I am trying to build a drive to automate lawnmowing and snow removal. It has two 12 VDC, 160 W motors. Problem is it does not always go straight, maybe because of terrain unevenness. Hence, thinking of rewinding/replacing with 36VDC motors, the logic being thereby more power to overcome this unevenness. Not sure of this logic, so if anyone has knowledge/experience in this, kindly comment.

 

Without some sort of sensory detection of the true direction, I cannot see high power solving certain variations of unmanned power control??

 

Initially, I am controlling with a remote controller, so when I put the remote in foward, it does not go straight. I am assuming this is because of the ground surface (on which the tires move) not being even.

 

What are you doing to make sure the two motors are running at the same RPM? That is the minimum needed to make it go anything like straight.

I experimented with a small two wheel drive robot. Both motors had encoders so I could monitor the RPM. When I did not actively adjust the speed, it did not go straight even on a smooth wood floor. When I did, it would go relatively straight.

 

You need direction information external to the rotation of the motors.

 

You can use an R/C gyro to monitor the direction and use the output to adjust the steering.

 

If your lawn is anything like my lawn forget about going straight. I have a walk-behind and with all the divits from insect burrowing there's nothing smooth about my lawn. AND there's portions of my lawn that are on a slope. Unless you're going straight up or down the mower is going to track towards the downhill side. The only way you're going to get a straight cut is like @MrChips said, you need external tracking. They make lawnmowers that cut grass without human intervention. As for snow removal - - - my snow blower often has one tire with less air pressure than the other. Even when the wheels are locked together in rotation and proper inflation, the machine still wanders. And forget about it when you start getting snow under the wheels and one or the other slips. Staying on course is going to require external tracking.

As for changing the voltage of the motors - that'll do a whole lot of nothing for you. Except spend money and time needlessly.

 

Initially, I am controlling with a remote controller

Have you tried that with a snow blower? Even when I'm hanging on for dear life - keeping it going straight is a workout.