Thinking About Buying A Jd Help

Question

Is this a student toy or adult project. This sounds interesting but it needs to be expandable. I worked with ER1 and AIBO ER7. Is this something I could get into? Suggestions and price help needed!

Dave Schulpius · Answer

darticus, JD's not a toy but not really only for adults. Lots of young people are buying JD and finding the challenge of building and programing him fun and rewarding. As far as being expendable; the only limit is your imagination. Find a 3D printer or buy parts and make him into the FeankenJD of your dreams. Price? Browse through the store here on this site to get an idea what's available. You can also get off the shelf parts that you can adapt yourself and do whatever you you can afford. Good luck and have fun!

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus on this page ubove you see PRODUCTS click on that and you see all prices from robots and parts.

Dave Schulpius · Answer

Umm, I said exactly that just an hour and a half ago. Thanks for validating my answer Nomad.

Nomad 6R · Answer

hi dave the word store doesn exist,i dont see it it says products now. and goodmorning to you to

Dave Schulpius · Answer

LOL, I have no idea what you just wrote Nomad. Enjoy your Sunday!

Nomad 6R · Answer

ok i will.enjoy your day to.

roller · Answer

The "thing" about ez robot is the way you can sit there and re configure your robot quickly and having enough parts (i need more) figure out your bot. Once that then on to making it move--thanks to DJ, we,us, the great people on the forum. This is a thinker,tinker,modifiable, hackable, and very useful program for ALL beginners I have just sit in my chair (ezboy) and just put parts together and and re-do. Cause i know with the module i can make it be alive. So buy it - just have to wait for the shipping (LOL) THANKS to DJ & EZBOT Rick

darticus · Answer

You were all very helpful. What would you say is the average age? I'm 66 and maybe too old for this. I'm in the USA and looking for a store to buy JD. Thanks Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Brookstone in the US sells ez-robot stuff.... In a few days the online store here should begin shipping again as well....

darticus · Answer

Thanks how do I get to the store on this site? Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus am 52 years old.and there are more here on site.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Look under "Products".... or just keep clicking, you're bound to hit the online store sooner or later...

darticus · Answer

I can't believe you are getting back. Thanks all for the help. Is the best way to just buy the JD package for 429 and than work with it to start? Is any thing else needed to start? Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

they are complete kits

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

You just need the JD robot to start... You will then need to download ARC software and get to know it.... Once you get that "ah, ah" moment where it all makes sense... limitations will be few.... I know it sounds boring but have a look in the learn section... It will seem like a lot at first to digest, but take your time and try and read through as much as possible. It will seriously help get you to the "ah. ah" moment...

Nomad 6R · Answer

here is the link for jd .how to do it,start at number one. tutorial jd robot

thetechguru · Answer

Ages of EZ-Robot users range from pre-teen to people in their 80's. something for everyone here except maybe very young children. JD is definitely not just a toy, and requires the ability to follow instructions (the learn tutorials) for assembly and calibration. As others have mentioned, once you start with a base revolution robot, the capabilities are only limited by your imagination. Alan

darticus · Answer

I don't have a smart phone but can I use my lap top windows XP or an apple Ipad to work with the software? Thanks Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

You need windows 7 minimum.... iPad should work but without ARC (runs on windows 7 and up) you will be seriously limited in what you can do....

cem · Answer

Darticus Just download ARC on your laptop and see, I agree with RR that W7 might be a minimum, but give it ago, it's free! You don't need any H/W to play around with ARC, and it's the best way to learn before you order any H/W. Chris.

Nomad 6R · Answer

if not working ,here is a link cheap laptops and notebooks laptops win7

darticus · Answer

That tutorial is great for the learning on how it works. Can windows 7 be put on an old windows xp computer? It would be good if it worked on my Ipad but I guess it doesn't. Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

Current version of ARC requires a minimum of Windows 7. Will not work on XP. You can load ARC Mobile on an iPad. It can control most (but not all) functions. However if you want to program your own functionality, you need to do that on a Windows PC, you then save your project to EZ-Cloud and download it on the iPad in ARC Mobile. Alan

darticus · Answer

I didn't know you could get a laptop that cheap. I think walmart has then for 179. Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

If you have a monitor or tv with HDMI and a USB mouse/keyboard you can get a pretty capable computer for $102. See https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/8595 You can also find cheap laptips, netbooks, and tablets on eBay (the Acer w3-800 is a favorite of many of us. Small but reasonably powerful, and cheap). Alan

darticus · Answer

Will this Acer w3-800 handle all the functions and programing? Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

Re: Acer w3. Yes, it is a full Windows computer. Ships with Windows 8.1, but is upgradeable to Windows 10. The automatic upgrade claims a driver issue, but instructions for upgrading manually are here, and it works fine: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/8248 Alan

darticus · Answer

That sounds good. So the 8.1 it comes with is enough. Where are they available? Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

