Hello all. I’m brand new to the forums here and new to robotics as well. I do have an extensive RC background so at least from a hardware side (servos , wiring, basic electronics , etc…) I should be good to go. I fly almost everything RC but mostly helos. I have always had a fascination with robotics so I decided to give it a go.
Anyway… I received my L6 arm a couple of days ago. Super quick shipment and top notch quality! I have it built and working for the most part but I have run into a couple of stumbling blocks. I have searched the forums and found someone with a similar problem but they never reported back if their problem was solved so I apologize in advance if this has been covered.
I think my problem lies within RIOS but I am not 100% sure. Once I start RIOS and power up the robot all is well. I followed the setup in help to get a home position from the get go. My problem occurs when I try to run a demo script. Sometimes it will work on the first shot and other times it is doing something completely opposite of what the screen shows. Also, when I click on the moves tab I get a warning saying I need to ENABLE this servo and disable that servo. It seems that once I set all of my servo positions and then try a demo routine , certain servos (such as the base) become UNCHECKED. This causes all sorts of chaos on my end!
I thought I read somewhere that the SC32 might be resetting itself but Im not sure why that would affect RIOS on the PC. I am running the 9v batt with appropriate jumper removed along with the wall pack. Is this the proper setup? Again… everything works fine when I use the sliders or set everthing to center with the 1.5 test.
So… to finally get to the point: 1) Is the servo enable / disable warning standard? 2) Why are my servo channels disabling themselves? and 3) Is there a way to force the robot to a home position on power up and before powering down?
FYI: because my slider positions somehow reset, my gripper went berzerk and I am now down 1 gear set on my first day Gonna order a couple of sets to be safe.
The RIOS manual is helpful but it sure made me realize that I need some remedial training here!
Many thanks in advance for any help. Oh, and I apologize if this should have been posted in the RIOS forum, I just noticed it!
are all your servos pluged in the right I/O port? if they are, if you think it’s because of RIOS, you can uninstal it and then reinstall and restart your computer and check if it does the same thing. with the SEQ i had to uninstall and reinstall twice for it to work. try that and post if it still doesn’t work.
Everything is installed correctly. I triple checked!
I have uninstalled and reinstalled RIOS twice now.
I was playing around with it again last night. Below is a perfect example of what happens:
I fire up RIOS, Power Up the robot and all is well.
Do the 1.5 test and all is well.
Go to the SC32 button (cant remember exact name) and some of my servos will be disabled (not checked). I check them off. Slide the sliders and everything is fine.
Close that app and go to PLAY. Select the first demo and it will play (for the most part). Usually one or 2 servos have been disabled. One thing I noticed is that the FIRST time I try a demo the virtual robot correctly displays my actual robot. The second time it does not.
Anyway… finish demo. Go back to the sliders and see that a random servo has been disabled. Usually it is the base or the shoulder (it’s always a different servo).
I’m sure it will get sorted out, I just need to figure out the software and learn some troubleshooting but need some initial hand-holding!
What RIOS Version are you using ?
What about the SSC-32 firmware version ?
this issue is looking like a SSC-32 card ‘reset’, maybe due to a power supply drop down (9V batt ?)…make sure the 9vdc is fresh and the VS1 = VL jumper is removed.
RIOS is checking each time you enter a form (Config, Play, Moves etc…) if there’s some servo position stored on the SSC-32 card, if not, the servos without positions stored are set to ‘disable’ as RIOS is unable to determine if it’s safe to send position to them…
When RIOS initialize all servos, the servos positions are stored on the SSC-32 card, if the SSC-32 card “forget” positions, it could be a power supply issue…or a problem with the card/firmware.
The 9vdc battery clip has a very small diameter wire. Make sure it is making a good connection in the terminal. It’s possible that the screw terminal is tightened on the plastic insulation and is not making contact reliably. According to Laurent it does indeed look like an SSC-32 reset issue.
First off, thanks for that awesome explanation! It is all starting to make sense now.
I am using RIOS version 1.04
SSC32 firmware 1.06
I believe both are current.
So all I need to do is set the jumper back and I can get rid of the 9v battery? Just double checking I don’t want to introduce any further issues.
Again… it is all starting to make sense now. So, if I go back to config and set my sliders to a “home” position, when I move to different forms they are referencing that home position. Makes perfect sense!
I will see how far I get without the 9v batt tonight and report back.
I corrected Laurents original post. I do not recommend going back to the single wall pack solution. Keep the 9vdc battery on VL but make sure the connection is good. The 9vdc battery is to isolate the Logic from the Servo power supply. It’s really the best way to do it…
I’ll make sure the 9v connection is good and throw a new battery on for good measure. Other than that is there anything I should check if that doesn’t solve it?
Thanks again for all the help. Unfortunately I am already addicted to robots … can’t stop thinking about it! Now, if I could just figure out how to work from home …
Just a troubleshooting tip. The LED on the SSC-32 is not a power indicator, but an indicator from the microcontroller. Its job is to come on initially, then go out when it has received a serial command, then blink when receiving commands from that point on. If you ever see the LED on steady after the robot has been in use, it means the SSC-32 has reset. You must find out where the power interruption is happening. Hope this helps, Jim
Well, I have been tinkering for a couple of hours now with no success. I changed out the battery, ensured a positive connection with the 9v (green light is ONLY solid until it receives it’s first command, then it quickly flashes as it receives data / commands).
I thought maybe something was up with my com port. On thePC sidit was set to 9600 and 115200 in RIOS. I dropped the RIOS down to 9600 and they wouldnt talk so bumped them both back up to 115200 and it was back to normal. I am using a belkin USB to SERIAL adapter (expensive bugger - any known issues here?) - could these symptoms be due to this adapter in some way?
Still, any time I change menus one or two servos become unchecked/inactive. Going to try a different PC to see if perhaps something is funky over here on this laptop.
all USB to serial converters are not created equal. check for updated drivers for yours and failing to fix the problem that way just buy another brand converter. if you search the forum there are a few brands that seem to work well mentioned in various posts.
I still have to fix my Vs power connection on my ABB, because I broke it awhie back. I’ve just been running Walter on a single 7.2V 2800 mAH pack since then. I also prefer to have separate supplies for Vl and Vs. I am considering going to two 7.2V 1600 mAH packs since I don’t think I will be running too many servos on Walter.
I have had problems with every Belkin product I have ever tried, so I just won’t buy Belkin stuff anymore. One thing I had was a USB Bluetooth adapter from Belkin - nothing but problems until I went and bought a LinkSys USB Bluetooth adapter.
I would suggest not using Belkin USB adapters of any sort. I have had problems with them all.
Now that I have everything in order I am going to start getting into the RIOS manual and figuring things out. I’m sure I’ll generate some more questions down the road.
Hey Stack,
did you try to increase the ‘read interval’ value in the RIOS ‘timeout’ module (see manual page 17)
i think the serial to usb cable needs more time to answer the servo positions to RIOS
Gonna order a couple of sets to be safe.
