ActivMedia Robotics FAQ
1.1) Who put this FAQ together?
1.2) How can I contribute to this FAQ?
2.1) What is the difference between the DX and AT?
2.2) What are the dimensions of the robot?
2.3) What is the carrying capacity of the robot?
2.4) What is the weight of the robot?
2.5) How long will my batteries last?
2.6) Can I connect a joystick to my robot?
2.7) Can I control my *ACCESSORY* with software?
3.1) What is ARCOS?
3.2) How do I obtain the latest ARCOS?
3.3) What is the packet structure for ARCOS?
3.4) Download of ARCOS didn't work!
4.1) How do I configure my ethernet under Linux?
4.2) How do I configure my ethernet under Windows 2k?
4.3) How do I configure my ethernet under Windows NT?
4.4) How can I tell if my ethernet is configured correctly?
4.5) My wireless ethernet doesn't work.
4.6) My side panel ethernet port doesn't work.
5.1) What is the Laser Range Finder?
5.2) What can I do with my Laser Range Finder?
5.3) My laser range finder doesn't work. Why?
6.1) I get a blue image from my frame grabber. Why?
6.2) How can I tell if my frame grabber is working?
6.3) How can I tell if my frame grabber is detected?
6.4) How do I install the frame grabber drivers?
6.5) Is there a frame grabber for my laptop?
7.1) Can I turn on/off the robot motors with software?
7.2) Where can I get more help?
8.1) Why doesn't my camera turn on?
1.1) Who put this FAQ together?
The support team from ActivMedia Robotics, with the help of the other fine
staff at ActivMedia, developed this FAQ to support the users of the Pioneer
Mobile Robot Platform.
1.2) How can I contribute to this FAQ?
If you see something that's missing, or would like to offer
a piece of advice for other Pioneer users, send an
email to webmaster@mobilerobots.com with FAQ in the subject line.
2)
Basic Pioneer Questions
2.1) What is the difference between the DX and AT?
The Pioneer3 DX is a two wheel drive robot, intended for use mainly in an
indoor environment. It has two drive wheels, and a caster. The Pioneer3 AT
is a 4 wheel drive All Terrain Robot, intended for use outdoors. The AT
uses a skid steer system for turning.
2.2) What are the dimensions of the robot?
The web page www.activrobots.com/ROBOTS/specs.html contains this specification.
2.3) What is the carrying capacity of the robot?
The webpage www.activrobots.com/ROBOTS/specs.html contains this specification.
2.4) What is the weight of the robot?
The webpage www.activrobots.com/ROBOTS/specs.html contains this specification.
2.5) How long will my batteries last?
The webpage www.activrobots.com/ROBOTS/specs.html contains this specification.
2.6) Can I connect a joystick to my robot?
Yes. We have added the capability to directly drive your robot using an analog
joystick. The joystick passes information to ARCOS, which allows for the direct
control of the robot. This is not the same as the joydrive Saphira client program.
This option may not be available for robots previously purchased from ActivMedia Robotics.
2.7) Can I control my *ACCESSORY* with software?
YES!!! At ActivMedia Robotics, we pride ourselves with the amount of functionality we give
our users when they purchase a robot and/or accessories. Every accessory we sell
has been thoroughly tested and integrated into our robots. We provide software that
allows you as a user extreme ease-of-use. All our accessories come with example programs
which show you how you can take optimal control of your mobile robot.
3) Pioneer Operating System (ARCOS) Questions
3.1) What is ARCOS?
All Pioneer2 Robots use a client/server robotics architecture.
ARCOS (ActivMedia Robotics Control and Operations Software) is the server for the
robotic platform. It manages all the low-level functions of the robotics platform.
This includes operating the motors, firing the sonar, collecting sonar and motor
encoder data, and so on -- all on command from and reporting to a separate client
application, such as Saphira or ARIA. On older robots the robot server software may be ARCOS
or p2os, which are downloaded and configured similarly.
3.2) How do I obtain the latest ARCOS?
