Build process

Jetson TK1 || Razor IMU || PicoStation || Hokuyo LIDAR || ZED Camera

Additional hardware notes:

• For the new car model, can double check ESC/servo connections with the project here: https://community.arm.com/iot/embedded/b/embedded-blog/posts/self-driving-gps-rc-car-via-can-communication---brought-to-you-by-sjsu-cmpe-undergrads (slightly more discussion: https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/13063/how-to-control-a-traxxas-xl-5-esc-directly-from-the-gpio)

Sensor Mount 2.0:

• Sketch of ideas: Hokuyo LIDAR, ZED camera, and Jetson TK1 on top; IMU, battery pack, and USB hub in the center layer; and motor controller on the bottom-side.
• http://f1tenth.org/car-assembly
• http://www.jetsonhacks.com/2018/01/28/racecar-j-initial-assembly/
• We're purchasing: https://racecarj.com/products/bigmouth-platform-decks

ESC 2.0 [better control over wide range of speeds & wheel odometry]:

• VESC -- open-source, provides wheel odometry
  • https://github.com/vedderb/bldc-hardware
    • Custom build: http://vedder.se/2015/01/vesc-open-source-esc/
  • FOCBOX out of stock everywhere until March
    • Support provided by MIT-RACECAR (https://github.com/mit-racecar/vesc) and Jetson Hacks RACECAR/J (http://www.jetsonhacks.com/2017/06/01/get-your-motor-running-vesc-jetson-racecar-build/)
    • Odometry: https://github.com/mrsd16teamd/loco_car/wiki/VESC
• In the meantime, try to set the VXL in training mode and calibrate signals
  • http://www.jetsonhacks.com/2016/01/26/jetson-racecar-part-3-esc-motor-control/
  • Note that if you calibrate, ensure that you know how to re-calibrate to the TQi radio (our Teensy breakout board is intended to give us to freedom to switch between the two "remotes")
  • Code for calibration (using their I2C peripheral I think): https://github.com/jetsonhacks/jetsonRACECAR/tree/master/research
• Some discussion on odometry method comparison: http://www.jetsonhacks.com/2016/07/05/jetson-racecar-10-motor-control-battery-discussion/
  • Traxxas RPM sensor: https://m.traxxas.com/sites/default/files/Slash%204x4%20RPM.pdf
  • https://spaces.usu.edu/display/UEAVCT/Odometry+Sensor+Integration

• Using GPIO on TK1: https://spaces.usu.edu/display/UEAVCT/Odometry+Sensor+Integration
• Traxxas Rally manual: https://m.traxxas.com/sites/default/files/74076-1-OM-EN-R01-Rally.pdf

WiFi card [3/6/2018]

• Link:
• Plug and go!
• Add antennas (use a small flat object to assist with snapping the connectors into place, I couldn't do it with my hands alone.)
• NOTE: connecting to IllinoisNet only works randomly. It is not officially supported on Ubuntu 14.04. Use the lab's network "STARL" instead

Additional software [3/6/2018]

• Arduino IDE: downloaded the installer for "Arduino 1.8.5" for Linux ARM
  • Extracted to home directory
  • Run install.sh from inside the extracted folder
• Teensyduino: downloaded "Linux Installer (ARM)" and "Linux udev rules"
  • sudo cp 49-teensy.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
  • chmod +x TeensyduinoInstall.linuxarm
  • ./TeensyduinoInstall.linuxarm
  • Choose the arduino-1.8.5 folder to install in and I just opted to install all the libraries available.
• Rosserial:
  • Follow instructions or run sudo apt-get install ros-indigo-rosserial-arduino and sudo apt-get install ros-indigo-rosserial
  • cd ~/arduino-1.8.6/libraries
  • rm -rf ros_lib
  • rosrun rosserial_arduino make_librariespy .
• Open Arduino IDE --> set board to Teensy 3.2/3.1 --> select port for Teensy (/dev/ttyACM0 generally but can change) --> open the teensy_drive.ino file found from F1/10 website or our Github (or whatever version you want)
• Setup ROS as usual (source setup.bash, roscore, etc.): rosrun rosserial_python serial_node.py /dev/ttyACM0; simple check it's working by monitoring the rostopics that come online

Other stuff for starting out [3/6/2018]

• Add ROS packages from Github: add week1tutorial to catkin_ws/src and run catkin_make
• Hook up Teensy to motors
• Install pygame: sudo apt-get install python-pygame
• Launch roscore, rosserial, talker.py, and keyboard.py

Software setup for ZED, IMU, and LIDAR [3/13/2018]

• Following the install scripts from RACECAR/J (except the scripts are only written for TX1 and TX2)
• Install ZED SDK: note last supported SDK version for TK1 is 1.2 (Jetpack 2.3, CUDA7), whereas they are using most recent 2.2.1 (Jetpack 3.1, CUDA8)
  • Download .run file here
  • chmod +x ZED_SDK_Linux_JTK1_v*.run
  • ./ZED_SDK_Linux_JTK1_v*.run
  • Follow prompts to install (on EULA agreement, hit 'q' to exit viewer and 'Y' to accept)
• Install cdc-acm driver (HAVE NO IDEA PURPOSE OR IF IT WORKED OR CHANGED ANYTHING) (in installRACECARJ directory of their repo)
  • ./scripts/installCDCACM.sh
• Change udev rules to relabel IMU and VESC for ttyACM (not sure if necessary/good/bad/neutral but did it just in case)
  • ./scripts/installRACECARUdev.sh
• Install ROS package for OpenCV3 (also not sure if needed/good/bad)
  • sudo apt-get install ros-indigo-opencv3
• Install...everything else? Modified MITRACECAR Github stuff... didn't check versioning/compatibility. Instead I edited the first couple lines of "installMITRACECAR.sh" script and ran it. Fingers crossed it doesn't eff anything up and that it installs the drivers necessary for IMU.
• Differences between our Slash build and RACECAR/J build:
  • TK1 vs TX1/2 (hence Jetpack versions)
  • ROS Indigo vs Kinetic
  • ESC Traxxas vs VESC
  • CUDA 7 vs 8
  • 
    

