Changes

==Connecting to ROS==

''The following procedure will help you install the Robot Operating System on Ubuntu 10.10 for use with the XV-11.''

The last command will install approximately 5GB worth of software so grab some coffee, a Rockstar, or your stimulant of choice! Once it is done installing run the commands below to install some more ROS software in your home folder.

Now we will edit the /etc/modules file so the usbserial driver will be automatically loaded with the parameters needed. We also add the cdc_acm driver to the blacklist so it will not be used with the XV-11. On a Macbook Pro the system used this driver instead of usbserial.

Almost time to plug your XV-11 into the system!! For the sake of simplicity do not plug in any other USB to serial devices at this point. This will ensure your XV-11 appears as '''/dev/ttyUSB0''' and will simplify setup at this point.

Once you plug in the XV-11 you should see '''/dev/ttyUSB0''' appear. Now lets load the XV-11 drivers.

Entering the above command should initiate a connection to '''/dev/ttyUSB0''' and after a couple seconds you will hear the LIDAR start to spin on the XV-11. Don’t worry if you don’t hear it, press '''CTRL-C''' to exit the driver then enter the command again. I have found it does not seem to start properly upon first load. Now press '''CTRL-SHIFT-T''' while your terminal window is selected to open a new tab within that terminal window, just like a new web browser tab. We will open a few of these tabs to load the different ROS drivers/programs.

Just to verify, you should have three tabs open now with these three commands simultaneously running. SWEET HUH!! Now you have the GUI application running, just a couple more steps and its play time! On the top menu bar click '''Plugins -> Manage''' then click the box next to '''Loaded''' and click '''OK'''. There is a video [http://www.ros.org/wiki/navigation/Tutorials/Using%20rviz%20with%20the%20Navigation%20Stack here] with details on setting up RViz. You can use this file with RViz and it has all those parameters already setup. Right click on the file and save it. Within RViz just go to '''File -> Open Config''' and select the XV11.vcg file. Now open a new terminal which we will use for keyboard control to manually navigate the XV-11.

You will see which keys are used to navigate on the screen once the program is running. The default speed settings are too fast for the XV-11 so you need to reduce the speed before it will respond to any input. Repeatedly press the '''“x”''' key to reduce speed when traveling in a straight line to about 0.10 and then do the same with the “c” key to reduce rotational speed to about 0.15. Now you can use the keyboard keys to navigate.

Runtime V2.6.15295

OK

This is after the upgrade

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Runtime V2.6.15295

OK

==Interfacing with LIDAR Sensor==

I created a board to interface the LIDAR sensor to a PC without the rest of the XV-11. The PCB consists of a PIC18F2221, and FTDI-232R, a 3.3V regulator, and a Fet for controlling the motor. The pic watches the data from the LIDAR and uses the speed information to control the PWM pin attached to the FET. In this way the correct speed can be maintained. The Firmware for the pic currently only supports the old LIDAR firmware ( that is what I have). Hopefully someone else can modify it to work with the other firmware as well. There are jumpers for configuring who talks to what between the PC, PIC, and LIDAR. There are also options for supplying your own 5V instead of getting it from USB and an option for using an XBEE for wireless communication. Schematics are posted below as well as the Eagle brd files. Source code for the PIC will be posted soon. I have spare boards for sale if anyone is interested. Ringo (dot) Davis (at) gmail (dot) com.

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TestEncoder

GetVersion

Draws a squirrel in a heart, in ASCII art...

Example:

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**You can get free samples of these parts from [https://tycoelectronics.com/ TE’s website]

3D CAD model of the LIDAR unit. Note that I used the 2d cad files mentioned above along with my own measurements, so be warned that the following is not completely accurate. Also, I’m no CAD professional, so you won’t find much detail in the model - just enough to account for any significant design properties which may be useful to know when building the module into your own applicatio

*Data 0 to Data 3 are the 4 readings. Each one is 4 bytes long, and organized as follows :

byte 0 : Distance 7:0

byte 1 : “invalid data” flag : “strength warning” flag

byte 3 : Signal Strength 15:8

The minimum distance is around 15cm, and the maximum distance is around 6m.

It is organized as follow :

5A A5 00 C0 XX XX  data

`` is composed of 360 group of 4 bytes, organized like this :

byte 0 : Distance 7:0

byte 1 :  “invalid data” flag : ”quality warning” flag : distance 13:8

byte 3 : Quality 15:8

The bit 7 of byte 1 seems to indicate that the distance could not be calculated.

That was the basic idea which led to realization of the full wireless remote control.

This is really great, but how can one use it for robot’s intended purpose if he or she is limited by the length of the wire? Of course you can take a laptop!  But for me it was not the answer. Luckily, my friend recently has brought a compact (very compact) WiFi router (Commonly available from eBay as “2g/3g/4g wifi router”, also known as HAME MPR-A5 and MIFI-F5. MPR-A1 and clones are likely to work as well if you manage to fit them in. Some additional material is available on http://my-embedded.blogspot.com/2013/12/mini-4g-router-rt5350f.html) and suggested that we should try to embed it into my Neato.

*The unpopulated footprint (J2) on the PCB Rev 64 is indeed a SD Card footprint, and the source reveals that the kernel has SD Card support.

*Mystery .raw file \LinuxSrc\rootfs\etc\test_map.raw (400KB). Could this be sample LIDAR data?

*Contents of the file \LinuxSrc\rootfs\etc\Issue: “Welcome hackers!”. :

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Accessing this device offers a limited console over USB serial with no local echo.

The Neato bootloader console does not support any of the standard U-boot commands.

[[File:Neato XV-11 Early PCB Version.jpg|thumb|'''Neato XV-11 Early PCB Version''']]

{| class="wikitable"

|-

|Ref. Desg.

[[File:Neato XV-11 Map bathroom1.gif|thumb]]

[[File:Neato XV-11 Map bathroom2.gif|thumb]]

Warning: This feature seems to be missing in the current (v2.6) firmware.)

[[File:Neato XV-11 Map capture-laser.gif|none|thumb]]

Neato Robotics currently has an list of commands accessible to people who want to tinker with their robots.

See their official site for information: http://www.neatorobotics.com/programmers-manual

Your first point of call is the Neato Robotics Programmers Manual listed above. Also if you have an established link to your Neato you can type:-

help

help getmotors

A lot of the functions available to programmers can only be used if “TestMode” has been enabled on the Neato. Most functions displayed in the Help are listed as “TestMode Only” which will give you an idea as to what can be only be used when TestMode is enabled.

With TestMode enabled, you Neato will behave a little differently than normal.

The following commands and examples listed below will assume you have TestMode enabled, (unless specified differently)

When you are first experimenting with command, I recommend you turn Neato up-side-down so the wheels can free spin. Otherwise you may get instances where your robot drives away faster than you expected, crashing into things and generally making a mess of your room as it lacks logic to stop.

As I have been experimenting, my Neato seems to steer to the left a little as it drives along in a ‘straight’ line. I’ve also had differences in distance travelled depending on my speed setting. I have yet to sit down and measure the accuracy of these movement commands.

A little issue I found in my tinkering exploits, Neato would suddenly power off when issuing commands. This seems to be because I was issuing a large amount of commands within a short period of time. To give you an idea, I was issuing a set of three SetLED commands once every 20ms. Within about 2seconds, Neato would power off. To fix the issue, unplug your USB, power up Neato and reconnect the USB.