UniBase Reference
Core class for controlling the robot chassis, motors, and display.
Constants
Public constants available for control functions.
| Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
SOFT |
0 | Used in stop() for gradual deceleration (coasting). |
HARD |
1 | Used in stop() for immediate braking. |
Initialization
Initializes all robot components (Motors, Encoders, OLED, Sensors). This function starts the
background tasks for odometry and motor control. It should be called once in
setup().
Parameters
robotName(optional): Name to display on the OLED splash screen. Typeconst char*. Passnullptrto use the library default.
Example
#include <UNI.h>
UniBase robot;
UniDev module;
void setup() {
robot.begin("MY_BOT");
}
void loop() {
}Motor Control
Sets the power for both motors directly. Positive values match forward direction, negative match backward.
Parameters
powerLeft: Power for left motor (-100 to 100).powerRight: Power for right motor (-100 to 100).
Example
// Full speed forward
robot.motors(100, 100);
// Turn left in place
robot.motors(-50, 50);Sets power for the left motor only.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).
Example
// Turn the left motor backward at half speed
robot.motorLeft(-50);Sets power for the right motor only.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).
Example
// Turn the right motor forward at full speed
robot.motorRight(100);Moves the robot along an arc with a specific turn intensity. This is a non-blocking control function.
Parameters
power: Base motor power (-100 to 100).angle: Turn sharpness (-90 to 90). Positive = Turn Left, Negative = Turn Right.
Example
// Drive forward while curving left
robot.motorsArc(80, 45);Like motors() but with encoder-based synchronisation — maintains the set speed ratio between left and right wheels. Non-blocking; runs until stop() is called.
Parameters
powerLeft: Left wheel power (-100..100).powerRight: Right wheel power (-100..100).
Example
// Smooth arc with maintained speed ratio
robot.motorsSync(70, 40);Actively holds the current wheel position using PID. The robot resists being pushed. Cancelled by stop() or any movement command.
Example
robot.holdPosition();Stops both motors. Can perform a smooth coast to stop or a hard brake.
Parameters
stopType:SOFT(0) orHARD(1).
Example
robot.stop(HARD); // Instant stopStops the left motor only.
Parameters
stopType:SOFT(0) orHARD(1).
Example
robot.stopLeft(SOFT); // Coast left motor to stopStops the right motor only.
Parameters
stopType:SOFT(0) orHARD(1).
Example
robot.stopRight(HARD); // Brake right motor immediatelyMovement (Blocking)
These functions block execution until the movement is complete. They use encoder feedback for precision.
Moves the robot specific distance using PID control on encoders.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).millimeters: Target distance.
Example
// Move forward 50cm at 80% power
robot.moveDist(80, 500);Moves the motor for a specific duration of time.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).milliseconds: Duration in ms.
Example
// Move forward for 2 seconds
robot.moveTime(100, 2000);Moves along a curved path for a specific distance.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).angle: Steering angle (-90 to 90).millimeters: Distance traveled along the arc.
Example
// Drive 1 meter in a wide left curve
robot.moveArcDist(60, 20, 1000);Moves along a curved path for a specific duration.
Parameters
power: Motor power (-100 to 100).angle: Steering angle (-90 to 90).milliseconds: Duration in ms.
Example
// Turn sharply right for 1.5 seconds
robot.moveArcTime(80, -60, 1500);Rotates the robot in place by a specific angle.
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100)angle: Degrees. Positive = Left (CCW), Negative = Right (CW).
Example
// Turn 90 degrees left
robot.rotate(60, 90);Rotates to an absolute odometry heading via the shortest path. Unlike rotate(), this corrects accumulated drift from previous manoeuvres.
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).angleDeg: Target heading in degrees (odometry frame).
Example
robot.rotateTo(50, 90); // Face heading 90°
robot.rotateTo(50, 0); // Return to original headingDrives to a target odometry coordinate: turns to face the target then moves in a straight line.
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).x, y: Target position in mm (odometry frame).
Example
robot.setPosition(0, 0, 0);
robot.moveTo(50, 400, 0); // Forward 400 mm
robot.moveTo(50, 400, 400); // Then left 400 mmArc with precise geometry: specify the turning radius and arc angle.
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).radiusMM: Arc radius at robot centre (mm).angleDeg: Arc angle; sign determines turn direction.
Example
// 300 mm radius arc, 90° to the right
robot.moveArcRadius(60, 300, -90);Async Movement
Commands with the Async suffix start movement and return immediately — the next line of code runs while the robot moves. Use isMoving() or waitMove() to synchronise.
Async version of moveDist().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).millimeters: Distance in mm.