Usually available on eBay. Note, the W3-810 or W4 are newer models and a little faster, but usually more expensive. Alan

darticus · Answer

I will check out ebay. I checked them out but don't want to order the wrong thing. I know I need windows 7 or better I think but what about the resolution? They list this and I don't know if its enough. What about tablet or lap top? Is there a model that will just be fine so I don't buy the wrong one? Will this walmart special work? https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-11.6-Stream-Laptop-PC-with-Intel-Celeron-Processor-2GB-Memory-32GB-Hard-Drive-Windows-8.1-and-Microsoft-Office-365-Personal-1-yr-subscription/39073484 I have an apple Ipad model MD366LL/A 3rd GEN will this get me started? Thanks again Ron

Steve G · Answer

Pretty much any laptop running Win 7, 8 (not Windows RT), or 10 will work fine, but stay away from Compaq or HP as there is a wireless card issue that can cause EZ-B connection issues. As has already been mentioned, the Acer W3 tablet with Windows 8 works really well as I can attest to that, as I use one. You can use the iPad, but there are some limitations as mentioned earlier in this thread. If you want to use the preprogrammed JD example projects available, you can use the iPad, but if you want to do some of your own custom functions or use some of the other options not supported for the mobile app, you will need a PC, laptop, Windows tablet. Below is a link for a reasonably priced refurbished Acer W3... m.ebay.com/itm/Acer-Tablet-8-1-Touch-Screen-1-8-GHz-Dual-core-2-Core-32-GB-W3-810-1600-/262031597527?nav=SEARCH Or an Acer laptop... m.ebay.com/itm/Acer-ES1-711-Intel-Quad-Core-17-3-4GB-500GB-DVDRW-WiFi-Win-8-1-/301795867568?nav=SEARCH

WBS00001 · Answer

Speaking of Brookstone. I don't know about the other stores, but the one here has been really disappointing. It started out fine, but now all they have are two Six units left. A demo and one in a box. Not even a shelf to themselves anymore. Just the 2 units on a bottom shelf with other mixed items. I don't know if it's due to lack of replacement parts or what. Though I think I bought them out of what few servo units they had. Anyway, not the local source for stuff I had hoped. Fortunately I'm pretty well stocked for the moment. As long as nothing burns out that is. Considering that I'm in full Dr. Frankenstein mode a the moment and pushing their limits that may very well happen.

darticus · Answer

I wanted to download the ARC to my Ipad. Is it the same download as the windows 7 gets. Thats all I could find. Do I just go to download with my ipad and download the software? Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

No, there are two different ARC types. ARC for Windows (PC or laptop) software which won't work on your iPad, and ARC mobile app for iOS (your iPad) and Android devices. The Windows version is the full package with all of the features, and the mobile version is the version that has limited functions. Click here for the ARC software tutorial, Or click here for the mobile app user guide. Hope that helps.

darticus · Answer

Thanks again all. My head is about to blow from all of the info you shared with me today. I think Santa better get ready to carry the load this year. I did see a special at brookstone today with 25 percent off. So I'm good so far for JD. I have my Ipad and did as you said downloaded the mobile app to my Ipad. Now to raise some money to get a tablet or laptop to program this thing. I don't know how Manufacturer refurbished is so a little cautious. Thats a great deal on ebay for 75 dollars if they really work ok. I guess I can't work with the downloads until I get a tablet. Wanting to do something but I guess I'll have to wait! Does the ARC do the same things that are in the mobile app in the Ipad? Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

No worries. Take it one step at a time, and all the cool stuff will start to make sense. In regards to referbished equipment, my W3 is, and it's been working absolutely fine for nearly 8 months now with no problems at all. Usually you will find that referb stuff will Come with a 12 month warranty. I've bought other referbed staff in the past with no problems. Anyhow, there are plenty of cheap "new" laptops and tablets around if you spend a bit of time and do a bit of web surfing. If you find something you're interested in but not sure about, ask here and myself and the guys here will help you out.

darticus · Answer

Again thanks all! I get the Santa thing but I'm 66 years old and can't touch this until Christmas. What is the age limit on this Santa thing. I have ARC loaded on my XP laptop but thats a NO GO. I have ARC MOBILE on my 3rd gen Ipad and seems good. But I don't think I can do anything with this stuff until SANTA gets here! Any thoughts of what I should do to get ready for the big Freakin' day! Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

You won't be able to do anything with the mobile app until you have a JD robot. The mobile app is very different to the ARC Windows software, where you could do quite a lot without a robot. Probably the best thing to do right now is make yourself familiar with JD, ARC, and the mobile app by looking through and completing the relevent tutorials found in the learn section to give you a head start for when you receive the hardware. BTW, I don't think there is an age limit on the Santa thing. I think he will pay a visit to anyone who has been good.

