What is Finn Guidance?
Finn Guidance is the tractor and cab app in the FINN system. The public entry point is a free, open-source GPS guidance/lightbar application written in Rust: a Windows laptop, a USB GPS receiver, an A-B line, and a clear cross-track display.
The field project has moved beyond the first lightbar story. The current tractor guidance direction is an LC29H BA receiver direct to the laptop with a motor ESP32 handling the steering inner loop. That auto-steer path is field-prototype work and should not be treated as a certified or polished public product.
No proprietary display. No annual subscription. No dealer-only ecosystem. Just practical farm software that can keep working offline.
Download
Current public version: v0.1.0 early lightbar release
System requirements: Windows 10 or later, any laptop with a USB port.
Use the public build as a guidance/lightbar tool. Steering hardware and field-prototype auto-steer work need separate caution, testing, and local safety checks.
Quick Start
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Choose the GPS hardware - Budget about $100 AUD for a GPS module plus antenna. A DA receiver can suit lower-authority sensing/lightbar experiments; BA is the current tractor guidance direction.
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Mount it properly - Put the antenna where it has a clear sky view and where the cable will not be pulled loose in the cab.
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Plug it in - Connect the receiver to USB. Finn Guidance auto-detects the COM port where possible.
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Launch the software - Run
finn-guidance.exe. No installation is required for the early public build. -
Set your A-B line - Drive to point A, press Set A, drive to point B, press Set B.
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Follow the lightbar - The display shows your cross-track error so you can steer back toward the line.
Features
Public lightbar workflow
- USB GPS support with COM port detection.
- A-B line creation with a visual lightbar display.
- Configurable lightbar segment width.
- Auto-pass selection based on implement width.
- Width, overlap, and nudge controls for different jobs.
- Save/load A-B lines and move them between machines.
Field and development workflow
- Coverage logging with SQLite storage and CSV export.
- Telemetry designed for later FINN Core field-run upload and analysis.
- BA direct-to-laptop guidance direction for the tractor field prototype.
- Motor ESP32 inner loop for steering experiments, kept local to the tractor.
- Future FINN Pilot handoff so implement state can become the primary coverage truth.
Hardware roles
| Hardware | Role |
|---|---|
| GPS module plus antenna | Realistic budget is around $100 AUD before cab mounting, cables, and weather protection. |
| LC29H DA | Useful for lower-authority implement sensing and coverage roles where appropriate, especially in FINN Pilot. |
| LC29H BA | The current tractor guidance direction because steering needs better vehicle-state behaviour. |
| LC29H BS | The base-station/correction source for FINN Base, served to rovers over NTRIP. |
| Connection | USB serial for the public guidance path; local motor-control hardware for steering prototypes. |
Accuracy
With standalone GNSS and no correction service, expect metre-level behaviour. That is useful for broadacre guidance but not a replacement for RTK or a commercially certified steering system.
RTK support is planned through FINN Base and NTRIP correction service work. That is an accuracy upgrade path, not a requirement for trying the basic lightbar.
Roadmap
What is coming next around Guidance:
- Release clarity - Separate public lightbar builds from internal field-prototype steering builds.
- RTK path - Consume corrections from FINN Base once the base station is field-validated.
- Pilot receiver - Receive bounded FINN Pilot frames for implement state, safety, and coverage context.
- Coverage handoff - Keep Guidance coverage logging now, then let Pilot become the primary coverage authority after field proof.
- Field-run upload - Send guidance logs and summaries into FINN Core for analysis and tuning recommendations.
Open Source
Finn Guidance is open source and free to use. The code is written in Rust with an egui interface, designed to be fast, reliable, and easy to build on.
Want to contribute, report a bug, or request a feature? Head to the GitHub repository.