pulcher / xmo

My implementation based on work from the Exomy 3D printed rover project

Xmo

My implementation based on work from the Exomy 3D printed rover project

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 4 suggest at least 4GB
• 128 GB SD card
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
• ROS2 Galactic
• Logitech F710 gamepad

Rapspberry Pi Setup

1. Download 20.04 Server LTS https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi
2. Install ubuntu using the Raspberry Pi Imager. Here is a link to the official Ubuntu site with a walk-through How to install Ubuntu Server on your Raspberry Pi.
   • I went ahead and installed the minimal desktop after getting the RPI on my local network. Then I disabled it as it was in the way for what I wanted to accomplish.
   • Make sure the SSH is enabled. You will need it later if not immediately to do the next steps.
3. Install Docker: How to Install Docker on Raspberry Pi 4
4. Login to docker: $ docker login
5. Build the base and the primary

docker build -t xmo_base:latest ~/repos/Xmo/source/docker/xmo_base
docker build -t xmo:latest ~/repos/Xmo/source/docker/xmo

• These should be available as a public repo on docker hub at some point in this with a release.

Make sure the ROS2 container executes on the RPI4

You will probably want to do the following on desktop where you have multiple terminal windows open at the same time.

1. Get a shell on the RPI
2. Execute the following command:

docker run --rm -it --name ros-test1 -h ros2-1 --network="host" --pid=host --privileged xmo:latest

• you should now have a prompt in the ROS2 contianer.

3. Get another shell on the RPI.
4. Execute the follwoing command:

docker run --rm -it --name ros-test2 -h ros2-2 --network="host" --pid=host --privileged xmo:latest

5. In one of the terminals execute the following command:

ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker

6. In the other terminal excute the following command:

ros2 run demo_nodes_py listener

You should now have a talker and the listener communicating with each other. You can now exit both terminals by whichever means you desire.

Windows Setup

Follow the install using the guide from ros.org Installing ROS 2 on Windows

I chose to put the base install in c:\dev\ros2_galactic. I had some space issues and installed the Qt libraries on d:\Qt.

I only had one major problem with the install. It is documented in the forms qt.qpa.plugin: Could not find the Qt platform plugin "windows" in ""

I solved the error with the following environment settings:

QT_QPA_PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PATH = C:\dev\ros2_galactic\bin\platforms
Qt5_DIR = D:\Qt\5.15.0\msvc2019_64

Update your environment with the following:

ROS_DOMAIN_ID = 27

Development Environment

Docker build

• Install WSL2
• Ubuntu

sudo apt update 
sudo apt dist-upgrade

docker-ce

sudo apt 

Source for this: https://www.linux.com/topic/desktop/how-install-docker-ce-your-desktop/ and Preference to this link https://medium.com/@mikejohanson/running-docker-ce-in-wsl2-ed74dac32782

Building/Dev-ing the thing.

Joy

Joy Node Reference

some useful links that need a shoutout when we can

Why a parameter service ain't right with ROS2

YAML for parameters

Naming Conventions

ROS2 Node documentation

xmo's Issues

Document RPI and other software requirements.

Ensure container has access

Setup new Overlay

Create a joystick_translation node

Read joy packets, email movement packets.

Xmo and Lab computer talk

Install enough ROS2 on each so that we can debug from the lab computer....

See if we can use Github Actions for build the nodes.

Compile a c++ node to read a joy packet

Configure servo location

fire up a talker on the xmo and a listner on the lab laptop

Which Version of ROS, Python, etc...

Install Joystick on the Xmo brain

Project layout to include module in git.

Create servo controller node

Reads motion command packets and activates servos

Make a Python node as placeholder.

Create a model to use in the virtual space.

setup a base entry point on the docker container with the various builds: automatic, developer, config just like the exomy rover

Figure out how to deploy a node, or set of nodes specfic to Xmo

Document how to activate the old stuff.

Work out how best to track the PWM settings for each servo.

Ensure raspberry pi sees the joystick.

map joystick value to Xmo commands

Make sure old stuff works

MIcro Ros2

https://micro.ros.org/

Get the docker container running on the Xmo

On launch fire up a Joy_node

create launch file to fire up joy node

Pre-install the VSDB stuff so vscode fires up faster.

Establish launch file

Make a Happy face

Figure out how to store the configuration information

Figure out how to display Gazebo.

Work out debugging from the lab computer

Xmo: Object avoidance