#robotics Logs

Jul 31 2015

01:10 orlock yup
01:11 rue_school ok
01:15 rue_school it looks like I might have one problem with this new (NEW) laptop, it sleeps to death
01:54 wolfmanjm ok so hexpod mostly works, needs two UBECs to drive it, but it basically works. the only issue now is that when it is down and I power up the servos it does not have enough torque to stand up I have to stand it up then it is fine sl long as a leg doesn't get too far underneath it and buckle.
01:56 wolfmanjm just needs that little extra torque to lift the body from resting. I may have to redesign it to use the stubby-like mechanical advantage, which will limit motion, but that is ok. but it means printing 6 new legs and rebuilding the entire thing.
01:56 wolfmanjm now can I be bothered :) or should I move onto a new project/toy
01:57 wolfmanjm it walks pretty good though once it is up
02:02 wolfmanjm I may be able to write a sequence of leg movements that gets it to stand up though, get the foot right under the end of the femur then turn the knee servo a few degrees at a time.
02:35 theBear that sounds like how i can almost stand up
02:52 deshipu wolfmanjm: you are using SG90 servos?
02:52 wolfmanjm no I'm using MG90S
02:53 deshipu ah, they are heavy
02:53 wolfmanjm metal gear yes
02:54 wolfmanjm runnign them at 60hz and 6v helps, but just not quite enough, but if I place it when powered up then it is fine
02:54 deshipu I was going to suggest SG92, they have more torque with pretty much the same weight as SG90
02:57 wolfmanjm too late :) Ibought these becuase the original design I based it off of used them, and he said they had plenty or torque :) I think he was wrong
02:58 wolfmanjm not sure how he got his to stand, maybe it didn't maybe he always started with it standing
02:58 deshipu one leg at a time...
02:58 deshipu don't power up all the servos at once
02:59 wolfmanjm maybe I'm looking at if I can get it to stand by doing it slowly and hand coding the sequence
02:59 wolfmanjm or just redisgn and rebuild using the Stubby method
03:00 deshipu that's a pain to IK
03:00 wolfmanjm that pretty much doubles the torque as far as I can see, and I don;t use the full range of the servos ATM anyway
03:00 deshipu I think Stubby wings it by using linear interpolation
03:00 wolfmanjm yea it is
03:00 wolfmanjm I do interpolation of movement already to smooth it
03:01 deshipu not that kind of interpolation
03:01 wolfmanjm although I'm thinking that interpolating the angles rather than the XY maybe even smoother
03:01 wolfmanjm his IK is more complex. but that isn't really an issue for me I have plenty of CPU power :)
04:32 veverak how of bad idea it can be
04:32 veverak to create "dummy" tty serial device
04:33 veverak between "software I use to control 3d printer" and "the 3d printer itself" ?
04:35 deshipu if it looks stupid but it works, it's not stupid
04:35 deshipu but it might be easier to just modify the software
04:35 veverak well
04:35 veverak I want to use second arduino to add some stuff
04:35 deshipu software serial sucks on arduino
04:35 veverak my personal experience with marlin is no good and it's big software so I would have to study a lot to implement something
04:36 veverak adn yeah... so connecting the second arduino to my printer board (atmega..) is bad idea
04:36 deshipu I guess you could use a pro micro, with one serial on usb, and one hardware serial
04:36 theBear silly, it's big FISH... that must be how the confusion started :)
04:36 veverak with octoprint, again I would have to study it a lot to be able to connect second arduino directly to it and I suppose it will be big pain in the ass
04:36 veverak on the other hand
04:37 veverak simulating usb-serial device and connecting the daemon to another usb serial device
04:37 veverak sounds like fun to me :)
04:37 deshipu veverak: have you seen my handheld game console? :)
04:37 veverak and that way I could start to implement some magic into my device :)
04:37 veverak deshipu: show me :)
04:37 deshipu veverak: https://hackaday.io/project/7011-frowney
04:38 deshipu turns out a pro micro has exactly the right pinout for a led matrix and two buttons
04:38 veverak :D
08:54 asa_ Does an EE engineer who is totally dumb with mechanical stuff stand a chance to be good with robotics?
08:58 deshipu "robotics" is such a wide area
09:49 veverak asa_: if you acknowledge that you are dump no problem I suppose
09:49 veverak :)
09:50 veverak if you are dump about something, it doesn't matter as long as you can see it and work with it
09:50 asa_ should I stick to non-mechanical stuff of the robots?
09:50 asa_ I am ok with firmware stuff. Electronics fine with me except soldering
09:50 veverak asa_: I am completely dump with electronics for example
09:50 veverak so I stick to buying made PCBs and connect them by wires
09:51 veverak and enjoy myself in mechanical stuff/ programming
09:52 asa_ are there arduino for mechanical dumb folks?
09:52 veverak hmm
09:52 veverak LEGO?
09:52 veverak :D
09:52 veverak asa_: do intend to be dumb in that area?
