TurtleBot 4 Hardware & Software Reference

The TurtleBot 4 is a robotics platform for learning and development, built on the iRobot® Create® 3 educational robot and powered by a Raspberry Pi 4B. This reference covers both the Standard and Lite models using the ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco software stack.

1. Hardware Overview

The TurtleBot 4 is available in two configurations. While both share the same mobile base and compute, they differ in sensor payload and user interface capabilities.

Core Technical Specifications

Feature TurtleBot 4 Lite TurtleBot 4 Standard
Dimensions 342 x 339 x 192 mm 342 x 339 x 351 mm
Weight 3.3 kg 3.9 kg
Max Payload 9 kg (Default) / 15 kg (Custom) 9 kg (Default) / 15 kg (Custom)
Max Speed 0.31 m/s (Safe) / 0.46 m/s (Raw) 0.31 m/s (Safe) / 0.46 m/s (Raw)
LIDAR RPLIDAR A1 RPLIDAR A1 (Standard) / A2 (Optional)
Camera OAK-D-Lite OAK-D-Pro (IR/Active Stereo)
User Interface 2 LEDs OLED Display, 4 Buttons, 4 LEDs
Battery 26 Wh Li-Ion (14.4V) 26 Wh Li-Ion (14.4V)

User Power Output

  • Standard Model: VBAT @ 1000mA, 12V @ 1000mA, 5V @ 2000mA, 3.3V @ 500mA.
  • Lite Model: VBAT @ 1.9A (14.4V nominal). 5V and 3.3V available via Raspberry Pi GPIO.

2. Software Stack (ROS 2 Jazzy)

The TurtleBot 4 software environment is built for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco.

Core Requirements

  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (Noble Numbat).
  • Firmware: iRobot® Create® 3 Firmware version I.0.0 is required for Jazzy compatibility.
  • RMW Implementation: FastRTPS (standard) or CycloneDDS.

Key ROS 2 Packages

  • turtlebot4_base: Manages the hardware interface (OLED, buttons, and Raspberry Pi/Create 3 communication).
  • turtlebot4_bringup: Launch files for all sensors (LIDAR, OAK-D) and robot nodes.
  • turtlebot4_navigation: Optimized Nav2 parameters using the MPPI Controller and SLAM Toolbox configurations.
  • turtlebot4_description: URDF and mesh files for the physical robot model.
  • turtlebot4_simulator: Simulation support for Gazebo Harmonic.

3. LED Ring Status (Create® 3 Base)

The LED ring on the mobile base provides the primary visual feedback for the robot's system state.

Color & Pattern Meaning Action Required    
Solid White Ready. System is idle and connected. None. You can now run ROS 2 nodes if the RPi is ready.    
Circling White Booting. Application is starting up. Wait. This can take 2–5 minutes.    
Spinning Blue AP Mode. Create Base is a Wi-Fi hotspot. Connect your laptop to Create-XXXX.    
Solid Blue AP Connected. Device is linked to Robot AP. Complete the web setup at 192.168.10.1.    
Solid Red System Error. Motor stall or cliff sensor. Clear obstacles or debris from the wheels.    
Pulsing Red Battery Low. Needs charging. Place the robot on the dock.    
Amber Robot Lifted The robot does not sense a floor beneath it. Put it back (upright) on the floor.    
<!– Spinning Red Critical Error. Initialization failed. Hard Reboot. Hold Power for 20 seconds. –>
<!– Pulsing Green Charging. Battery is filling. None. Leave on dock until solid green. –>

4. Power Management

The TurtleBot 4 uses two systems: the Raspberry Pi 4 and the Create® 3 Base. Correct shutdown is essential to prevent SD card corruption.

Startup

  1. Place the robot on the charger dock.
  2. Wait ~3 minutes for the robot to initialize (a white light rotates/pulses during the boot process):
    1. First, you will hear a chime that indicates the Create Base is booted up
    2. Around 45 seconds later, you will hear a second chime while a fast purple light rotating in the ring. This indicates the RPi and Create 3 are communicating, and the Robot is ready to use!

Graceful Shutdown

This procedure ensures a graceful shutdown of both the Raspberry Pi and the Create 3 base, preventing SD card corruption and hardware-level data loss.

  1. Move the robot off the charger.
  2. In your SSH session: sudo shutdown -h now.
  3. Wait 30 seconds until the LiDAR stops spinning, then hold the Power Button (large ring button) for about 8 seconds until you hear a chime and the LED turn off.

LiDAR

The LiDar stops spinning when the robot is ready and docked. Once, undocked it will start spinning again and steam the data.

5. Robot Audio Cues

  • Create Base - Startup Chime
  • Robot Ready - Startup Chime
  • Low Battery Warning
  • Create Base - Shutdown Chime

7. ROS Communication Issues

7.1. Time

ROS 2 uses system timestamps to synchronize sensor data and coordinate transforms (TF). If clocks differ by even a fraction of a second, the robot may ignore commands or fail to map its surroundings.

Check Status

In your robot terminal, verify if the clock is synchronized:

timedatectl status

Check if the time and timezone is correct. Look for System clock synchronized: yes and NTP service: active.

Update Time

If the clocks are out of sync, force an update using the custom lab command:

sync-ntp-time

8. Official Documentation & Links