Registered users of Pioneer Mobile Robots are able to download the latest versions of
ARCOS from ActivMedia's Software and Support webpage http://robots.mobilerobots.com
in the ARCOS section.
3.3) What is the packet structure for ARCOS?
This information is located in the P3 operations manual. Download a copy from our
Software and Support web site: http://robots.mobilerobots.com in the Documentation section.
3.4) Download of ARCOS didn't work!
If you tried to download a new version of ARCOS, and it failed, just go through the download procedure again.
This will work, even though it doesn't act like the normal download procedure.
4) Ethernet Configuration/Detection Questions
4.1) How do I configure my ethernet under Linux?
Most changes to the wired interface (eth0) are made by editing the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0.
Usually the changes that need to be made here are to change the IP address, gateway, etc to work on your network.
Consult your IT people for details on what these settings should be.
The wireless interface's settings can be adjusted similarly, but there are also things that may need to be
changed in /etc/pcmcia/wireless.opts. I this file, you will see a section that looks like:
# For ActivMedia Robots - Orinoco, Cisco Aironet 350
*,*,*,00:60:1D:*|*,*,*,00:02:2D:*|*,*,*,00:0F:90:*|*,*,*,00:0E:38:*|*,*,*,00:0F:34:*)
INFO="Wavelan IEEE example (Lucent default settings)"
ESSID="Wireless Network"
MODE="Managed"
RATE="auto"
# KEY="s:secu1"
# To set all four keys, use :
# KEY="s:secu1 [1] key s:secu2 [2] key s:secu3 [3] key s:secu4 [4] key [1]"
# For the RG 1000 Residential Gateway: The ESSID is the identifier on
# the unit, and the default key is the last 5 digits of the same.
# ESSID="084d70"
# KEY="s:84d70"
The settings that most commonly will need to be changed are the ESSID and the Mode. Consult your IT
department for details on specific settings.
4.2) How do I configure my ethernet under Windows 2k?
To change ethernet settings in Windows 2000, right click on "My Network Places" and select
properties. Then right click on the interface you want to configure and again select properties.
Double click the TCP/IP line and you will see a window where you can alter the IP address, etc.
Consult you IT department for specific settings.
To change the wireless settings, run the client utility for the type of wireless card you
have. There will usually be an icon in the system tray.
4.3) How do I configure my ethernet under Windows NT?
Follow the same directions as Windows 2k
4.4) How can I tell if my ethernet is configured correctly?
In Linux, you can check the ethernet settings by running (as root) ifconfig. It will
print information about the configuration of any interfaces that are active. You
can check the status of wireless interfaces using iwconfig. Typically, what "correct"
settings are will depend on your local network. Consult your IT department.
4.5) My wireless ethernet doesn't work. Why?
The most common problems with wireless setup are incorrect ESSID or network security.
The ESSID needs to be the same on the robot and the rest of the network. Our default
ESSID is "Wireless Network" ("WaveLAN Network" on older robots). See above for how to change the ESSID. For questions about what security features need to be used,
consult your IT department.
If the problem does not seem to be in the settings, there may be a problem with the
driver or hardware installation. Run (as root) lsmod and iwconfig and send the
output for each program and a description of the problem to ActivMedia support.
4.6) My side panel ethernet port doesn't work.
If the side panel port does not work, carefully open the top of the robot (remove
batteries first) and check to make sure that the cable going from the computer board
to the port is firmly in place. If the physical connection seems intact, contact
ActivMedia support for further help.
5) SICK Laser Range Finder Questions
5.1) What is the Laser Range Finder?
The SICK Laser Range finder is a device that sends an IR beam in a 180 degree arc.
It is highly accurate, and is useful for such tasks as obstacle avoidance, mapping,
and localization.
5.2) What can I do with my Laser Range Finder?
You can use your SICK Laser Range finder for obstacle avoidance, mapping, localization,
or any other task where a high degree of accuracy is required for measuring distances.
We offer a mapping/localization package for the SICK Laser Range Finder, and obstacle
avoidance is included with every SICK Laser Range Finder.
