SSC32 SERVO SEQUENCER GUIDE
C O N T E N T S CHAPTER 1 1 Overview 3 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 4 USER INTERFACE............................................................................................ 5 CONNECTING.................................................................................................. 6 CONNECTING VIA SERIAL CABLE................................................................................6 SERVO CONTROLS.............
1 Overview THE SSC32 SERVO SEQUENCER PROJECT
CHAPTER 1 Introduction This guide explains how to use the FlowBotics Studio SSC32 Servo Sequencer project. If you have not already done so you'll need to read the FlowBotics Studio user guide and be familiar with how to launch the SSC32 Servo Sequencer project from the FlowBotics Studio Project Browser. The FlowBotics Studio user guide is available from the Help button in FlowBotics Studio. If you need information on how to assemble your robotics kit you can find it here: http://www.lynxmotion.
OVERVIEW User Interface When you open the SSC32 Servo Sequencer project you'll see the interface is essentially broken into two main areas, the Servo Controls and the Control Panel. The Servo Controls allow you to set the position of each servo on the SSC32 individually The Control Panel contains elements for connecting to the robot, changing it and for sending and receiving data. However, the biggest part of the Control Panel is the Sequencer which allows you to program a series of movements.
CHAPTER 1 Connecting Before we go any further we'll talk about how you connect your robot to the PC so that it can communicate with FlowBotics studio projects. Connecting Via Serial Cable The simplest way to connect is directly using an RS232 to USB cable. Here are the steps you need to follow in order to set this up.
OVERVIEW Servo Controls The Servo Controls are an array of sliders and push buttons that give you control over each individual servo. Each servo control has a slider for setting the position. You can hold CTRL and click to reset the slider to the centre position or you can click the Center button. Finer Control Fine adjustments to the position of the servo can be made using the push buttons.
CHAPTER 1 You can tie several servos together so that when you move one the other ones all move as well. To do this click on the Group control for each of the servos and set it to the same number. When you move one of them all the others will move in sync. Servo Configuration Across the top of the servo controls you'll see a toolbar with a number of buttons on it. From here you can perform a number of operations that affect the configuration of all servos.
OVERVIEW Control Panel The Control Panel has several functions. It provides some essential configuration controls for things like COM port connection and calibration. It also houses the sequencer. This is the biggest element in the panel and as such we deal with it in its very own chapter. For now we'll focus on the other elements and we'll deal with them one-by-one starting with in-project help.
CHAPTER 1 Emergency Stop On very rare occasions you may need to stop your robot in its tracks. For this purpose we've added an emergency stop button. Click here and the software will immediately stop all servos and kill all communications. Calibration Small differences in robot orientation are inevitable. Even if the same person built the same kit twice in a row there would always be some small differences between the two. In order to compensate for this we have a calibration facilit.
OVERVIEW Console You can talk directly to the SSC-32 using the Console. To access this click on the Console toggle button which is above the help button to the left of the sequencer. The console will pop open. You can click here and type commands. Click the Send button to to send the commands to the board. Any returned data is shown below the command input box. Please refer to the SSC32 user manuals to find out more about supported commands.
2 Sequencer ORCHESTRATING MOVEMENT
SEQUENCER Patterns The sequencer allows you to make your robot move over time by transitioning from one position to another. Each transition we call a frame and a sequence of frames we call a pattern. You can create as many patterns as you like. You can play patterns back manually or, as you'll see in the Programming Guide you can program them to run depending on some other action or outcome. This section describes the pattern management functions of the Sequencer.
CHAPTER 2 Remove Pattern Click the remove pattern button to delete the currently selected pattern from the list. This action is irreversible so you will be asked for confirmation. Duplicate Pattern If you want to make a new pattern based on an existing one then you can duplicate it. Saving Patterns IMPORTANT: If you want to keep any patterns you create then you must export them otherwise they will be lost when you return to the project browser. To do this click the export button.
SEQUENCER Frames We now know how to manage patterns now lets see how you build one. As we said earlier a pattern is made up of frames. A frame represents a transition between robot states over time. In addition to frames, you can also add other patterns to a pattern. This allows quite complex series of movements to be built up very quickly and easily. Adding and Deleting To add a frame click the Add button. A new frame will be added at the end of the pattern.
CHAPTER 2 To resize a frame grab the right-hand edge and drag it. When moving or resizing the mouse snaps to the nearest unit on the timeline. If you hold SHIFT while moving or resizing no snap will be applied. When the timeline is unlocked then if you hold CTRL while dragging or resizing a frame all frames to the right of the selected frame will be moved so that the time interval between the selected frame and the next one is maintained.
SEQUENCER Copy and Paste Sometimes you might want to copy the robot state from one frame to another. To do this we have copy and paste. To copy the data from a frame, select it then click the Copy button. To duplicate the data on another frame, select the target frame and click the Paste button. Pause Before Frame You can insert a pause before a frame commences. This is useful if you want the sequencer to stop and wait for some external event before continuing.
CHAPTER 2 Pattern Playback Once you have some frames in a pattern you can try playing it. Click the Play button to start the sequencer playing the current pattern. The play button lights up in green when the sequencer is playing. To stop playing click the Play button again or click the Stop button. You can reset the play position to the star by clicking the Reset button. You can also move the play position manually. Click on the black handle at the top of the playback position line and drag to move it.