RiSE Platform Test Instructions

Generally, it can take a team of 2 or 3 people to safely handle the robot. Person #1 is at the OCU, logging data and monitoring for bus syncronization (communication) errors. Person #2 is the operator of the robot, via the joystick. Person #3 is the belay person, who keeps the robot from being damaged by falling or other means.

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Starting the robot

1. Strap the battery to the body
   • Make sure the battery has a good charge (see RisePlatformSetup)
   • Plug in the 3 RMC power connectors to the battery
   • Note: The bottom one is jumpered to power the carrier board
2. Plug in the ethernet cable
3. Hit the RED power switch on the tail
   • Note: This is a 2-position switch, so be sure to return it to the OFF position when done.
   • Note: It takes about 20sec for the system to fully boot.
4. Log onto the robot from the OCU laptop (Use a terminal window)
   • $ ssh rise@surise
   • Password: (you need to get this from someone who knows it)
   • $ cd RoboDevel/RiSE/Supervisor (Shortcut@SU: cd supervisorLink/)
   • $ su
   • Password: (you need to get this from someone who knows it)
5. Start the OCU on the laptop (Use a 2nd terminal window)
   • $ cd RoboDevel/RiSE/Operator (Shortcut@SU: cd operatorLink/)
   • $ ./start.sh 3000 surise (This will bring the GUI up on the screen)
6. Start the Supervisor on the robot
   • Go back to the first terminal window and type the following
   • # ./start.sh -d
   • Note: Watch the screen and make sure there aren't too many bus errors
7. Check the OCU GUI and make sure the green [Network OK] sign is on.
8. Click [Connect] (This will bring up RiSE health Monitor)
   • Note: Watch the screen and make sure there aren't too many bus errors
   • You may want to make sure everything is OK by wiggling the legs (you should see the dials in the health monitor moving)
9. You should use the joystick to control the robot from here on, until you're finish
   • You need to:
     1. Calibrate
     2. Select CustomGaitX mode
     3. Select group
     4. Select gait
     5. Launch the gait
     6. Adjust the speed & direction (forward, reverse, left, right) as needed
     7. Repeat #3-7 as needed
   • Note: Even if you change something on the OCU GUI, it continually polls the joystick, so any differences can take affect sporadically (ie. speed changes, or accidental button press)
10. When you're done, quit the supervisor by typing Ctrl-C in the supervisor terminal window
11. Close the OCU GUI by hitting [QUIT]
    • If you leave the OCU GUI open, it causes unnecessary network traffic b/c it is looking for the robot continously

NOTE: A series of bus syncronization errors can cause the supervisor to terminate. These errors can also affect the performance of the robot. These errors will look like this in the supervisor terminal window or the OCU CUI Message window:

     11 - 3535458[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Failed(0) at 3.5354580 for 3.5344590
     12 - 3536458[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Bus 0 lost synchronization!
     13 - 3538458[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Failed(0) at 3.5384580 for 3.5374580
     14 - 3539458[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Bus 1 lost synchronization!
     15 - 3541458[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Failed(0) at 3.5404580 for 3.5404580
     16 - 3542457[255]: Warning in RB_CollectModule::update: Bus 2 lost synchronization!

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Controlling the robot

The LogiTech Wingman Cordless joystick runs off of 4AA batteries, so just make sure they're charged. The joystick automatically powers down after a certain time of inactivity. Press START to wake it up.

Important buttons/sequence

This is a typical startup sequence to get the robot moving, once the supervisor and operator are started properly.

Buttons	Function
R1+A	Calibration mode
L1+L2	Start calibration
R1+Z	CustomGaitX mode
?? ??	Select a group and gait
START	Launch the gait (ie. goes to the initial position, make sure the speed is low (to the left))
L1+L2+R1+R2	(All 4 on top together) - Emergency STOP (exits all modes)

Other joystick actions

Action	Function
R1 + (A,B,C,X,Y,Z)	Select mode (ie. Calibration, CustomGaitX, etc.)
L1 + (A,B,C,X,Y,Z)	Select group (ie. CMU climb, CMU walk, BDI climb, SU climb)
A,B,C,X,Y,Z	Select gait (depends on group. ie. Cork Tripod 75, Plexi Tetra 50, Cork TriRip? 75)
START	Launch the gait
RIGHT joystick	Forward, Reverse, Turn Left, Turn Right, Stop (centered)
LEFT joystick	Cruise control (Toggle on/off)
Throttle	Speed of gait (left=slow, right=fast)
L1+L2+R1+R2	Emergency STOP (exits all modes)

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Important terms

Here are some important terms related to using the RiSE platform.

Item	Description
OCU	Operator Control Unit (aka Operator) is the GUI on laptop that communicates with the robot and displays the status
Supervisor	The main control program for the robot. This runs under the QNX system on the robot and makes everything happen (sensors, motors, power to motors, etc.)
RMC	RiSE Motor Control boards sit under the robot, above the battery. These 3 boards have the driver circuitry to control the 12 motors
Carrier board	This board sits on the top of the body and holds the CPU board and connects to the CF board
Power regulator board	This is the small white package in the rear of the robot. It takes 13+ volts from the battery and delivers a regulated 3.3V and 5V to the carrier board.
CPU board	This is the small board that plugs onto the carrier board and contains the processor (Geode model xxxx)
CF board	This board contains the compact flash (CF) slot for the memory card and is connected by a IDE ribbon cable to the carrier board. The 256MB CF card contains the QNX system and the software to run the robot.

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-- AMcClung? - 01 Mar 2005