GalaxyRVR Mod: Replacing camera with ESP32-CAM for Web Control

Robotic kit for Arduino
1

Hello everyone,
I’m a new user starting a modification project on my GalaxyRVR kit.

I’m not an expert in programming or robotics, so I’m hoping for your guidance and would appreciate it if nothing is taken for granted.

My goal is to transform the rover into a First-Person View (FPV) vehicle that I can drive via a web page.

To achieve this, I want to:

1. Replace the original camera with an ESP32-CAM (AI Thinker model) that includes an external antenna.

2. Control the rover’s movements (forward, backward, left, right) using buttons on the same web page that shows the video stream.

3. (Future Goal) Replace the single servo with a full pan-tilt system.

I have successfully uploaded the “CameraWebServer” example sketch to the ESP32-CAM. I can connect to its Wi-Fi and see the video stream in my browser. However, I’ve noticed the video stream is not smooth at all. I have read that I should connect the external antenna, but I’m not sure how to perform the modification on the small resistor on the board.

Any advice on this is welcome.

My biggest challenge is the software part. I don’t know how to modify the code to add control buttons to the web page and make them communicate with the Arduino board to drive the motors. I found this project on GitHub which seems to do exactly what I’m looking for:

GitHub - arduinounoOS/GalaxyRVR_Webpage_Control: A webpage that opens a web socket client to control a GalaxyRVR robot
In your expert opinion, is this a good starting point? Is it reliable for the GalaxyRVR hardware? Or is there a simpler or “official” method recommended by SunFounder to achieve this integration between the ESP32-CAM and the rover’s board?
Thank you very much for your time and for any help you can provide.

2

If you have absolutely no programming background, learning from scratch might be a bit too challenging… The reference you provided is based on our pre-built app control and a self-developed web interface, which is relatively much simpler. You could indeed start by trying out this project first.

Regarding the laggy video feed, aside from the WiFi antenna issue, it could also be related to channel interference. We’ve tested our module with the onboard PCB antenna, and it runs smoothly within a range of 10 meters.

If you’re using a WiFi antenna purchased elsewhere, I’d recommend consulting the seller for guidance to be on the safe side. Our camera module is similar to this one, and you can refer to this tutorial for assistance:

3

Thank you very much.

I will perform the hardware modification for the external antenna, following the tutorial.
I will upload the code from the GitHub repository to my boards.
I will update this topic with my results.