darticus · Answer

OK on that Santa thing! Now which is better a small laptop or a tablet? Never had a small tablet but maybe small is good. I know they mention resolution being 1024x768 Min 1920x1080 Max and windows 8.1 and ram amounts. With the smaller Acer W3 tablet with Windows 8 is there any problem with speed or resolution. Thats a good price! Do you put Norton in it or keep it out? Maybe you turn Norton off when working with JD? Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

The Acer W3 works fine with no resolution or speed problems that I have noticed. But for ease of writing your own scripts or amount of controls or scripts running at any one time, maybe a cheap laptop with minimum 4 gig of RAM may be a better option (the W3 has 2 gig RAM and works fine though). I guess it's really down to personal taste and what your comfortable using... touch screen or physical keyboard. Me personally, I like to use a laptop for writing scripts for my robot projects as I find it quicker to use a physical keyboard, and use the W3 for controlling the robots as two of the ones I have built (not revolution bot's) have a W3 onboard the robots themselves. Another robot I built does not have a tablet onboard, so I use my laptop of iPhone. In regards to antivirus, I use AVG free which is very basic, but does what I need it to and has no problems with EZ-B connections. There has been reported problems using Norton A/V in the past, and is highlighted here, so please be aware of that. That being said, disabling Norton, Avast and McAfee should allow connection issues with an EZ-B with no problems.

thetechguru · Answer

I don't like to bash vendors here, but Norton's home applications consistently score among the worst antivirus and interfere the most with normal operations of the computer than any other vendor. If you upgrade to Windows 10, you are probably fine with just using Windows Defender (comes with Windows) and occasionally scan with MalwareBytes (free). AVG or Bitdefender are other good options with free versions. Alan

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

I have never used winter tires or anti virus software..... Never got stuck or had an accident in the winter and never got a computer virus.... In my opinion anti virus software just slows down your computer... It's just a need created by people wanting to exploit naive people's fears... Be smart where you click and as Alan said windows defender works just fine....

darticus · Answer

Thanks for that info. Ron

darticus · Answer

Another question about a computer to use. 4gb memory I guess would be great and is 8.1 better than 10. Just looking at options before buying. I see refurbished for 130-150 dollars with 4GB and WINDOWS 7-10 and just wondering which is better. Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

Windows 10 is far superior to 8.1, but virtually any machine able to run 8.1 can be upgraded to 10 for free. Alan

darticus · Answer

Will 10 be a problem to download ARC or will it be fine to use and program JD with? Thanks Again Ron

thetechguru · Answer

It will be fine. ARC is written on machines running Windows 10. Alan

darticus · Answer

Ok Great! Thanks again Ron

Rich · Answer

To echo what many have said already, but feel these points need extra emphasis... The W3 tablet is perfect for ARC (and more). The W3 updated to Windows 10 was seamless and posed no problems (not even a driver issue for mine last weekend) Norton is bad. Avoid at all costs. To elaborate on Richard's metaphor (of sorts), Using Norton on a PC is like trying to drive with a club still on the wheel. If AV is important to you I'd suggest either AVG Free or Avast Free if you're cheap like me. Both do a good job of protecting you. But common sense does work so much better. I held off upgrading to Windows 10 for a while and only did so last weekend so I can't really make any justified comments on if it's better than 8.1, but it is. Everything seems to work so far at least.

darticus · Answer

Fantastic! I think for the money the tablet for only 75 dollars is great. Did you have to buy the update to 10? Just thought if I came across extra money the 4gb memory might be nice but I guess not needed. Thanks ALL Ron

Steve G · Answer

The upgrade to Windows 10 is free for any system with Windows 7 or 8.1 currently installed.

darticus · Answer

Great! How would you get the update If you buy a window 8.1 tablet? Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

If it has Windows 8.1 already installed, you should get an icon on the bottom right of the taskbar (seen below), or an automatic popup message displayed on the screen asking if you want to upgrade. Just follow the onscreen instructions.

thetechguru · Answer

If you don't swe the upgrade icon (you may need to wait a while for it to show up, and Windows Update needs to be caught up with all patches first) I provided a link to a thread with download and install instructions a few days ago in this thread. Here is the link again: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/8248

darticus · Answer

ALL of you are very helpful. I said this before, I can't get at JD until Santa brings it and 66 years old. Hope I make it! I also hope I find money to get a nice usable computer soon. I think we are all saying the W3-810-1600 is the one to get. I'm checking it out better now. I keep getting stuck on the 4gb 8.1 small laptops refurbished and the tablet and new or refurbished. Did you guys buy refurbished from the guy on ebay at 75.00 for the tablet? https://www.ebay.com/itm/262031597527 Thanks all Ron

