What I have understood from other descriptions, when the RTK antenna hits something, it does not flex and the RTK part breaks.
What if we replace the antenna mounting screws (steel), to plastic nails/screws (I have no idea what the correct term is for these) these hold the antenna in place (I assume) in normal use, but when it hits something, the brackets themselves give way and antenna fall over, but leave (hopefully) the RTK part intact. And the repair is easy, just lift the antenna up and press the plastic nails back into place.
I don’t know if this is a unique idea, maybe Yarbo has already tested this and found that it causes other problems.
For example, if the antenna gets really tight on something, it can tear the antenna wire with it and even break something inside the core.
It’s an interesting idea. I don’t think there is a lot of slack in most of the RTK cables to support this though and could damage the cable. They redesigned the low mounts with a barrel connector embedded into it so that the barrel itself is what shears off instead of the actual cable. The flexible antennas they are testing are of the high mount design. I think they also need to get more automotive grade RTK antennas that have a more substantial structure to them vs the thin plastic the current supplier uses. It would withstand impacts better and survive an ordeal and probably still be salvageable.
Thanks for your suggestion! I’m not sure whether this approach would be feasible, but it’s definitely an interesting idea.
We are currently testing a newly designed high-mount RTK antenna, and based on our initial internal tests, it has shown excellent durability with almost no breakage cases so far.
That said, I’ll definitely keep your suggestion in mind in case we explore further improvements to the design in the future. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
There’s a couple of zip ties that can be cut too that also can help get some extra length but I’d almost rather there was something break away and easily replaceable. Much like the low mount.
Sound engineering would dictate that Everything that is attached to the robot should either be able to withstand 100% of the torque of the machine in any direction. Or trigger an interruption in movement. It’s poor engineering and a rush to market. No excuses.
We are beta testers for Yarbo. Only problem is we are being charged retail prices to help the company trouble shoot their poor engineering. Just my opinion
The idea was not to solve the problem itself, but perhaps in some cases to save at least a few RTK antennas by allowing the antenna mount to be flexible, i.e. attaching them to the core with plastic plugs instead of steel screws.
But perhaps it is better to wait for official solutions, and not risk the warranty with this experiment.
Indeed a break away would also be helpful. Instead of screw type antenna connections use snap on. Plastic antenna snap ins should be fairly weak. I think this approach is sound. When my antenna broke the rover stopped, antenna parts were near by
There is quite a bit of extra cable in the system…Yarbo decided to mow under a trailer and broke both antenna. New ones are on order, but after zip tying both of them upright, Yarbo is back at work. A flexible antenna might have lived through the event.
Tim
