#robotics Logs

Jan 21 2022

12:55 AM enleth: ns12: the name was changed to this way back when Willow Garage was founded to work on the project and commercialize it to fund the open-source side; I'd assume this name was chosen in order to make it easier to explain to business and academia management when looking for customers, institutional collaborators, etc.
01:04 AM enleth: I mean, how do you explain "framework" or "middleware" to a business guy who knows computers need *operating systems* and so their computer that runs the robot surely needs one
01:07 AM ns12: I've been away from ROS for the last 5 years or so. Are there any alternatives now? Any new developments?
01:08 AM ns12: enleth: Thank you for the explanation.
01:09 AM enleth: there was this relatively recent "history of ROS" writeup somewhere that kinda answers this
01:11 AM enleth: or maybe not so recent: https://www.theconstructsim.com/history-ros/
01:17 AM enleth: I'm not really up to date either, it's going to be a long time before I would be able to use ROS with my robot
01:25 AM ns12: enleth: Ah? What do you use in your robot then?
01:26 AM enleth: ns12: the stuff KUKA put in it - it's too old to accept commans from ROS, it lacks the necessary software interface
01:26 AM enleth: *commands
01:29 AM ns12: enleth: Interesting. What kind of robot is that?
01:29 AM enleth: ns12: KR200
01:30 AM ns12: Ah, an industrial robot. All the robots I have handled are merely toys in comparison (built out of my own components) :-D
01:32 AM enleth: it's 25 years old, a bit clapped out, needed a bunch of repairs and cost less than parts+scrap sale price
01:44 AM enleth: tl;dr the control box is extremely proprietary, including servo drives, so it's impractical to replace the stock software with anything open
01:44 AM ns12: What field do you work in? What do you use an industrial robot for?
01:44 AM enleth: to be perfectly honest, the answers are "it's complicated" and "a hobby, mostly"
01:44 AM enleth: the hobby part also includes metalworking, CNC machining, machine retrofits and anything related
01:45 AM enleth: half-completed robotics and control engineering degree, years of free time spent learning even before university
01:45 AM enleth: which is to say, formally - not much of a background at all
01:46 AM enleth: professionally I've done mostly software and computer security
01:47 AM ns12: Did you have lots of practical experience in workshops?
01:50 AM enleth: not really, had to learn most of the stuff on the fly, as I bought more equipment - I had a pretty good idea of what I'm going for, but that's about it
01:52 AM ns12: enleth: So you made your own workshop at home, with all the equipment that you bought on your own?
01:52 AM ns12: Did you do lots of self-learning by reading lots of books?
01:52 AM enleth: I started buying large stuff when I became a member of the hackerspace, but otherwise that's about right
01:53 AM ns12: The hackerspace did not have the large stuff?
01:53 AM enleth: some books, a lot of YT content from good machinists who also happen to be good teachers
01:54 AM enleth: back then, not yet
01:55 AM enleth: but it had people interested in having it and willing to contribute to the cost of the space needed
01:55 AM ns12: I see. Is the hackerspace mostly valuable for the knowledge of its members? i.e. the value comes from meeting people and asking questions in person.
01:55 AM enleth: couldn't have said it better
01:56 AM enleth: although by this point we do have a bunch of pretty unique equipment that you couldn't easily access anywhere else
01:57 AM ns12: Excellent. Hackerspace is what I need! I used to be part of such a community when I was at school. I miss those days when I could just talk to others about these engineering subjects.
01:57 AM enleth: I mean, where do you go to have someone look at you, say "eh, you're cool, don't fuck it up" and let you play with a full-size CNC mill or a huge industrial robot?
01:57 AM ns12: I am currently missing lots of hands on engineering experience.
01:58 AM ns12: I will look for some of these organizations in my area. Thanks for the insights enleth.
01:59 AM enleth: as it is now, most of our members are IT people who have grown to hate computers and/or (the groups overlap greatly) university dropouts disillusioned by the official education system
02:00 AM enleth: working in IT usually means above average disposable income
02:00 AM enleth: and that's where the toys come from.
02:00 AM ns12: enleth: Is it correct to say that these people are usually interested in the combination of electrical + mechanical engineering?
02:02 AM enleth: usually, although one of the most active contributors to the shop, professionally a Java developer, has never brought in his computer and doesn't even like to touch the CNC mill
02:02 AM enleth: he sticks to old, fully mechanical equipment
02:03 AM ns12: What do people make using the equipment?
02:03 AM ns12: I have a dream: to build a model scale fixed-wing robotic aircraft that can really fly.
02:04 AM ns12: I feel restricted. I need to make things to feel liberated.
02:04 AM enleth: well, in the last couple of weeks, one guy has been building an amateur rocket launch pad for a mixed fuel rocket (solid fuel, liquit oxidant), lots of tiny intricate CNC machined parts
02:05 AM enleth: automatic clamp release, quick-connect oxidant hoses, etc.
02:05 AM enleth: *liquid
02:05 AM ns12: enleth: Those are exactly the kinds of interesting projects! It's one thing to make software, and another to make physical objects.
02:06 AM ns12: What do you mean by "hate computers"?
02:06 AM enleth: and we have a group of members/collaborators from the PreciousPlastics.com project, building plastic shredders, filament extruders, injection molders, etc.
02:07 AM enleth: they even put their extruder on the robot - and printed out a huge cock
02:07 AM enleth: ns12: occupational burnout
02:08 AM ns12: I think the correct link is the one with HTTPS: https://preciousplastic.com
02:08 AM enleth: yes, that's it
02:09 AM enleth: https://mobile.twitter.com/hackerspacepl/status/1483894632769540102
02:10 AM ns12: I have to leave now. Thank you enleth.
02:17 AM enleth: ns12: your IP points to Frankfurt - if tgat's where you are, contact dj-spock here on libera, he's a past member of ours and a friend, currently involved with Chaosium Computer Club, he'll probably know if there's a place in your area that has what you need
10:36 PM Tom_itx is now known as Tom_L
11:38 PM rue_mohr: https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/iGIJEydV
11:38 PM rue_mohr: almost 1/4 the price of any other serial DAC!
11:38 PM rue_mohr: (parts inc)