Shopping List
Plan the parts and costs for an OpenMower conversion: mower, electronics, compute module, GPS receiver, antennas, and RTK base station options.
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Warning
Read this first: Important InfoPlan the total build cost
Allow around €700 for the conversion, plus the mower and an RTK base station if needed. Hardware revision, receiver choice, shipping, and taxes can change the total; check the prices of the parts for your mower before buying.
Include these items in your budget:
- A compatible mower and any necessary battery, motor, or chassis repairs.
- The OpenMower hardware kit and compute module; confirm what the kit includes to avoid buying parts twice.
- A rover GPS receiver, antenna, cables, mounts, and storage where needed.
- Either a local base station with receiver, antenna, power, and mounting, or access to a suitable correction service. Check service coverage and fees.
- Tools, connectors, weatherproofing, delivery charges, and taxes.
Check the compatibility list and read the build guide before ordering.
Parts for the Robot and the Charging Station
| Name | Description | Quantity Required | Source Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mower (YardForce Classic 500(B)) | The mower to modify. | 1 | Amazon* | Check the Compatible Mowers |
| Open Mower Hardware Kit | The electronics we will mount inside the robot. Consists of the mainboard (includes LiPo charger), xCore board, and 3x ESC. | 1 | Contact @Apehaenger on Discord, he has Hardware available (see Announcement ) | Alternatively you can source and solder most of these parts yourself. Check the repositories in the Links section for PCB designs and BOMs. |
| Ardusimple RTK2B GPS + Antenna | Positioning system for the robot | 1 | ArduSimple | Some users use UM9XX chips (available from WitMotion and AliExpress ) as alternative. Compared to ArduSimple, they’re a bit cheaper and support triple-band frequencies. |
| Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with WiFi | The brain of the robot. RAM: 2GB+ for running the software 4GB+ for development 16GB+ storage (eMMC or µSD Card) | 1 | RPi Locator | Must plug into the xCore board — CM4 and CM5 are supported. Other CM-compatible boards may work but the pre-made OS image won’t. |
| µSD Card | Only for RPi CM4 Lite. The absolute minimum capacity you should buy is 16GB. But better buy a 32GB one | 1 | Amazon* or your local hardware store | |
| Optional: | Optional: | |||
| USB Wi-Fi Dongle | For better Wi-Fi reception | 0 | Check for Linux Support | |
| Left-Angle USB adapter | If you want to keep Wi-Fi dongle inside the mower. RPi USB is really close to the mower side wall | 0 | Amazon* or your local hardware store | The kit contains the wire to connect external USB port. That may be enough if Wi-Fi dongle is waterproof. |
Parts for the GPS Base Station
Info
You only need a GPS base station if you don’t have access to an external NTRIP service. There are multiple free services available, so check before buying this.| Name | Description | Quantity Required | Source Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi + SD Card + Power Supply | You can basically use any Raspberry Pi for this. No special requirements. | 1 | e.g. Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Ardusimple RTK2B GPS + Antenna | Positioning system for the base station | 1 | ArduSimple | See above |
For the setup check the GPS Base Setup Guide
Last modified September 10, 2026: fix: polish bilingual docs and alert rendering (12ed724a)