09:52 veverak I mean, if yes, use lego or something
09:52 veverak if no
09:53 asa_ but i can't connect electronics and MCU to lego, can I?
09:53 asa_ any ready-made robots that one can program without doing any mechanical stuff?
09:54 asa_ like API to program the robot to move?
09:54 veverak http://www.robotshop.com/en/dfrobotshop-rover-tracked-robot-basic-kit.html
09:54 veverak asa_: ^^ ?
09:54 asa_ looks good. Anything like i-robot? I was inspired by that robot
09:55 veverak ?
09:55 veverak you mean.. ?
09:55 veverak asa_: show what kind of robot you want
09:55 asa_ Robots that have hands and legs like humans.
09:56 asa_ too far ahead of time still?
09:56 veverak well
09:56 deshipu veverak: the word is "dumb", by the way
09:56 veverak to be honest I alwayys suspected that you need to poses decent knowledge about mechanics to be able to programm walking robot
09:56 veverak :)
09:56 veverak deshipu: O:)
09:56 Orpheon asa_, there are robots that have at least arms and legs
09:57 deshipu there is Asimo and similar robots
09:57 deshipu but they are pricey
09:57 Orpheon you can also find whole bunches of kits to build
09:57 deshipu nao
09:57 veverak asa_: maybe only mechanical arm would be better...
09:57 deshipu robosapiens
09:57 Orpheon which is somewhat mechanical, but you get exact instructions what to do and how
09:58 asa_ what are some robots that hobbyists can use in the house that are useful?
09:58 veverak "useful" you say?
09:58 veverak well
09:58 veverak ehmm
10:00 asa_ looking for robots that I can start programming without fixing up anything.
10:01 deshipu robots useful?
10:01 deshipu roomba, I guess
10:01 SpeedEvil Robotics is simply electronics in 9 dimensions.
10:01 deshipu otherwise they are mostly useless
10:02 asa_ roomba is useful. are we allowed to program it?
10:03 SpeedEvil There are many aspects to 'program'
10:04 SpeedEvil Ripping out the existing control circuitry is one
10:04 deshipu asa_: yes
10:04 deshipu asa_: there is even a version of roomba specially for hackers
10:04 asa_ SpeedEvil: not competent for that. I will probably destroy the roomba
10:04 asa_ deshipu: sounds good!
10:05 asa_ http://www.popsci.com/irobot-now-sells-roomba-student-hackers
10:05 asa_ wait. if it can't clean my floor, then what use is it?
10:07 asa_ are there robots with synthetic skin that feels like humans today?
10:07 deshipu no, not really
10:07 deshipu there are some prostheses with force sensors
10:09 asa_ if u don't mind, I have a crazy, even offensive idea...
10:10 SpeedEvil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygN8H3kI1qE
10:10 asa_ is it a good business idea to replace prostitutes with robots? They will be risk-free. No Aids. Also, I doubt if the wife will be angry over a robot
10:11 asa_ first, the robots need to have human skin
10:11 SpeedEvil Maybe not - see abvoe
10:11 asa_ I guess too far ahead of time.
10:12 asa_ But I think it will sell like hot cakes if someone can invent that
10:12 SpeedEvil Look at the price of a realdoll.
10:12 SpeedEvil Now, multiply by ten or twenty
10:12 deshipu asa_: robots are much more expensive than prostitutes
10:13 asa_ but they will be risk-free and u can use them as many times as u want. wife won't divorce the man over a robot.
10:13 asa_ divorce cost way more
10:13 deshipu asa_: the truth is, it will for a long time be much cheaper to find a human that is willing to do something for you, than making a robot do it
10:13 deshipu unless it's very repetitive and simple
10:14 SpeedEvil 'robot' goes a hell of a long way.
10:14 deshipu 'machine' then
10:14 deshipu whetever
10:14 SpeedEvil For washing clothes for example, you go from washing machines, to something that can undress, clean, and dress you
10:15 deshipu or just 3d print clothes on you
10:15 SpeedEvil Perhaps includng repairs to the clothing.
10:16 deshipu note that you will have to hire 2-3 people for maintenance of that robot anyways ;)
10:17 asa_ deshipu: nah. not easy to find humans for sex sometimes. my wife is a sex object. Every time i ask for sex, she objects.
10:17 asa_ after having kids
10:17 deshipu asa_: you are just not looking at the right places
10:18 deshipu asa_: also, I think she would object to the robot too
10:19 asa_ another robot that will sell is domestic maids to look after kids and old folks.
10:19 deshipu not gonna happen soon
10:19 deshipu they use kids for testing for product breakability
10:19 deshipu if it survives an hour in hands of a kid, it's passed
10:20 deshipu no product ever lived 2 hours
10:20 asa_ my greater worry is that they may break my kids
10:20 asa_ if programmed incorrectly
10:20 deshipu nah, kids are made of rubber
10:20 deshipu they just bounce back to their feet
10:22 deshipu plus, there are lots of them out there, so nobody will notice the loss of a few
10:23 asa_ deshipu: if something happens to the kids, the wife will divorce the husband
10:23 deshipu and the husband will be free to have sex
10:23 deshipu everybody profits
10:35 Orpheon I'll just link https://youtu.be/OmI45U4qUwI?t=94
10:35 Orpheon add a fleshlight or something and you have something MUCH cheaper than a robot prostitute
10:35 Orpheon so no, don't think they'll sell all that well
10:35 SpeedEvil Just get a dog.
