. Click the camera button to open a popup. Toggle the Inverted switch to turn it on.

    _images/faq_inverted.png

  3. Save your settings.

    _images/faq_save.png

  4. Return to the control interface and click the app_run button.

    Note

    Occasionally, the camera feed may not appear. If this happens, pause the controller and then click the run button again.

    _images/faq_run.png

Compilation error: SoftPWM.h or SunFounder_AI_Camera.h: No such file or directory？

If you get a “Compilation error: SoftPWM.h: No such file or directory” prompt, it means you don’t have the SoftPWM library installed.

Please install the two required libraries SoftPWM and SunFounder AI Camera as shown.

For the SunFounder AI Camera library, you need to select “INSTALL ALL” to simultaneously install the required ArduinoJson dependency.

_images/faq_install_ai_camera.png

avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 10 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x6e?

If the following message keeps appearing after clicking the Upload button when the board and port have been selected correctly.

avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x00
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x00
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 3 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x00
At this point, you need to make sure that the ESP32 CAM is unplugged.

The ESP32-CAM and the Arduino board share the same RX (receive) and TX (transmit) pins. So, before you’re uploading code, you’ll need to first disconnect the ESP32-CAM to avoid any conflicts or potential issues.

After the code is successfully uploaded, if you need to use the ESP32 CAM, then you need to move the switch to the left to start the ESP32 CAM.

How can I use the STT mode on my Android device?

The STT mode requires the Android mobile device to be connected to the Internet and to install the Google service component.

Now follow the steps below.

  1. Modify the AP mode of galaxy-rvr.ino file to STA mode.

    • Open the the galaxy-rvr.ino file located in the galaxy-rvr-main\galaxy-rvr directory.

    • Then comment out the AP mode related code. Uncomment the STA mode related code and fill in the SSID and PASSWORD of your home Wi-Fi.

      /** Configure Wifi mode, SSID, password*/
// #define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_AP
// #define SSID "GalaxyRVR"
// #define PASSWORD "12345678"

#define WIFI_MODE WIFI_MODE_STA
#define SSID "xxxxxxxxxx"
#define PASSWORD "xxxxxxxxxx"

    • Save this code, select the correct board (Arduino Uno) and port, then click the Upload button to upload it to the R3 board.

  2. Search google in Google Play, find the app shown below and install it.

  3. Connect your mobile device to the same Wi-Fi as you wrote in the code.

  4. Open the controller previously created in SunFounder Controller and connect it to GalaxyRVR through the app_connect button.

  5. Tap and hold the STT(J) widget after clicking the app_run button. A prompt will appear indicating that it is listening. Say the following command to move the rover.

    _images/play_speech.png

    • stop: All movements of the rover can be stopped.

    • forward: Let the rover move forward.

    • backward: Let the rover move backward.

    • left: Let the rover turn left.

    • right: Let the rover turn right.

Q5: About the ESP32 CAM Firmware

Here is the firmeware link of ESP32 CAM: ai-camera-firmware