Users Manual The Hero I Robot
Contents
1. Irz at the command prompt The computer should then tell you that it is waiting for a file to be transferred 6 3 4 Next if using Hyperterminal go to transfer then select send file from the toolbar 6 3 5 In the send file dialog make sure z modem is the selected protocol Navigate to the file that you wish to transfer and click send 11 6 3 6 The file will now be sent to the PC104 6 4 Shutting Down the PC104 6 4 1 Again remotely log in to the PC104 computer as detailed above 6 4 2 You should be able to observe debugging messages being generated by the computer when you are correctly logged into the computer 6 4 3 At this point you should type control c or control z to stop the program from running Note There is no compiler installed on the PC104 computer because of memory space restrictions All programs must be compiled on another host computer running the same or a similar operating system as the PC104 computer The compiled executables can then be moved to the PC104 computer and executed there 7 Charging the Hero The Hero has four 6 volt onboard batteries and therefore needs charging every now and then The new system is considerably more efficient than the old one but still will require charging on a periodic basis If the PC104 central computer does not boot up or shuts down unexpectedly it is likely that the batteries require charging 7 1 Charging 7 1 1 Plug the charger in to the w2. LCD are described below For basic remote operation refer to the Remote Control Section 3 2 Sensor Systems Check There are two sensor packages on the Hero The first is located on the top of the robot above the two speakers head sensor board The second is located on the front panel over the main drive wheel Both run constant tests to make sure the sensors are working You can verify that all sensors are working by going through these simple steps 2 1 Testing the Head Sensor Board 2 1 1 Removing Head Cover Place the robot so the speakers on the head face you Slide off the head cover so that the head sensor board is visible ia qusvessersseeeerrrer es 2 1 2 ON OFF Turn on the Hero The main power switch is located on the rear of the robot on the bottom The Green LED will light if the power is on If this light does not turn on refer to Checking the fuses 2 1 3 Sonar You should immediately notice a clicking or ticking sound This is the sonar pulsing system Place your hand in front of the gold sonar disk mounted on the left side of the head relative to the speakers When your hand is about 5 inches in front of the disk the left most LED on the head sensor board will light up It should be off unless there is an object within about 25 inches of the front of the Hero or the direction the sonar disk is facing 2 1 4 Light Next we will test the light sensor The light sensor is located between
3. position Pull the trigger while toggle is selected 3 2 to set the zero position This means that if for whatever reason the selected function encounters resistance during its movement and cannot move you can reset it so the control board microcontroller knows where it is When the robot is turned on it interprets the position of each function as its zero position You will need to set the zero point to get full movement out of the function In the case of the gripper for example the zero point is fully closed If you try to pick up an object and close the gripper on it it will interpret this as its zero position when the object is removed You will have to re zero the function by pulling the trigger this will close the gripper all the way See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 3 4 Dial Select Rotate the aluminum dial on the side of the remote as far as it will go counterclockwise Do not force it It should rotate smoothly See General Diagram for Dial location at end of section Now toggle the left switch on the top of the remote towards you This activates the aluminum dial as opposed to the toggle switch as the positioning system Make sure the gripper function is selected for this tutorial All the arm functions are moveable with the dial Rotate the dial and you should see the gripper open and close accordingly If another function such as the shoulder rotate is selected the dial may not have en
4. resets the infrared scanner board is on the board that is connected via the blue cable to the front case board 3 Remote Control This tutorial outlines all the arm and drive functions of the Hero I in remote control mode Follow these simple procedures to learn the basics of control To select Remote Control Mode either turn the remote on which will override onboard computer commands or select it via the keypad Once in Remote Control Mode follow these simple steps and the General Remote Diagram at the end of the section 3 1 1 ON OFF Ensure that the Hero is turned on Refer to section 2 1 2 for ON OFF instructions Turn on the Remote The ON OFF switch is located at the top of the remote on the right side Pull it towards you to turn it on The Green Power light should light up when the power is on See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 1 2 Mode Select Select the Mode The Hero I remote has two modes and each execute the toggle switch and dials differently These modes are selected by the two way Function switch on the front of the remote See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 2 Mode 1 Body This mode moves the Hero around on the floor The dial select switch on the left at the top of the remote has no effect in this mode Ensure that the steering is centered or you will not get full travel in both directions Simply grab the wheel and move it to the center then press the r