11:14 mrdata a dog doesnt meet the spec, though
11:19 deshipu breed genetically modified catgirls
11:19 deshipu anyways
11:20 deshipu I'm still waiting for my pcb :(
15:20 rue_house well I put my foot in a hole, bought a new $650 laptop that there is no thermal control for under linux to make it not overheat and randomly shut off
15:21 zhanx yes there is
15:21 rue_house its a Lenovo G50
15:21 rue_house from what I can tell, nothing can recognize the thermal sensors
15:22 rue_house I'm feeling a $650 depression
15:22 zhanx psensors ?
15:22 zhanx well psensor
15:22 rue_house I'll check it out
15:23 zhanx rue_house, also check your graphics drivers and use cpufrequtils
15:24 rue_house they use lm-sensors, that cant regognize the 1 chip it can find
15:24 zhanx thinkfan
15:24 rue_house it uses the /sys/proc/ibm that dosn't exist
15:25 zhanx there are alot of solutions to the problem :( finding the right one could take a bit
15:26 rue_house yea
15:26 rue_house the chip thats in there is just like another chip thats supported, I just dont know anything about either
15:27 rue_house well, I know the chip is probably national semi, and that its ID is 0x8586
15:28 rue_house !!!?! did they stop making knoppix?
15:29 zhanx rue_house, awhile ago
15:29 rue_house ...let me guess, nothing replaces it
15:29 zhanx nope
15:30 rue_house why does technology do this?
15:30 wolfmanjm archlinux is the replacement :) favorite of linux hackers around the world
15:30 rue_house it runs off live cd?
15:30 wolfmanjm but requires huge amounts of time to setup ;) as it is bare bones
15:30 zhanx thought that was backtrack
15:31 wolfmanjm no you probably need ubuntu for that, try lubuntu
15:31 wolfmanjm that is what I run on my old laptop
15:31 rue_house then its not a replacement is it?
15:32 rue_house https://hackaday.io/project/296-bench-power-supply
15:32 rue_house sure am getting a lot of followers
15:32 wolfmanjm there are a lot of live cd based linux distributions
15:32 rue_house name a lot
15:33 wolfmanjm all theubuntu variants, debian, there are some dedicated to running off of a USB stick...
15:33 zhanx rue_house, get unetbootin and it will let you select and d/l and install for you
15:33 rue_house maybe you dont understand, I want a live cd version right now
15:33 rue_house I need to know if any of them can self-configure something that fixes the thermal isue
15:33 wolfmanjm lubuntu
15:34 wolfmanjm or full ubuntu
15:34 zhanx rue unetbootin will setup it up for it
15:34 zhanx and list all the options
20:01 wolfmanjm deshipu: I *think* ther stubby OK can be simplified by using hte normal IK as if the servos were at the leg joints (as in yours) then using a simple formula to convert the angles at the joints to the angles required at the linkage servo. I fit is not a simple ration then it should at least be a simple equation ;) but then ... Math!
20:01 wolfmanjm s/OK/IK/
20:09 _Moon who here uses mac os pre X
20:57 wolfmanjm Ahh ok the stubby is actually a version of the four linkage system ;)
20:58 wolfmanjm well documented :)
21:13 rue_house ubuntu found a temp sensor that nothing else did so far, but it dosn't use it
21:27 RustySha1kleford so I'm more of a programmer, but in theory I like working closer to hardware
21:28 RustySha1kleford I've applied for those sorta jobs, but they don't respond. I'm looking for a project that would give me some experience with microcontrollers and that sort of thing
21:40 RustySha1kleford anyway, I'm trying to think of something cool I can make with an arduino
22:25 wolfmanjm rue_house: did you try sensors command? it generally works for me
22:56 theBear rue_house, level-up ! have you tried the sensors-detect command (as root methinks... it basically scans probes and module-load-file-modificates/updates and i think even makes a kinda skeleton config, after that just sensors should/will see anything you got that you had built in or a kernel mod. there for...)
22:59 theBear oooh, and if it seeing the chip/dev but not the/some values, worth scanning/grepping and maybe borrowing/customising from something liek /etc/sensors/sensors.conf, which among other things sets masks/conversions/limits stuff as best is known about... ie winbond-823???-k might say to ignore all the voltages, cos in all boards they know to have it, the voltages aren't connected, but maybe you got the odd board out, seee
23:17 slidercrank http://www.rt.com/news/311224-insect-robot-jump-striders/
23:18 slidercrank Robotic insect capable of 'jumping on water' just like water striders (VIDEO)