Getting started

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(The robot)
(Battery maintenance)
 
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[[File:regbot_med_kabler_og_pc_ann.png | 600px]]
 
[[File:regbot_med_kabler_og_pc_ann.png | 600px]]
  
The robot can connect to a PC using USB (or Wifi), but start with USB. The battery is nominal 11.1V and the robot shuts down if below 10V (for optimal battery life keep between 10.5 and 11.8).
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The robot can connect to a PC using USB (or Wifi), but start with USB.  
  
NB! the charger cable to the battery (4-wire balance plug) is disconnected on some robots, as some of the chargers will drain the battery (some chargers load some of the cells with 0.5-15 mA, and after some weeks it will ruin the battery).
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=== Battery maintenance ===
  
==GUI==
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The battery is nominal 11.1V (3 LiPo cells) and the robot shuts down if below 10V. Some robots have a small display on the PCB with the battery voltage.
  
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'''NB!''' The charger cable to the battery (4-wire balance plug) is disconnected on some robots.
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See [[Regbot maintenance]] for more details.
  
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'''NB2!''' Connecting the charger, or connecting the USB cable while charging, sometimes disturbs the processor on REGBOT. Especially if the PC also is connected to 230V.
  
The GUI is a python-QT application used to configure the REGBOT.
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==Start the GUI==
  
Runs under Windows (regbot.exe) or Linux (regbot.py, but requires the right python packages to be installed first, see
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For installation see [[Regbot GUI]].
[[Software_installation#Python_packages]]
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Go to the directory with the GUI Python files.
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Start the regbot.py file.
  
 
==Connect==
 
==Connect==
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[[File:screenshot-regbot.png | 800px]]
 
[[File:screenshot-regbot.png | 800px]]
  
Figure 1. REGBOT GUI, then top-left frame controls the connection. Etiher communication over an USB com-port or using WiFi.
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Figure 1. REGBOT GUI, then the top-left frame controls the USB connection.
  
 
===USB===
 
===USB===
  
Connect USB cable and figure out which COM port is created for the robot (NB! each robot connected to the PC has probably reserved a COM-port number). The control panel may help.
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Connect the USB cable and figure out which COM port is created for the robot (NB! In Windows, each robot ever connected to the PC has probably a reserved COM port number).
  
In figure 1 the robot has created COM6:.
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=====Windows=====
  
USB is much faster than wifi, especially when downloading a log.
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To find com-port number, see the Windows configuration (control panel) under 'Bluetooth and other devices'
  
===WiFi===
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In Figure 1, the robot is connected using COM6:.
  
At DTU the robots attempt to connect to the DEVICE WiFi access point (SSID=device), it may take 20 seconds to establish the connection.
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===== Linux and MAC =====
  
Each robot has a reserved IP:
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The USB port will most likely be called
  
  10.16.166.XXX
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  /dev/ttyACM0
  
Where XXX is the robot number. The robot Thea has number 51, so its IP number is 10.16.166.51.
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Enter this (/dev/ttyACM0) instead of the 'com6' in the USB frame.
  
A number of remarks and debug messages (shown in the lower left frame in figure 1) will not be send over WiFi (lower bandwidth).
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(Not too sure about MAC, sorry)
  
 
===Status===
 
===Status===
  
Once connected the robot time and name is shown in a green frame (figure 1). Below the green frame is a frame to start and stop missions.
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Once connected to a robot time and name are shown (figure 1). Time should increase, to show that the connection is active.
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The start button is a replication of the green button on the robot.
 
The start button is a replication of the green button on the robot.
  
The "Load" field shows how much time the robot uses for every sample (the robot samples all sensors and calculations every 1ms), so the load should be less than 1000us at all times.
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The "Load" field shows how much time the robot uses for every sample in microseconds (in %).
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The load increases while running, but should be less than 100% at all times.
  
When the configuration or mission is changed it can be saved to a small flash disk (2kB) on the robot with the "save to flash" button.
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When the configuration or mission changes, it can be saved to a small flash disk (4kB) on the robot with the "save to flash" button.
  
 
===Menu===
 
===Menu===
  
The menus has some extra features.
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The menus have some extra features.
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'File' -> 'Save' saves some of the settings in the GUI and from the robot (including the com-port).
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'View' can hide or show tab pages.
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'Help' -> 'About' shows the version of the software.
  
 
===Help===
 
===Help===
  
Most fields has explanations, when the mouse hoovers over the field.
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Most fields have explanations when the mouse hovers over the field.
  
 
===User interface===
 
===User interface===
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More details on missions on [[Mission]]
 
More details on missions on [[Mission]]
 
===Control configuration===
 
 
This is a control exercise robot, so some control must be configured to run missions.
 
 
Control is configured from the control tab - see also [[User_interface#Controller_configuration]].
 
 
The velocity control is the most important, and in the dialogue shown below in figure 2, set the values in the figure text (''NOT as the screenshot'').
 
 
[[File:Gui_control_dialog.png | 500px]]
 
 
Figure 2. Set Kp = 0, but enabled. Set "Feed forward" Kf = 4. Set output limit to 9V and disable the "Lead/lag in feedback" and all other settings. This will translate a mission velocity of 0.5 m/s by a factor 4 to a motor voltage of 2 Volt, which in turn approximately gives a velocity of 0.5 m/s.
 

Latest revision as of 20:19, 7 December 2023

Back to Regbot main page.

Contents

[edit] The robot

Regbot med kabler og pc ann.png

The robot can connect to a PC using USB (or Wifi), but start with USB.

[edit] Battery maintenance

The battery is nominal 11.1V (3 LiPo cells) and the robot shuts down if below 10V. Some robots have a small display on the PCB with the battery voltage.

NB! The charger cable to the battery (4-wire balance plug) is disconnected on some robots. See Regbot maintenance for more details.

NB2! Connecting the charger, or connecting the USB cable while charging, sometimes disturbs the processor on REGBOT. Especially if the PC also is connected to 230V.

[edit] Start the GUI

For installation see Regbot GUI.

Go to the directory with the GUI Python files.

Start the regbot.py file.

[edit] Connect

The GUI looks like shown here in figure 1.

Screenshot-regbot.png

Figure 1. REGBOT GUI, then the top-left frame controls the USB connection.

[edit] USB

Connect the USB cable and figure out which COM port is created for the robot (NB! In Windows, each robot ever connected to the PC has probably a reserved COM port number).

[edit] Windows

To find com-port number, see the Windows configuration (control panel) under 'Bluetooth and other devices'

In Figure 1, the robot is connected using COM6:.

[edit] Linux and MAC

The USB port will most likely be called

/dev/ttyACM0

Enter this (/dev/ttyACM0) instead of the 'com6' in the USB frame.

(Not too sure about MAC, sorry)

[edit] Status

Once connected to a robot time and name are shown (figure 1). Time should increase, to show that the connection is active.

The start button is a replication of the green button on the robot.

The "Load" field shows how much time the robot uses for every sample in microseconds (in %). The load increases while running, but should be less than 100% at all times.

When the configuration or mission changes, it can be saved to a small flash disk (4kB) on the robot with the "save to flash" button.

[edit] Menu

The menus have some extra features.

'File' -> 'Save' saves some of the settings in the GUI and from the robot (including the com-port).

'View' can hide or show tab pages.

'Help' -> 'About' shows the version of the software.

[edit] Help

Most fields have explanations when the mouse hovers over the field.

[edit] User interface

More details on user interface on User_interface

More details on missions on Mission

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