5. the two round holes under the head sensor and is quite small It looks like a silver disk with a red line through it Cover it up and watch the middle light go off and then on The Light should otherwise be on If the light is off when you are not blocking the light try shinning a flash light on it to get it to turn on 2 1 5 Motion The last sensor is the motion sensor You may have noticed the right most light going on and off This is the motion sensor LED and it has been picking up your movement The light turns on when it senses motion Pass your hand in front of it and it will turn on then off after a short time 2 2 Testing the Scanning Infrared Sensor Board 2 2 1 Infrared scanner Turn the robot so the main drive wheel faces you This is the front of the Hero and has the scanning infrared sensor mounted near the bottom of the case The sensor will be sweeping back and forth in a 180 degree arc The red LED should light whenever an object is detected within about 40cm 16inches of the sensor in the direction the sensor is pointing The light should otherwise be off 2 2 2 Resetting all sensors If one or more of these sensors does not work try resetting the boards by pushing the small push button switch on the board that has the malfunctioning sensor The switch for the bottom sensor board is behind the case Be careful when removing the case as there are wires running from the panel to the main body of the robot The switch that
6. will therefore have to steer out of turns to go straight again or turn the other direction See General Diagram for switch location at end of section Take time to familiarize yourself with the drive functions of the Hero as they will help greatly when maneuvering to pick up objects 3 3 Mode 2 Arm This mode controls all the arm amp head functions on the Hero Select the mode as described in Section 3 1 2 3 3 1 Function Select Each arm function is selected via the main switch dial at the top of the controller Turn the switch to the far right to select the gripper for example We will use the gripper as the example for this tutorial All the functions are more or less the same and you will have to experiment to find out what goes which direction At this point make sure the left switch on the top of the remote is in the off position or furthest away from you This position selects the toggle left right switch and not the aluminum dial on the right of the remote Available Functions Wrist Pivot Wrist Rotate Gripper Arm Extend Shoulder Rotate Head Rotate does not work very well See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 3 2 Toggle Select Make sure the left switch on the top of the remote is in the off position or pushed away from you Use the toggle switch on the front of the remote to open and close the gripper This toggle switch can be used to control all the arm functions 3 3 3 Setting the zero
7. 04 computer will start booting Linux 10 6 1 5 The booting process will take approximately three to five minutes At completion of the booting process a prompt will appear on your screen in the form LinuxMZ gt 6 1 6 You will now be prompted to log in Enter guest as the username and guest as the password You will now be logged in to the PC104 via remote login 6 2 Running Software In order to start the software running the user needs to perform the following steps 6 2 1 Remotely log in to the PC104 computer as detailed above 6 2 2 At this point you should become superuser root by typing in su at the prompt The computer will then prompt you for a password This is blank so simply press enter 6 2 3 When this is completed you should navigate to home guest where the auto navigate software is located 6 2 4 Once you are in home guest to run the software simply type iomgr but be careful once the software is run the robot will be running on its own so be careful not to drive it off a table or something similar 6 2 5 Once the program is running you can disconnect the host computer from COM1 and let the robot run on its own 6 3 Loading New Software onto the PC104 6 3 1 Remotely login to the PC104 computer as detailed above 6 3 2 Become superuser root of the system by typing su at the command prompt then simply hit enter when prompted for a password 6 3 3 When this is complete type
8. 3 Interior Fuses Open the rear hatch on the Hero Inside on the bottom there a fast blow logic and a fast blow main drive fuse 5 Keypad and LCD The keypad on the Hero will be implemented in future Commands such as shut down for the PC104 could easily be implemented The basis is there but the code has simply not been added due to time constraints Again the LCD displays limited text but can easily be expended upon in the future It currently shows a startup message and the status and of Transmit Receive signals between the PC104 and the master PIC microcontroller 6 Operating System The Hero runs Slackware Linux as its operating system This area of the user manual will deal with getting the auto navigate mode working In the current version of the robot we have not yet implemented functionality to allow the auto navigate software to run automatically These instructions begin with an explanation of the using the remote log in capabilities of the PC104 computer which is the brains of the robot 6 1 Using the Operating system 6 1 1 Attach a null modem cable from COM1 of the PC104 computer to a host computer which the user can control 6 1 2 Start up a terminal program such as Hyperterminal in Windows or Minicom in Linux 6 1 3 Configure the settings of the terminal program to 19200 baud eight bits no parity one stop bit 6 1 4 With a null modem cable attached to COM1 of the PC104 computer turn on the robot The PC1
9. Users Manual The Hero I Robot g to the Printers NX How fo Print to the Net vork Printers Prog ce E ah pa ivi mah a Fe LD peer ire wane te pi Scott Robarts Carson Upton Keith Cardiff Mar 15 02 Qe nA 99 Table of contents Introduction Sensor Systems Check 2 1 Testing the Head Sensor Board 2 2 Testing the Scanning Infrared Sensor Board Remote Control 3 1 ON OFF amp Mode Select 3 2 Mode 1 Body 3 3 Mode 2 Arm 3 4 Changing the Remote Battery Checking the Fuses 4 1 Removing the Case 4 2 Power Supply Fuses 4 3 Interior Fuses Keypad and LCD Operating System 6 1 Using the operating System 6 2 Running Software 6 3 Loading New Software onto the PC104 6 4 Shutting down the PC104 Charging the Hero Troubleshooting Conclusion 1 Introduction In this manual you will learn the basics of operating and downloading code to the new version of the Hero I Robot In general the Hero has two modes Autonomous and Remote Mode In Autonomous mode the Hero will drive about on its own navigating according to sensor signals it receives In Remote mode control of both the arm and drive functions are transferred to the user Simple Reset and Power Down functions can be implemented at a later time Each section in this manual describes the basics of what s necessary to operate the Hero Various sensor checks remote tests and simple status updates on the Hero s onboard