5.3) My laser range finder doesn't work. Why?
The most common problem with the SICK Laser Range Finder not working is related to improper
serial port configuration. Verify that your serial ports are working correctly. Under linux,
your serial ports cannot be configured to "share IRQ's".
a. Enter the computer's BIOS (Hit DEL on computer boot-up.
b. Change Serial Port 3 so it is set to IRQ 9 or 10 (depending on BIOS version).
c. Reboot the computer, and login as root.
d. Edit the file called rc.local in your /etc/rc.d directory:
pico /etc/rc.d/rc.local
Add the following line, save the file, and reboot your computer:
/bin/setserial /dev/ttyS2 irq 10 (or 9)
e. Once rebooted, verify that the settings have been saved:
a. Login as root.
b. type: setserial /dev/ttyS2
c. You will see that the IRQ is now set to 10 (or 9).
f. Try running the SICK Laser Range Finder software again.
6) Camera/Frame Grabber Questions
6.1) I get a blue image from my frame grabber. What's wrong?
If you get a blue image from the frame grabber, it means that the frame grabber is working, but does not get a video signal.
This can be because of lack of signal from the camera or because you are using the wrong channel on the frame grabber.
Check the following things:
a. Is your camera turned on? On newer robots (with ARCOS or ARCOS controllers) the camera power is controlled by the AUX1
switch on the user interface panel. Sony cameras have a power switch on the camera as well.
b. Is the bttv driver installed properly?
type this command: dmesg | grep bttv
Do you see something like the following output:
[~]$ dmesg | grep bttv
bttv: driver version 0.7.91 loaded
bttv: using 2 buffers with 2080k (4160k total) for capture
bttv: Host bridge is Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge
bttv: Host bridge needs ETBF enabled.
bttv: Bt8xx card found (0).
bttv0: Bt878 (rev 17) at 00:09.0, irq: 9, latency: 64, memory: 0x82000000
bttv0: detected: Sensoray 311 [card=73], PCI subsystem ID is 6000:0311
bttv0: using: BT878(Sensoray 311) [card=73,insmod option]
bttv0: enabling ETBF (430FX/VP3 compatibility)
bttv0: i2c: checking for MSP34xx @ 0x80... not found
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA9875 @ 0xb0... not found
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA7432 @ 0x8a... not found
bttv0: registered device video0
bttv0: registered device vbi0
The information may be a little different.
If you do not see this output, or if it says there are no bttv cards found, then you have a problem with your
bttv driver installation. See How do I install the bttv driver for information on solving this problem.
c. Are you using a PAL or NTSC camera?
If you are using a PAL format camera, you must use the correct parameter in ACTS (the "PALCamera" parameter will be false).
d. Are you using the correct framegrabber channel?
You can try different channel numbers in acts with the -n comand line option. So, to use channel 1:
[~]$ acts -n 1
Once you find the correct channel, edit the Acts.pref file appropriately.
6.2) How can I tell if my frame grabber is working?
The easiest way to test the frame grabber is to use Acts
or a video viewing program (e.g. xawtv in Linux or one of the example programs in Windows) to try to see the camera image.
If you get a blue image, the frame grabber is working, but gets no signal. See the ABOVE FAQ.
6.3) How can I tell if my frame grabber is detected?
type this command: dmesg | grep bttv
Do you see the following output:
[~]$ dmesg | grep bttv
bttv: driver version 0.7.91 loaded
bttv: using 2 buffers with 2080k (4160k total) for capture
bttv: Host bridge is Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge
bttv: Host bridge needs ETBF enabled.
bttv: Bt8xx card found (0).
bttv0: Bt878 (rev 17) at 00:09.0, irq: 9, latency: 64, memory: 0x82000000
bttv0: detected: Sensoray 311 [card=73], PCI subsystem ID is 6000:0311
bttv0: using: BT878(Sensoray 311) [card=73,insmod option]
bttv0: enabling ETBF (430FX/VP3 compatibility)
bttv0: i2c: checking for MSP34xx @ 0x80... not found
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA9875 @ 0xb0... not found
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA7432 @ 0x8a... not found
bttv0: registered device video0
bttv0: registered device vbi0
.
