Changes between Version 3 and Version 4 of Old/Dailyupdates


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Timestamp:
Jun 8, 2007, 7:42:14 PM (17 years ago)
Author:
aniket
Comment:

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  • Old/Dailyupdates

    v3 v4  
    2424Some more packages were required in order to successfully compile the sample c++ code. Namely ''build-essential'' and ''libstdc++5''. Once compiled, the example 01-simple executed and turned the robot’s wheels. This is the first time I’ve successfully controlled the robot using c++ code. One observation that I’ve made is that the code will not compile passed to gcc on its own; the ''make'' command must be used. This makes it necessary for us to generate makefiles for our own programs – something I currently know nothing about.
    2525
    26 I spent a large part of the afternoon trying, unsuccessfully, to test the camera. ERSP comes with a binary package called ''test¬¬_camera'', which gives several hints at the problem. I don’t know the specific model name of the camera we are using, and google is not being very helpful either.
     26I spent a large part of the afternoon trying, unsuccessfully, to test the camera. ERSP comes with a binary package called ''test_camera'', which gives several hints at the problem. I don’t know the specific model name of the camera we are using, and google is not being very helpful either.
    2727
    2828One goal for tomorrow is to obtain printouts of the User’s Guide and Programming Tutorials.
    2929
    3030== 06/06/07 – Day 3 ==
    31 For reasons unknown, Mobile 36 (gnome) crashed X when booting for the first time this morning. We found the problem to be a missing line, mousedev in the file /etc/modules.
     31For reasons unknown, Mobile 36 (gnome) crashed X when booting for the first time this morning. We found the problem to be a missing line, m''ousedev'' in the file ''/etc/modules''.
    3232
    3333A big accomplishment for today was to get printouts of both the User’s Guide and Tutorials. This will undoubtedly help us a great deal when we get started programming.
    … …  
    3535Based on a pdf file from evolution found online, the robot’s text-to-speech capabilities are restricted to the Windows version of the software. This is lame, and we will look into it more in the future. Debian does have some text-to-speech packages in its repositories, so we can probably achieve that functionality of the robot even if the ERSP software doesn’t support it.
    3636
    37 Getting the camera to work took a while. We needed to load the module ov511 (it was available) using modprobe. Once this was done, the ERSP test application test_camera successfully snapped 5 images and stored them as jpegs.
     37Getting the camera to work took a while. We needed to load the module ''ov511'' (it was available) using ''modprobe''. Once this was done, the ERSP test application ''test_camera'' successfully snapped 5 images and stored them as jpegs.
    3838
    3939An attempt to enable sound on Mobile 33 (KDE) was wildly unsuccessful. I learned some useful commands I’d like to remember though:
    40 pcimodules – guesses which modules should be loaded based on lspci
    41 xargs [command] – performs [command] on every line of the data piped into it
     40''pcimodules'' – guesses which modules should be loaded based on ''lspci''
     41''xargs [command]'' – performs [command] on every line of the data piped into it
    4242So, for example
    4343        # pcimodules | xargs modprobe
    44 Attempts to load every module that pcimodules believes should be loaded.
     44Attempts to load every module that ''pcimodules'' believes should be loaded.
    4545
    4646 
    4747== 06/07/07 – Day 4 ==
    48 Sound is working! The necessary module was snd-intel8x0. Once installed (along with alsa-base, alsa-utils, alsa-tools) sound is working great. The tools aplay and amarok are able to play wav files and audio CDs. We have installed some text-to-speech applications, one called festival and another called flite. Both can generate audio speech from text information. Neither is yet linked with the ERSP software however, and triangles.py continues to give errors when it is trying to speak.
     48Sound is working! The necessary module was ''snd-intel8x0''. Once installed (along with ''alsa-base'', ''alsa-utils'', ''alsa-tools'') sound is working great. The tools ''aplay'' and ''amarok'' are able to play wav files and audio CDs. We have installed some text-to-speech applications, one called ''festival'' and another called ''flite''. Both can generate audio speech from text information. Neither is yet linked with the ERSP software however, and ''triangles.py'' continues to give errors when it is trying to speak.
    4949
    5050Getting wireless to work was a small nightmare. The madwifi driver had a few dependencies unavailable in our repository, but we were able to find them online. Once the drivers were all installed we still struggled to get connected, but we think this might be do to interference in winlab.
    5151
    52 A new discovery: if instead of running the script run_client_gui we run the program navtool directly, the camera works. The mechanics of this are still under investigation.
     52A new discovery: if instead of running the script ''run_client_gui'' we run the program ''navtool'' directly, the camera works. The mechanics of this are still under investigation.
    5353
    54 At the end of the day, the navtool and run_client¬_gui script are still a mystery. The program navtool outputs countless warnings that “The audio device has not been opened yet,” which follow a failed attempt to make a directory. The program appears to me to be searching for something in /home/builder, a directory which does not exist at all as there is no user named builder. Also, whereas once attempting to open the vSlam applet resulted in an error in the debug output, it now causes an immediate crash of the application (step backwards?).
     54At the end of the day, the ''navtool'' and ''run_client_gui'' script are still a mystery. The program ''navtool'' outputs countless warnings that “The audio device has not been opened yet,” which follow a failed attempt to make a directory. The program appears to me to be searching for something in ''/home/builder'', a directory which does not exist at all as there is no user named builder. Also, whereas once attempting to open the vSlam applet resulted in an error in the debug output, it now causes an immediate crash of the application (step backwards?).
    5555
    56 An additional problem I have come across is that the tool composer.sh, which is supposed to be a graphical tool for composing robot behaviors, outputs an error regarding libpthread.so.0. This is the first tool so far we have attempted that uses java.
     56An additional problem I have come across is that the tool ''composer.sh'', which is supposed to be a graphical tool for composing robot behaviors, outputs an error regarding ''libpthread.so.0''. This is the first tool so far we have attempted that uses java.
    5757
    5858We tested a second chassis today. All is in working order.
    … …  
    6363I got an orbit account.
    6464
    65 We spent all morning trying to get navtool to work. We had some success with Mobile 33, which began a preliminary exploration of the orbit room. Unfortunately there are still some kinks that need to be worked out before the robot can be controlled remotely via SSH.
     65We spent all morning trying to get ''navtool'' to work. We had some success with Mobile 33, which began a preliminary exploration of the orbit room. Unfortunately there are still some kinks that need to be worked out before the robot can be controlled remotely via SSH.
    6666
    67 Mobile 33, controlled locally (as opposed to ssh) has a functioning navtools application. The camera and software joystick both work well. The IR sensors appear not to be doing anything however, or at least the robot is not responding when it crashes into walls.
     67Mobile 33, controlled locally (as opposed to ssh) has a functioning ''navtools'' application. The camera and software joystick both work well. The IR sensors appear not to be doing anything however, or at least the robot is not responding when it crashes into walls.
    6868
    6969One of the steps in getting this software to work was creating an obscure symlink. The navtools application searches for the file USB.xml in all the wrong places, one of which includes a directory that appears to reflect the ERSP software developers' home directory.