How to Install a driver in linux?

I know it can sound pretty basic but i’m new to linux (couple of months or so) and i have and android tablet in which i suceed to install a light Debian distro.

Since it’s really light, i doesn’t come with FTDI chip USB/Serial chip drivers which i need to use my SD84 servo controller in linux trough a pretty simple python script.

I’ve tested it in my computer using Ubuntu and it is recognized, in fact it appears as /dev/ttyUSB0 and i’m able to control it. BUT when i plug my servo controller on the tablet running linux it doesn’t do anything appart from turnig on the power LED. So i think “drivers” are missing (i don’t know if the term is correct in linux) i’ve downloaded them from FTDI webpage but i receive four files and i don’t know what to do with them.

So how can i install them? Please remember i’m new to linux and whith very basic skills in python.

PD: sorry for my english, it isn’t my native language, but i’m also trying to improve it. :slight_smile:

You should be able to load the drivers using the package manager. Generally all FTDI devices are native on 99% of normal Linux distros. In fact, I believe even Android natively supports the FTDI VCP devices…

okay, you mean the synaptics, apt… i’ll try. I think it’s not native because i opened the terminal and wrote ‘dmesg’ (without’’) and it doesn’t say anything about FTDI… on /dev/ttyUSB0 or something like that nor in android teminal emulator running in Froyo 2.2, haven’t tried in gingerrbred yet.

Thank You :slight_smile:

The drivers should be already installed, they come with pretty much every distro as mentioned before. is a/dev/ttyUSB0 element created when you plug the adapter in?

What distro are you using? Is this strictly for Android?

It is a sort of debian but very light to be able to run in 256mb of ram and a light graphic enviroment. In the terminal i can’t se a /dev/ttyUSB0 with the command dmesg so i think it isn’t created. the other option is to run my script under android i don’t matter but i want to be able to control the servos from the tablet, thats what matters.

You should do "ls -l /dev/ttyU* " (without the quotes). This will show you for sure if your device is recognized and whether the device file is created. I have never seen a distribution kernel that did not have the FTDI drivers already included.

Dale,

Are you doing anything with ROS?
Which Linux?

Alan KM6VV

I am waiting for the 32-bit binaries for Ubuntu 12.10 now. I have Ubuntu 12.10 installed for my BeagleBoard-xM now. I very much want to work with ROS, and maybe write some interface code for the SSC-32 and some other Lynxmotion products. I want to experiment with ROS on W.A.L.T.E.R.

I think it would be a great thing to be able to use Lynxmotion stuff with ROS. I’m also looking into building ROS natively on my BeagleBoard, or cross compiling it.

8-Dale

Maybe someone will write a node for the SSC-32.
The ros_arduino_bridge code could possibly be modified.

There IS a ROS package to drive a LM tilt/pan with ROS via an Arduino:

pharos.ece.utexas.edu/wiki/index … y_from_ROS

It doesn’t drive an SSC-32. But it’s a start. Just expand it! I need a tilt/pan for my HexaTraxx Moose 'bot, which uses Ubuntu and ROS.

Got any good books on Ubuntu 10.04?

A friend of mine has a new book out on ROS:
ros_by_example___volume_1

Available as either a PDF or a paperback.

Alan KM6VV

Alan,

I think it’s time to split this off into a “Robot Operating System (ROS)” topic under the Linux forum.

This needs to be expanded to fully support the BotBoarduino.

That is so yesterday! :laughing: Get updated to 12.10 asap - it’s what I will be working with on my laptop and BeagleBoard.

OK, I need to get this book and a BotBoarduino now. I’m off to search Amazon for the book.

BTW, I finished the first ROS tutorial on my laptop tonight. :smiley:

8-Dale