Example
robot.moveDistAsync(80, 500);
module.setColor(0, 255, 0); // Light green while moving
robot.waitMove();Async version of moveTime().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).milliseconds: Duration in ms.
Example
robot.moveTimeAsync(100, 2000);
robot.waitMove();Async version of moveArcDist().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).angle: Steering angle (-90..90).millimeters: Arc distance in mm.
Example
robot.moveArcDistAsync(60, 30, 800);Async version of moveArcTime().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).angle: Steering angle (-90..90).milliseconds: Duration in ms.
Example
robot.moveArcTimeAsync(80, 60, 1500);Async version of moveArcRadius().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).radiusMM: Arc radius in mm.angleDeg: Arc angle.
Example
robot.moveArcRadiusAsync(60, 300, -90);Async version of rotate().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).angle: Degrees. Positive = Left (CCW), Negative = Right (CW).
Example
robot.rotateAsync(60, 90);Async version of rotateTo().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).angleDeg: Target absolute heading in degrees.
Example
robot.rotateToAsync(50, 90);Async version of moveTo().
Parameters
power: Speed (0-100).x, y: Target position in mm.
Example
robot.moveToAsync(50, 400, 400);Returns true while an async movement task is active.
Example
robot.moveDistAsync(80, 500);
while (robot.isMoving()) {
module.setColor(255, 100, 0); // Orange while moving
}
module.setColor(0, 255, 0); // Green when doneBlocks until the current async movement command finishes. Returns true on clean completion, false if the timeout expired.
Parameters
timeoutMs(optional): Maximum wait time in ms.0= wait forever.
Example
robot.moveDistAsync(80, 500);
bool ok = robot.waitMove(3000); // Wait up to 3 s
if (!ok) robot.stop(HARD); // Force stop on timeoutOdometry
Functions for tracking the robot's position relative to its starting point.
Returns the current estimated position and orientation struct.
Returns
Struct OdometryData containing float x, float y, and
float angle.
Example
OdometryData odom = robot.getOdometry();
Serial.print("X: "); Serial.println(odom.x);
Serial.print("Y: "); Serial.println(odom.y);
Serial.print("Angle: "); Serial.println(odom.angle);Returns the absolute X coordinate in millimeters.
Example
float currentX = robot.getAbsX();
Serial.println(currentX);Returns the absolute Y coordinate in millimeters.
Example
float currentY = robot.getAbsY();
Serial.println(currentY);Returns the absolute heading angle in degrees.
Example
float currentAngle = robot.getAbsAngle();
Serial.println(currentAngle);Resets the accumulated distance counter to 0. Used for relative measurements.
Example
robot.resetDistance();
// Now getDistance() will start from 0Returns the distance traveled since the last reset in millimeters.
Example
robot.resetDistance();
robot.motorsArc(50, 0);
while(robot.getDistance() < 1000) {
delay(10);
}
robot.stop(HARD);Resets the accumulated angle counter to 0.
Example
robot.resetAngle();Returns the angle turned since the last reset in degrees.
Example
float currentAngle = robot.getAngle();
Serial.println(currentAngle);Sets the odometry pose. Use this to anchor the robot to field coordinates or reset position at a checkpoint.
Parameters
x, y: Starting coordinates in mm.angleDeg: Starting heading in degrees.
Example
// Robot is at the origin, facing along the X axis
robot.setPosition(0, 0, 0);Returns the raw encoder tick count for the respective motor.
Example
long l = robot.getLeftTicks();
long r = robot.getRightTicks();
Serial.printf("L: %ld, R: %ld\n", l, r);Prints the current X, Y, and Theta values to the Serial Monitor. Useful for debugging.
Example
void loop() {
robot.printOdometry(); // Output: X: 10.5 Y: 5.2 Angle: 90.0
delay(500);
}Display
Clears the OLED screen and prints the provided value in the center. Supports multiple types.
Supported Types
This function accepts various data types including String, int,
float, double, and bool.
Example
// Print text
robot.displayPrint("Hello!");
// Print a number
robot.displayPrint(123);Prints a name label at the top of the screen and a large value in the center. Supports all simple types as the value.
Example
robot.displayPrint("Battery", 85);
robot.displayPrint("Mode", "Auto");Clears the OLED screen.
Example
robot.displayClear();Utility
Returns current battery level percentage (0-100). Returns -1 if offline or error.
Example
int power = robot.getBatteryPower();
if (power < 10) {
robot.displayPrint("LOW BATT");
}Sets the background task to blink the onboard LED.
interval: Time in ms. Set to 0 to stop blinking.
Example
// Blink twice per second
robot.blinkLED(500);
// Stop blinking
robot.blinkLED(0);Activates the UART control loop.
Example
void loop() {
// Enter UART remote control mode forever
robot.UniBaseControl();
}