Trouble compiling arduino sketch using arbotix commander to control robot

**darkback2** · 12-24-2017

ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!

Thank you guys! Best Christmas Present Ever!

DB

**darkback2** · 12-24-2017

:-( Tician...I am not back. I have this small 2 week window between my robotics team's FIRST Tech Challenge season, and our FIRST Robotics competition season...That and my kids are building two houses in March so... :-(

Ok... To the second question.

What do I switch to in terms of processor that other people are using?

DB

**tician** · 12-24-2017

Originally Posted by darkback2

:-( Tician...I am not back. I have this small 2 week window between my robotics team's FIRST Tech Challenge season, and our FIRST Robotics competition season...That and my kids are building two houses in March so... :-(

Oh, poo. Well, if you ever need any tech advice for your FIRST teams, there are still several knowledgeable folks around these parts.

As for processors, it mostly seems to be Teensy-3.x and/or embedded PC (RPi, etc.) with fully custom code or KurtEck's Phoenix engine. I still haven't found the motivation to get my gait seeker to a functional state, so Ripley is still sitting in her box waiting for a new torso and head so she can start walking around bothering the two ~16lbs cats (the fluffy one may be joining my sister's friend on a farm on an island in the Seattle, WA area).

**darkback2** · 12-25-2017

I do pop by and lurk from time to time...

My current personal fleet:

Hikar: Arbotix 2 and embedded FITPC 2 running windows performance edition and MAX/MSP

A knock off of an HROS-1.

and X currently running an arbotix-m thought I have an arbotix pro and Raspberry Pi, sitting here, though I also want to get a second HROS-1 up and running for my classroom.

A part of me wonders if things haven't taken a step backwards over the past few years, or at least sideways...ROS was supposed to be the answer to everything, but I wonder if it hasn't really left a bunch of people behind. I remember going to robogames and watching people with kondos, robonovas, and bioloids having fights...The thing is...Last year a lot of the same people were there running similar robots. Hell the guy with the robonova was just as competitive as he was 10 years ago.

Everything and everyone just seams a lot older now. Myself included...and things are starting to not work. Maybe I just need to dig into ROS like its nobodies business...

Meh...I probably just need another beer.

DB

**darkback2** · 12-25-2017

In the name of making things better instead of just complaining about them I am thinking of editing Pypose so that it will export files correctly. Here is what I think I need to change, but I would love confirmation before I screw things up.

Current export part of project file in Pypose folder:

Code:

###########################################################################
    # Export functionality
    def export(self, filename):
        """ Export a pose file for use with Sanguino Library. """
        posefile = open(filename, "w")
        print>>posefile, "#ifndef " + self.name.upper() + "_POSES"
        print>>posefile, "#define " + self.name.upper() + "_POSES"
        print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, "#include <avr/pgmspace.h>"
        print>>posefile, ""
        for p in self.poses.keys():
            if p.startswith("ik_"):
                continue
            print>>posefile, "PROGMEM prog_uint16_t " + p + "[] = {" + str(self.count) + ",",
            p = self.poses[p]
            for x in p[0:-1]:
                print>>posefile, str(x) + ",",
            print>>posefile, str(p[-1]) + "};"
            #print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, ""
        for s in self.sequences.keys():
            print>>posefile, "PROGMEM transition_t " + s + "[] = {{0," + str(len(self.sequences[s])) + "}",
            s = self.sequences[s]
            for t in s:
                print>>posefile, ",{" + t[0:t.find("|")] + "," + t[t.find("|")+1:] + "}",
            print>>posefile, "};"
        print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, "#endif"
        posefile.close()


def extract(li):
    """ extract x%256,x>>8 for every x in li """
    out = list()
    for i in li:
        out = out + [i%256,i>>8]
    return out

Proposed change:

Code:

###########################################################################
    # Export functionality
    def export(self, filename):
        """ Export a pose file for use with Sanguino Library. """
        posefile = open(filename, "w")
        print>>posefile, "#ifndef " + self.name.upper() + "_POSES"
        print>>posefile, "#define " + self.name.upper() + "_POSES"
        print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, "#include <avr/pgmspace.h>"
        print>>posefile, ""
        for p in self.poses.keys():
            if p.startswith("ik_"):
                continue
            print>>posefile, "const uint16_t " + p + "[] PROGMEM = {" + str(self.count) + ",",
            p = self.poses[p]
            for x in p[0:-1]:
                print>>posefile, str(x) + ",",
            print>>posefile, str(p[-1]) + "};"
            #print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, ""
        for s in self.sequences.keys():
            print>>posefile, "const transition_t " + s + "[] PROGMEM = {{0," + str(len(self.sequences[s])) + "}",
            s = self.sequences[s]
            for t in s:
                print>>posefile, ",{" + t[0:t.find("|")] + "," + t[t.find("|")+1:] + "}",
            print>>posefile, "};"
        print>>posefile, ""
        print>>posefile, "#endif"
        posefile.close()


def extract(li):
    """ extract x%256,x>>8 for every x in li """
    out = list()
    for i in li:
        out = out + [i%256,i>>8]
    return out

Basically I am trying to update the export function so that it exports the file in the right format...that would eliminate a lot of changing things by hand, and would make pypose useful again for more than just me...provided more than just me is using it.

Here is the thing...I don't know much about anything so I'm not sure what to do after making these changes...Would this be the right thing to change? I'm assuming it would have to be compiled afterwards...I have friends who know this sort of thing, I am not one of them...

DB

DB

**KurtEck** · 12-26-2017

Hi @darkback,

Sorry I am not a python person either. But my quick look through it looks reasonable. I would say try it out on some simple project and see if what is produced compiles...

As for which processor to use...

As you maybe can tell, I personally like to use Teensy processors by PJRC. But they don't come out of the box ready to run Dynamixel servos. You can get them to work with a simple wiring hookup. Connect a TX pin from one of the UARTS and an GND pin to a Trossen wired HUB... I have code that takes care of the Half duplex for you. Or preferably use a carrier board. I have played around with my own boards and I a few others have done so as well, like @jwatte.

Right now I am playing around with some of the OpenCM9 boards, as they are cheap ($20): http://www.trossenrobotics.com/open-cm-904c

However the current C boards do not have any AX/MX servo connectors on them. There are a few options, that I have mentioned on the thread: http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/sh...(or-MX)-servos
One possibility is to purchase the A version of the board: http://www.robotis.us/opencm9-04-a-n...ctors-onboard/ ($10 out of stock) plus the connectors kit ($6) http://www.robotis.us/opencm9-04-con...accessory-set/ which comes with the two different types of connectors, but this requires you to solder it together... Easiest is to make an adapter cable, from XL to AX/MX and plug this into powered AX/MX HUB.

As for ROS? I keep meaning to get back into learning it again. But as you implied there is a large learning curve and depending on what you are wishing to do with it, it may or may not be worth the investment... I keep meaning to maybe pick up one of the cheaper Turtlebots and work with it as a way to get more used to ROS.

Kurt

**darkback2** · 12-30-2017

I made the changes in the pypose program and now the exported .h files compile in Arduino 1.6. Does anyone know how to spread the fixes so that any other people using the Arbotix-m and pypose can get things working also without having to edit their .h files in order to make them work?

DB

**KurtEck** · 12-30-2017

First question would be where did you get the pypose from?
Maybe from Here? https://github.com/vanadiumlabs/pypose

The difficulty is it does not look like Fergy is active at all on this any more.

The typical things you can do is to create a new issue up on their github project. Preferably with the code.

Or what I typically do is to create a Pull Request with the new code. The typical steps to do this include:

Create a fork of their project and down load the fork to your machine

Create a new branch for your changes.

Push your changes back up to your github account.

Issue the Pull Request with this new branch and put details in the comments about what was changed and why.

Then hope someone with write access (Michael Ferguson) will take in the pull request.

**darkback2** · 12-30-2017

Cool and Thanks.

I don't know that I know enough to do that, but I do know people who do. In the mean time I sent an email to Trossen with the changes...If they are selling the arbotix-m then they should probably be able to get the files updated...If they care of course...

DB