Status Quip [3/15/2018]

Did the above steps on the Slash, but I think a lot of it is useless (MITRACECAR install script put everything in a separate workspace due to naming ("racecar-ws"). I think this script may also be responsible for a ton of new udev rules.

At the end of the day, the problem is the IMU is not getting picked up as a serial port node ("dev/ttyACM*").

HOWEVER IT WORKS ON MY MAC AND THE RALLY. (The new IMU that still has the native example firmware actually sends messages.) So... the next part is work done on the Rally to install the IMU...

Install IMU on Rally [3/15/2018]

• Install latest version of Arduino (had 1.6.12 on Rally, updated to 1.8.5.) Go to Tools -> Board -> Board Manager and search/install SAMD.
• Go to File -> Preferences and copy the following to additional board managers: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sparkfun/Arduino_Boards/master/IDE_Board_Manager/package_sparkfun_index.json"
• Back to Tools -> Board Manager and search SAMD and install the IMU option that pops up.
• At this point, given the factory firmware is installed, you can see output by setting the correct serial port and board and opening Tools -> Serial Monitor (baud 115200)
• To install the libraries to develop our own applications/firmware:
  • [Following steps from here:] Download/copy "SparkFun MPU-9250 DMP" and "FlashStorage Arduino" libraries to ~/Arduino/libraries
  • [Following steps from here:] Download/build ROS package for Razor IMU:
    • cd catkin_ws/src
    • git clone https://github.com/KristofRobot/razor_imu_9dof.git
    • cd .. ; catkin_make
    • roscd razor_imu_9dof
    • cp -r src/Razor_AHRS ~/Arduino
  • Open/compile/upload (ensuring the correct port/board are selected as before): ~/Arduino/Razor_AHRS/Razor_AHRS.ino
    • Yay! Use Serial Monitor to show it's working. (If not working... Check that the SAMD board definitions are updated and the Arduino IDE version is updated. Cycle through restart: close IDE, turn off/on IMU, open, and reload.)
• Now we can run an example app given to us in the ROS package:
  • Edit (at least check serial port is correct) ~catkin_ws/src/razor_imu_9dof/config/my_razor.yaml (this config file is used by the example launch file; if doesn't exist, can copy/rename razor.yaml)
  • roslaunch razor_imu_9dof razor-pub-and-display.launch
  • Yay! (Not working? Check that the Arduino Serial Monitor is running concurrently. Check that the correct port is specified in .yaml. Cycle through restart: close ROS node, switch off/on IMU, launch ROS node.)

Nicole's next tasks...

• "Undo" the install scripts for the Slash... Basically get it to the same stage as Rally (definitely need to address udev rules and getting IMU to register as serial port.)
• Calibrate the IMU
• Write a feedback controller for the Rally using IMU input
• Design mount parts for Slash
• Install Stereo VO on Rally

Magnetometer Calibration [4/8/2018]:

• Deleted EJML directory from ~/sketchbook/libraries (this is main dir for Processing) and from home directory
• Reinstall EJML... hm. So I couldn't find the jar's that were built from Gradle install. And I'm not sure if the command I tried (./gradlew oneJar) resulted in this (I don't think so, I think this was already there): ~/processing/lib/EJML/library/EJML.jar
• But this was the file I copied into the (manually created) directory: ~/sketchbook/libraries/EJML/library
• And from then on, launching Processing and running the mangnetometer_calibration file worked without a hitch:
  • cd processing; ./processing
  • Load sketch: ~/catkin_ws/src/razor_imu_9dof/magnetometer_calibration/Processing/Magnetometer_calibration/Magnetometer_calibration.pde
  • Lines to copy into firmware: "boolean CALIBRATION__MAGN_USE_EXTENDED = true; float magn_ellipsoid_center[3] = {791.069, 142.618, 521.641}; float magn_ellipsoid_transform[3][3] = {{NaN, NaN, NaN}, {NaN, NaN, NaN}, {NaN, NaN, NaN}};"
• Also needed to move Arduino stuff back from SD card. This links the necessary SparkFun MPU-9250 DMP library and provides the appropriate firmware file we want to load on the board. (i.e. edit this version with calibration values)
• --> what remains is to solve "NaN was not declared in this scope" compilation error. No clue, replaced with zeros.

Starting up control with IMU FB [4/10/2018]:

• Found a dud servo connector wire so for a while couldn't get motors going.
• Wanted to reload Teensy firmware and found that the Teensy board support in Arduino was gone (not sure if that happened when the directory was previously deleted) --> re-run Teensyduino install
• Got everything working but need to re-calibrate "center" PWM values

Recalibrating Teensy PWM values [4/19/2018]:

• Don't forget to adjust hardcoded limits in teensy_drive.ino and upload it
• Was able to get values for velocity but cannot seem to get any control over angle. But it works with the remote. And I tested switching wires to make sure the Teensy pins were both operating as expected. So I don't know why angle is not working.