WHILL Serial API — Omni Platform

The Omni Platform is holonomic: it moves in any direction — forward, backward, left, right and diagonally — and rotates, all without changing the direction the wheels point. Each of its two drive units has its own RS232C interface, and the host drives both in sync.

Documentation & Tools

Specification

What differs from the Model CR2: the two interfaces, the motion model, the command set and the extended SetVelocity range.

Read online Markdown source on GitHub

Tester v1.01

Drives both interfaces from one browser window, so the platform can be moved and observed without writing code.

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Before you read the specification

These notes apply to the Specification.

The Omni specification is a companion document. Frame format, power states, state data and timing are defined in the Model CR2 specification and are not repeated. Read that one first.
Every command addresses one drive unit. A command sent to a single interface configures or moves half the platform.
Both interfaces must be driven in sync. The platform's motion is the sum of the two units' contributions, so motion commands go out to both within the same control cycle.

Before you use the tester

These notes apply to the Tester only. The specification is an ordinary web page — read it in any browser, no setup needed.

Chrome or Edge is required. The tester uses the Web Serial API, which Safari and Firefox do not support.
Your data stays on your machine. The tester communicates only between your browser and the WHILL over the serial ports. Nothing is sent to any server.
It works offline. The tester is a single self-contained HTML file — download it and open it from a local disk on an isolated network.

Connection

Applies to	Omni Platform (4WD)
Transport	RS232C, 38400 bps, 8-N-2 — two independent interfaces
Connector	D-sub 9-pin, one per drive unit
Serial API version	1.1
Motion command	`SetVelocity` (`0x08`), −1500 … 1500 on both axes

Using a Model CR2, Wheeled Robot Base or Electrical System Kit? See the Model CR2 page.