This page is is for development nodes and user description of the simplified version of Robobot

Robobot B description

This section is intended for users.

Overview

Robobot architecture

Hardware

Plastic

Electronics

PCB

Software on Raspberry

Software repository

Directory structure

On the Raspberry the main directory and files are:

/home/local/
+-git        - Directory for libratyes available from a GIT repository (mostly Teensy/arduino libraries).
|  +-CLI11   - Directory with command line interface library CLI (from github)
+-svn        - Directory for software from the subversion repository (Robobot specific software).
|  +-regbot  - Directory for the Teesny software (firmware) this part is called Regbot.
|  |  +-regbot_gui Debug app for Regbot.
|  |  +-regbot     The firmware source code.
|  +-robobot - Directory for the Robobot specific code.
|  |  +-setup      Directory with some default configuration files.
|  |  +-raubase    The basic Raspberry Pi software for Robobot.
|  |  |  +-src     Source code 
|  |  |  +-build   Build directory with Makefile
|  |  |  |  +-log  Directory for data-monitoring logfiles
|  |  |  CMakeList.txt   Directives to generate a Makefile using cmake
|  |  |  robot.ini       Configuration and calibration file
|  |  +- ip_disp   Small app to update the IP address of the Raspberry.
|  |     log_ip_dist.txt Logfile for IP and temperature monotoring
|  +-log     - Directory with logfiles from ip_disp (IP, users and CPU temperature)
on_reboot.bash  - Script to start applications that should start after a reboot (ip_disp)

Robot software

Firmware on Teensy

Description

Compile tools

Upload to Teensy

Development notes

This section is for development notes.

Software installation Raspberry Pi

Install on Raspberry

Barebone installation (Raspbian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye) as of July 2023)

Raspberry base install

make a bootable SD card
Make a new user called local and set the group permissions

sudo adduser local gpio

Install general-purpose development packages

Additional packages

Install the following packages:

libreadline-dev
libopencv-dev
libgpiod-dev
gpiod
cmake
subversion
aptitude
telnet
ntp
ntpdate
nmap
lsof
sudo apt install libreadline-dev libopencv-dev libgpiod-dev gpiod cmake subversion aptitude telnet nmap lsof

and, if available

sudo apt install libcli11-dev

Install command line interface library (if not found by 'apt install libcli11-dev')

cd
cd git
git clone https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11.git

User and network (WiFi)

Connect to DTU Wifi

use NTP (network time protocol) with DTU network (require ntp and ntpdate packages)
connect to DTU network without showing secret password

Instructions here Network setup

Enable autostart

Display of IP

Start app to display IP on Regbot display, log CPU temperature and synchronize hostname

Make an on-rebbot script in the home directory

cp ~/svn/robobot/setup/on_reboot.bash ~/

This file is something like:

#!/bin/bash
# script to start applications after a reboot
#
# run the app to show IP of raspberry on the Teensy display.
mkdir -p /home/local/svn/log
cd /home/local/svn/log
# save the last reboot date
echo "Rebooted" >> rebootinfo.txt
date >> rebootinfo.txt
../robobot/ip_disp/build/ip_disp &
# save PID for debugging
echo "ip_disp started with PID:" >> rebootinfo.txt
pgrep -l ip_disp >> rebootinfo.txt
exit 0

Use crontab to run this script at reboot

crontab -e

Add this line at the end:

@reboot /home/local/on_reboot.bash

Hostname update

A script updates the Raspberry Pi hostname, with the name in ~/svn/log/robotname. The script rename_host.bash is:

#!/bin/bash
hn=`hostname`
f="/home/local/svn/log/robotname"
if [ -f $f ]; 
then
 nn=`cat $f`
 yy= $(expr length $nn)
 if [ $yy -gt 2 ];
 then
   if [ $hn != $nn ]; 
   then
     hostnamectl set-hostname $nn
     # seems like /etc/hosts is not updated, but /etc/hostname is
     sed -i "s/$hn/$nn/g" /etc/hosts
   else
     echo Same hostname, all is fine.
   fi
 fi
else
 echo "File >" $f "< not found."
fi

The script needs to be run as root, it is therefore set to run as part of the boot process.

Create the script in /etc/init.d

sudo nano /etc/init.d/host_rename.sh

Enter the following lines into the new file

#!/bin/bash
bash /home/local/svn/robobot/setup/rename_host.bash

Make the file executable and add it to run-level 2 (before networking is started)

sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/host_rename.sh
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/host_rename.sh /etc/rc2.d/S99host_rename

The script is then executed when the Raspberry boots, and if the hostname does not match that of the Teensy, then the hostname is modified.

Robobot base software

To make the initial copy from the repository

cd
cd svn
svn checkout svn://repos.gbar.dtu.dk/jcan/robobot

To update with a new version

cd
cd svn/robobot
svn update

Teensy

Software tool chain installation

Old Robobot pages

robobot an extension to Regbot with a raspberry pi for more extended missions, but uses mission code in Teensy, like Regbot.

Robobot B

Contents