The information may be a little different. The most important portion is the:
bttv: Bt8xx card found (0).
bttv0: registered device video0
If you do not see this output, or if it says there are no bttv cards found, then you have a problem with your
bttv driver installation. See How do I install the frame grabber driver for information on solving this problem.
6.4) How do I install the framegrabber drivers?
For the most part, the frame grabbers will use the bttv driver, which is included in most distributions.
If you are running a kernel version 2.2 or older, you will need the bt848 driver instead. Installation
of the bttv driver is fairly easy.
a. Add to /etc/rc.d/rc.local the line:
modprobe bttv
b. Edit /etc/modules.conf and add a line for the frame grabber type:
options bttv card=[num]
where [num] is 29 for the PXC200 and 73 for the Sensoray 311.
c. Reboot the computer and the frame grabber should work properly.
If you do use an older kernel and need the bt848 driver, then:
a. Install the appropriate bt848 driver for your computer:
1. bt848-1.0p1-RH5-2.tgz Drivers for Redhat Linux 5.2 NTSC Format Camera
2. bt848-1.1p1-RH6-0.tgz Drivers for Redhat Linux 6.0 NTSC Format Camera
3. bt848-1.1p1-RH6-PAL.tgz Drivers for Redhat Linux 6.0 PAL format camera
b. In the untarred file, go to the bigphysarea directory.
c. patch your linux kernel, by issuing the following command:
patch -d/usr/src/linux -p1 < bigphysarea-patch
d. recompile your kernel
e. edit your /etc/lilo.conf file. You should make a setting similar to the following:
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label=linux
append="bigphysarea=440"
root=/dev/hda2
read-only
f. run /sbin/lilo, then restart your computer.
g. CD to the directory you installed the bt848 driver to (i.e /usr/local/bt848-1.1), and type:
make install
h. login to your computer, then run the following commands:
1. dmesg | grep bigphysarea
You should have a result like the following: bigphysarea: Allocated 440 pages at 0xc03a1000.
2. dmesg | grep bt848
You should have a result like the following:
bt848: **** BT848 Driver 1.0 (glibc) *****
bt848: Brooktree Bt848 (revision 18)
bt848: bus: 0, devfn: 72, irq: 10, memory: 0xeb001000
bt848: latency: 20
bt848: 1 Bt848 card(s) found.
bt8480: dma_prog c7e60000, odd_dma_prog c6268000
bt8480: buffer size 1769472, addr 0x3a2000
bt848: Intel Smart Video III, tuner.
You are interested in the line: 1 Bt848 card(s) found. If it found 1 card, then the driver has been
successfully installed.
On Windows computers, the frame grabbers use the drivers provided by the manufacturers. If the frame grabber
seems to be malfunctioning, check in the Device Manager for its status.
6.5)
Is there a frame grabber for my laptop?
YES!!! (For Win32 only) Contact sales@mobilerobots.com for more information.
7.1) Can I turn on/off the robot motors with software?
YES! You can control many of the low level commands with Saphira. To enable the motors,
issue the following segment of code.
sfRobotComInt(4,1);
To Disable the motors, issue the following segment of code:
sfRobotComInt(4,0);
This information is outlined in the Pioneer 3 Operation Manual.
7.2) Where can I get more help?
The best place to get help with programming for ActivMedia robots is aria-users. Questions
sent to aria-users will be read and answered by many users of Aria and other software as
well as our programmers. There is also a searchable archive of old messages. See the
Aria-users page for more information.
8.1) Why doesn't my camera turn on?
On many of the newer Pioneer robots, the camera power is controlled by the AUX1 power switch. Press this button so that the red LED lights.
If you want to confirm proper power, there should be at least 12V at the camera power connector, center positive.
webmaster@mobilerobots.com