neato lidar

i'm working with a neato lidar. i'm building up a library to decode and analyze the data. i got the lidar spinning with a pwm from a 5v source. with a roughly 60% duty cycle the motor measures about 3v with a meter. from everything i've read that should be about the magic voltage/motor speed for data to come out. i look at the data line and all i see is this.

Piccolo Laser Distance Scanner
Copyright (c) 2009-2010 Neato Robotics, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Loader  V2.4.13386
CPU     F2802x/cc00
Serial  AAA46710AA-0007594
LastCal [2011151124]
Runtime V2.6.14138
#Spin...press ESC 3 times to abort...OK
Piccolo Laser Distance Scanner
Copyright (c) 2009-2010 Neato Robotics, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Loader  V2.4.13386
CPU     F2802x/cc00
Serial  AAA46710AA-0007594
LastCal [2011151124]
Runtime V2.6.14138
#Spin...press ESC 3 times to abort...OK
Piccolo Laser Distance Scanner
Copyright (c) 2009-2010 Neato Robotics, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Loader  V2.4.13386
CPU     F2802x/cc00
Serial  AAA46710AA-0007594
LastCal [2011151124]
Runtime V2.6.14138
#Spin...press ESC 3 times to abort...OK
Piccolo Laser Distance Scanner
Copyright (c) 2009-2010 Neato Robotics, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Loader  V2.4.13386
CPU     F2802x/cc00
Serial  AAA46710AA-0007594
LastCal [2011151124]
Runtime V2.6.14138
#Spin...press ESC 3 times to abort...

this continues indefinitely. i've tried varying the the motor speed both up and down with no difference. if the speed gets too high the data gets corrupted a bit but it's still the same. if the speed gets too low it stops transmitting. i've even tried sending esc just like it asks with no data in sight.

what am i missing or doing wrong?

I know nothing about the lidar but I'm wondering if your arduino is rebooting all the time due to power supply problems?

i would normally agree with you but i'm not powering it from the arduino. i'm using a home built FTDI board. the board requests full power (500mA of current) from the USB port and then turn on a MOSFET to supply 5v. that 5v goes to a board i scavenged from an old project with a MOSFET and a separate 3v3 regulator. the regulator is 1A capable. the arduino is only driving MOSFET at the moment and is powered from FTDI. i'm reading the data with the same FTDI. i have not tripped the USB over current so i must be drawing less then 500mA.

for other then using a bench power supply the power is as good as i can get it.

Why reinvent the wheel? Google "arduino neato lidar" - and you'll find:

At a minimum, though - try getting that to work first as a "sanity check" - if that is working ok, then at least you'll have something you can compare to in order to figure out where/what you are doing incorrectly.

Good luck!

:smiley: