A-Pod 3DoF Bot Board II / BASIC Atom Pro Tutorial

<td valign="top" align="left">A-Pod Bot Board II / BASIC Atom Pro Tutorial.

Updated 08/10/2010.

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Phoenix code v2.0.

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Safety first! Wear eye protection and never touch a powered robot!

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Software:

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- Basic Micro Studio

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- Basic Atom Pro program</td>

Image of A-Pod.</td>

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I. SSC-32 Configuration: Registers

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Step 1.

Place the robot on top of a CD spindle or similar to hold the legs off the ground.

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Download and install the latest version of <a href="https://wiki.lynxmotion.com/info/wiki/lynxmotion/view/ses-software/lynxterm/" target="_blank">LynxTerm</a>. </td>

Figure 1.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 2.

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Connect the SSC-32 to the PC's serial port. This can be recognized by the

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9 pins that stick out. Apply power, and the green LED should light and stay on until it receives a valid

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serial command. Run the LynxTerm program.

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To test basic communications, do a "ver" test: type "ver"

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into the terminal then press "Enter". You should see the proper firmware

45

version returned.

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Please consult the <a href="https://wiki.lynxmotion.com/info/wiki/lynxmotion/view/support/serial-usb-serial-port-troubleshooting/" target="_blank">serial

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troubleshooting guide</a> if you have difficulties with this.</td>

Figure 2.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 3.

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Download the 2-07EGP_A1A.abl firmware or higher. Make sure the baud rate is set to 115.2k before attempting to update. Refer to the <a href="https://wiki.lynxmotion.com/info/wiki/lynxmotion/view/servo-erector-set-system/ses-electronics/ses-modules/ssc-32/ssc-32-manual/#aglance">manual</a> if you need more information regarding baud rate.

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Click on "Firmware" along

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the bottom of the LynxTerm screen.

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Click on "Open" and browse to the firmware file you just downloaded.

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Make sure the SSC-32 is powered, and click on "Begin Update".

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Figure 3.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 4.

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When the firmware has been successfully updated, click "Ok" then "Exit".

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Now do another "ver" test: type "ver"

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into the terminal then press "Enter". You should see a new firmware

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version returned.</td>

Figure 4.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 5.

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Place the robot in a position as close to neutral as possible. Click on "All=1500" in the bottom right portion of the screen. Your

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robot should go to and hold the neutral position, and should resemble figures 7 through 13. If the joints are off by more than 15° you may have

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made an error in assembly. To correct this, remove the center screw from the round servo horn, pull the servo horn off the servo, rotate until

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it's aligned, then reattach the servo horn.

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Caution! You are about to power up the servos. When this is done immediately make sure all of the moving parts are not tangled or hung up and no joints are positioned beyond their range of motion. If anything looks wrong, power down and look for mechanical problems with the build. This is bot has long, apendeges. You must periodically allow the servos to cool down if left on for more then 5 minutes at a time. Take care with the vertical servos, especially the head and tail. They should be monitored to prevent overheating during the calibration. </td>

Figure 5.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 6.

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From the main screen, click on "Reg" to open the Registers page.

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Click on "Default" to initialize default values.</td>

Figure 6.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Refer to this servo channel number guide for the following configuration steps.

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Do the most accurate alignment as possible! The

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robot can only operate as well as as it is aligned. In other words, a poorly aligned robot will walk poorly!

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Servo Channel Numbering.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 7.

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You need to adjust the robot's horizontal hip servos. Select servo #04, then adjust the "Offset" slider until the leg is perpendicular to the robot's chassis as shown.

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Do this for servos #04 and 20.

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Note, the mouse's scrollwheel or keyboard's arrow keys can be used to make fine adjustments.</td>

Figure 7.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 8.

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You need to adjust the robot's remaining horizontal hip servos. Select servo #00, then adjust the "Offset" slider until the tibia is at a 45° angle from the robot's chassis as shown.

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Do this for servos #00, 08, 16, 24.

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Note, the mouse's scrollwheel or keyboard's arrow keys can be used to make fine adjustments.</td>

Figure 8.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 9.

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Now adjust the robot's vertical hip servos. Select servo #1, then adjust the "Offset" slider until the robot's femur is parallel to the

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ground as shown.

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Do this for servos #01, 05, 09, 17, 21, 25.

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Figure 9.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 10.

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Now adjust the robot's knee servos. Select servo #2, then adjust the "Offset" slider until the tip of the robot's foot is directly

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underneath the knee servo pivot point. From the servo's pivot point to the tip of the foot should be perpendicular to the ground as shown.

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Do this for servos #02, 06, 10, 18, 22, 26.</td>

Figure 10.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 11.

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Now adjust the robot's mandible servos. Adjust #13 and #14 until the mandibles are level with the ground, both from the front and side.</td>

Figure 11.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 12.

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Now adjust the remaining mandible servos. Adjust servo #12 until the mandibles are inline with the chassis. Adjust the two gripper servos (#28 and #29) so that they just barely touch each other, as shown. It is important for the gripper servos to not be straining against each other.</td>

Figure 12.</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 13.

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Now for the robot's abdomen servos. Adjust #30 until the abdomen is inline with the chassis. Adjust #31 until the abdomen is parallel to the ground.</td>

Figure 13.</td>

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II. Bot Board II Configuration

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<td valign="top" rowspan="3" align="left">Step 14.

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To connect the Bot Board II to the SSC-32, you will need to modify a 12" servo extender cable. Remove the header pins from the cable so you

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have two female ends. Then use an exacto knife to gently pry the tab up to pull the red wire free on one end. Cover the exposed female connector

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with heat shrink to avoid accidental shorts.

208

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Remove the TX and RX jumpers from the lower-right corner of the SSC-32, and plug the unmodified end of the

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cable in. Yellow on TX, red on RX, and black on ground.

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Plug in some extra lengths of 18-24awg wires to VL on the SSC-32, with the 9vdc battery clip. These will be

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used to run power to the Bot Board II.

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See Tables 15-2 through 15-4, and the schematic below for connection information.</td>

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Figure 14.</td>

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</td>

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<td valign="top" align="left" colspan="2">Step 15.

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Plug the modified end of the servo to the Bot Board II. The yellow and black part goes on pin 10 with

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the black wire toward the outside of the Bot Board II. Plug the red wire in on Pin 11, on the header pin nearest the center of the Bot Board II.

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Plug in the PS2 cable as shown in Figure 15-1. Plug in the power wires from the SSC-32 to

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VL.

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Note: Refer only to Figure 15-1 for connection information.

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The cable colors in the picture may be outdated. If your cable's colors do

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not match the diagram, you can find a complete listing of possible colors <a href="https://wiki.lynxmotion.com/info/wiki/lynxmotion/view/servo-erector-set-system/ses-electronics/ses-modules/bot-board-ii/#aglance">here</a>.

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See Tables 15-2 through 15-4, and the schematic below for connection information.

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Install the BASIC Atom Pro as shown.

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241

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<td >Atom Pro Orientation:

Figure 15-1.</td>

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Connection Information Tables.<center>

<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" colspan="2">SSC-32

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Connection Information</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">Where</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Jumper installed</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Jumper installed</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Unmodified Servo Cable End</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">TX / RX / GND

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Black wire on GND</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">9vdc Battery Clip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Power Wires</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Battery Wiring Harness</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" colspan="2">Bot Board II

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Connection Information</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">Where</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Power Wires</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Modified Servo Cable End

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Black and Yellow wires</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Pin 10, Black wire toward

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outside of board</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Modified Servo Cable End

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Red wire</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Pin 11, toward center of board</td>

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</tr>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Power jumper for I/O group

12-15</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">PS2 Cable</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">I/O Group 12-15

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(see diagram above)</td>

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</tbody></table>

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<td>

Table 15-2

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Table 15-3

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" colspan="6">Servo Channels

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and Schematic Label Explanations</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Rear Horizontal Hip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Rear Horizontal Hip</td>

363

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Mandible</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Rear Vertical Hip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Rear Vertical Hip</td>

371

372

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Mandible</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Rear Knee</td>

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Abdomen Pan</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Middle Horizontal Hip</td>

385

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Middle Horizontal Hip</td>

387

388

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Abdomen Tilt</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Middle Vertical Hip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Middle Vertical Hip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Mandible Pan</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Middle Knee</td>

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402

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Middle Knee</td>

403

404

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Mandible Rotate</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Front Horizontal Hip</td>

409

410

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Front Horizontal Hip</td>

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412

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Mandible Tilt</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Front Vertical Hip</td>

417

418

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Front Vertical Hip</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right Front Knee</td>

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<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Left Front Knee</td>

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</tbody></table>

</div>

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Table 15-4

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</center></td>

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Schematic.

Schematic.

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<td valign="top" align="left">Step 16. Download the Program

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Download the Basic Micro Studio.

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Install and run the IDE to allow programming the chip.

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Download the .zip file, and unzip it. Open the .prj file in Studio

459

(File->Open->*.prj), and verify that the files listed in the

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Workspace are in the order shown in Table 16. Install the PS2 controller receiver into

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the PS2 cable on the robot, make sure your PS2 controller is turned on, and

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then apply power to the robot. Program the Atom Pro. If all is well, you will hear

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a beep after power up. Press Start and the legs should snap to position. At this point, if you properly calibrated the

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servo offsets, the legs should be perfectly aligned.

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Note: The software switches the controller to analog mode. However, some controllers may need to be put

466

into analog mode manually. If you hear a continuous beeping, the PS2 controller is not connected to the Atom properly

467

or is not functioning. If you hear beeping, you can try pressing Reset on the Bot Board II. You can also test the controller with a Playstation

468

2 to verify that it is working.

</td>

<td align="center" bordercolor="#808080" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" colspan="2">A-Pod BASIC Atom Pro

Program</td>

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<tr>

<td align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Phoenix:

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<a href="https://wiki.lynxmotion.com/info/wiki/lynxmotion/download/servo-erector-set-robots-kits/ses-v1-robots/ses-v1-3-4-dof-hexapods/a-pod-bot-board-ii-basic-atom-pro/WebHome/apodps2.zip">apodps2.zip</a></td>

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<td align="left" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Zip file contains:

481

<ul>

482

483

<li>Phoenix_Config_3DOFAPod.bas</li>

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<li>Phoenix_Control_ps2.bas</li>

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<li>Phoenix_Core.bas</li>

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<li>Phoenix_Driver_SSC-32.bas</li>

</ul></td>

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</tbody></table>

Table 16.

</div>

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<td valign="top" align="left" colspan="2">Step 17. Controlling the

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Robot with PS2 Controller

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The default is Walking

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mode 1. Use the Left joystick to move the robot around without

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turning (this is called "translation"), and the Right joystick rotates the robot as it moves. Up and Down on the D-Pad increases or

503

decreases the height of the body. The Triangle button puts the body at 35mm from the ground. The Triangle swaps between a walking stance and a 'resting' position.

504

There are two special "body moves" functions that are triggered by pressing

505

Circle, or X. While in one of these modes, the hexapod does not

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walk. The joysticks and some buttons change function depending on which mode is toggled on; see

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Table 17 for details.</td>

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</td>

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Button</td>

Function</td>

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Common

Controls</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Start</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Turn robot on/off</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle full/half head rotation range</td>

</tr>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Open Mandibles</td>

</tr>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Close Mandibles</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Decrease gripper torque</td>

550

</tr>

551

<tr>

552

<td h align="center" bordercolor="#C0C0C0">L2 + D-Pad right</td>

553

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Increase gripper torque</td>

554

</tr>

555

<tr>

556

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">O Circle</td>

557

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle Rotate mode</td>

558

</tr>

559

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">X Cross</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle Shift mode</td>

562

</tr>

563

<tr>

564

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">[] Square</td>

565

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle

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Balance mode

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(Balance mode: Lifts and lowers body along with moving legs.)</td>

568

</tr>

569

<tr>

570

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">/\ Triangle</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Switch

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between body at 35mm from ground (walking default) and body

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lowered to ground</td>

</tr>

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</tr>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">D-Pad

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Left</td>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Decrease

speed by 50mS</td>

</tr>

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<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">D-Pad

591

Right</td>

592

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Increase

speed by 50mS</td>

</tr>

<tr>

Walk

Mode Controls

(Default is Walk mode 1)</td>

600

</tr>

601

<tr>

602

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Select</td>

603

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Change gaits</td>

604

</tr>

605

<tr>

606

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Left Joystick</td>

607

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Walk

608

mode 1: Walk/strafe

609

Walk mode 2: Disabled</td>

610

</tr>

611

<tr>

612

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Right Joystick</td>

613

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Walk

614

mode 1: Rotate

615

Walk mode 2: Walk/rotate</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle

620

double gait travel height</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Toggle

625

double gait travel length</td>

626

</tr>

627

</tbody></table></td>

Button</td>

Function</td>

</tr>

<tr>

Shift

Mode Controls

(Special mode)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Turn

Shift mode off</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Left

649

Joystick</td>

650

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Shift

body X/Z</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Right

655

Joystick</td>

656

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Shift

657

and rotate body Y</td>

</tr>

<tr>

Rotate Mode Controls

(Special mode)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">O Circle</td>

666

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Turn

Rotate mode off</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Left

671

Joystick</td>

672

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Rotate

Y/Translate Z</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Right

677

Joystick</td>

678

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Rotate Z/X </td>

679

</tr>

680

<tr>

681

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Select</td>

682

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Cycle rotate function (Head tracking, fixed head, head only)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Move center of rotation to head (when held)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Move center of rotation to tail (when held)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td bordercolor="#C0C0C0" align="center">Reset body rotations</td>

695

</tr>

696

</tbody></table></td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

</center>

</div>

PS2 Controls

Table 17.

</div>

</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

</body>

Wiki source code of A-Pod 3DoF Bot Board II / BASIC Atom Pro Tutorial

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