10. all 7 1 2 Plug the gray cord into the plug on the back of the Hero located under the ON OFF switch 7 1 3 Turn on the power to the charger and both lights should light up If only the main power light comes on something on the Hero isn t working 7 1 4 The Charge light will become dim when the Hero is finished charging 8 Troubleshooting The new version of the Hero is quite complex in some ways yet very simple in others It is not to say that the average non technical person is incapable of troubleshooting the Hero but there are simply too many things that can go wrong Anything from software bugs that are few and far between to motor or RF noise can cause undesired operation 12 Turning the Hero off then back on again will fix most of the software glitches by resetting everything If all else fails the designers can be contacted Sensor Systems Carson Upton vrawk yahoo ca Central Processing Scott Robarts gt srobarts01 hotmail com Motor amp RF Control Keith Cardiff gt ecardiff direct ca 9 Conclusion The Hero can be a fun toy and can be used in many situations It has a variety of functions accessible by the remote and is quite enjoyable It also has some very interesting autonavigate functions Be careful as this robot as it was designed when Microprocessors where thought of as fast when they had a clock speed of 8MHz The Hero is not all that robust As you may have noticed the head does not rota
11. ed motor control board reset switch located on the top left of the robots largest circuit board 3 2 1 Direction Switch the Upper dial on front of the remote to the desired direction This is indicated in blue at the top of the remote The right three positions on the remote make the Hero go forward while the left three positions make it go backwards See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 2 2 Motion The actual motion of the Hero is controlled by the trigger Depress the trigger and the Hero should drive in the direction selected The trigger switch is old and the electrical connections are poor Do not depress the trigger all the way or the Hero will simply convulse on the floor The Hero is very top heavy and will roll over if it is turned while going down hill this was determined through hours of rigorous testing on a steeply graded wheelchair ramp Try not to roll the Hero as it may not survive Despite its slowness the Hero also makes quite a potent battering ram Try to avoid this as it is not all that sturdy It would not last very long as a Battle Bot See General Diagram for switch location at end of section 3 2 3 Steering Steer the Hero by toggling the Motion switch on the front of the remote Right turns right and left turns left when you are standing behind the robot Looking at the front of the robot means that the steering is reversed Remember that the steering does not self center and you
12. ough rotation to do a get the full travel out of the function Use the on off switch for the dial left switch on the top of the remote to reset the zero position on the remote Whenever the dial is switched on that will be the zero point as far as the remote is concerned When you get the end of travel for the dial and need more travel out of the selected function turn the dial off rotate the dial to the other extreme and then turn it back on again This will give you the added necessary travel on the aluminum dial The zero point for the remote dial is not the same as the zero point for the robot functions To this end you cannot initialize the selected function by pulling the trigger You will have to switch back to toggle mode to set the zero point on the robot 3 3 3 4 Changing the Remote Battery The battery in the remote should last quite a long time In the event that the remote does not work or the Power LED becomes dim the battery should be changed The remote requires a standard 9 Volt battery available at any drug grocery or hardware store 3 4 1 Removing the Cover On the left side of the remote there are four fastening screws Use a flat head screwdriver to remove the screws and slide off the left half of the remote 3 4 2 Removing the Battery Slide out the two metal plates that have the main dial and all the switches attached Be sure to note how the plates slide into the slots Remove the battery by unclipping it and
13. replace it with the new one 3 4 3 Reassembling the Remote Slide the metal plates back into their respective slots Be careful not to cross them over as the two remote halves will not fit back together Now slide the two remote halves back together This may be difficult but be patient Smashing the remote on the floor will not help Replace the screws and turn the remote on to ensure that the power light comes on General Remote Diagram Dial Select mOn ee Function Select Dial Mode Select Mation eo ka DN Positioning Dial Rogele Left All robot functions are accessible by remote 4 Checking the Fuses The Hero has two sets of fuses One set is are 3A AGC 3 for the main computer and imbedded microcontrollers logic and the other are 4A AGC 4 for the main and arm drive motors Under normal circumstances the fuses won t blow This is because the Hero s new design draws considerably less power than the old design In the event that some sort of short occurs the fuses will blow before any circuitry is damaged 4 1 Removing the case Remove the case as per the old Hero I user manual It is very simple and could be accomplished by child 4 2 Power Supply Fuses The Power supply is located on the front of the Hero above the main drive wheel There are two fuses on it One slow blow for the Logic and another for the motors You can either inspect the fuses visually or test them with a continuity tester 4
14. te This is because of square ball bearings that were popular in the early 1980 s when the Hero was conceived There are several other quirks that this robot has that will eventually make themselves apparent None of them however will result in damage to the Hero or its users The Hero is lots of fun and makes a great learner kit Kids and Adults alike love it and even pets can have a blast Enjoy 13
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