Andy Roid · Answer

@ darticus 66 is young and JD will keep you young! The skills you will learn keeps the mind sharp, and you have fun doing it. Just remember Santa knows if you have been bad or good so don't disappoint JD. Ron R

darticus · Answer

You are absolutely right! I think we are all saying the W3-810-1600 is the one to get. I'm checking it out better now. I keep getting stuck on the 4gb 8.1 small laptops refurbished and the tablet and new or refurbished. Did you guys buy refurbished from the guy on ebay at 75.00 for the tablet? https://www.ebay.com/itm/262031597527 Thanks all Ron

Steve G · Answer

I bought a refurbished 2 gig RAM 32 gig HDD W3 for 90 ($137 US) from Amazon and as mentioned, works absolutely fine. It's like I mentioned previously, the W3 is a good bit of kit, but if you plan to to lots of script writing, then a cheap laptop will probably a better option. It's really down to personal taste and what you're more comfortable using.

Rich · Answer

The thing to check with a refurb is the battery. There were some battery issues with the W3 so you could wind up with a duff one. I bought new, I would buy new again, I'd rather have the manufacturer warranty and assurance of a quality product than risk (however small) getting something not worth more than a doorstop. FYI the battery issue was nothing major and has since been fixed via a bios update. Any new W3 shouldn't have any issues with the battery unless through misuse.

darticus · Answer

I finally bought a computer. I bought a refurbished one off eBay. I hope it will do JD right and allow me to program with him using ARC. Check it out if you have the time and let me know if it will do. Hope it has a new battery and can be updated to windows 10. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Laptop-Latitude-Windows-8-1-Core-2-Duo-4GB-Ram-DVDRW-WIFI-Computer-Win-8-HD-/151760795227? Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

That should be a good choice. The Dell Latitude line is their corporate line. Built like a truck. Never bleeding edge tech, but solid, tested, and reliable. Alan

darticus · Answer

OK! JD Comes today but Santa is watching and holding until December 25th. Thanks Ron

darticus · Answer

I know you guys can help me with this. If I had someone to buy some extra parts for JD for a Christmas gift. What parts would be good to have on hand? I see two types of servos, one with bracket one without, a distance sensor, extension blocks, extention cubes. Your making my extended Christmas list. Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

If I had a JD, top of my list would be a 4in1 Orientation Sensor. You mount it on his chest and he knows if he has fallen down and can stand back up. Alan

darticus · Answer

Thanks what about distance sensors are two needed? What about extra servos and extension blocks and cubes? Added yours to my list. Thanks Ron

WBS00001 · Answer

I would recommend having a couple of extra lever servos on hand. The rest of the (probably excessive) verbiage below is why, along with a few other suggestions. It depends on what you see yourself doing with the robot. Since you're just starting out with this whole thing, it will be a while before you will be to the point of experimenting with the basic JD body. Therefore, in the near term anyway, it would be mostly replacement parts you would be looking for. Some things to have on hand to keep the fun going in case parts go bad. For that I would recommend a couple of lever servos. If one of those binds and you don't notice it in time, they can burn out. And, of course, like anything else, they can just go bad, or be bad right out of the box. There are two rotary servos in the body, but they rarely seem to go bad. So I doubt you will need them. The EZB-4 (the brain) is protected from misuse in many ways, so it is a pretty reliable device. Still it can be damaged by over voltage to certain inputs. If you have someone willing to foot the bill for one of those that would be a "nice to have" component. OTOH, you can get a lot of extra servos and sensors for that same price. The blocks are generally for experimenting with different configurations of the robot body. You are not likely to need any of those for a while yet. I would not consider them to be essential. However, they are cheap, so why not? I'm talking about the small cubes here. The longer ones are not needed until you're ready to do serious modifications. The only thing I can think of that you would need a block for now would be the Ultrasonic Distance Sensor. Generally, you only need one distance sensor (if any). Usually it would go into the slot on JDs chest. As I said above, you will need one of the small blocks to easily mount it. Again, while fun and useful, it's not something you will need right away. You have a long (and fun) learning curve ahead of you yet just using what comes with the JD. Things like the distance sensor (ping sensor), while easy enough to add, can be tricky to actually get working with the robot itself. Especially with a JD bi-ped robot. It's much easier to use with a rolling robot. This is because JD does not turn easily. Nor does the body rotate. That makes using the sensor to sweep the area problematic. Not to mention physically avoiding obstacles in the first place. I suppose you could glue it to the top of his head. Then it could move about in all directions. Too bad there is not one built into the head. The camera is built in, however, and could also be used for obstacle avoidance. But that's an advanced sort of thing. So a distance sensor is not as useful with a JD as with a wheeled robot or a robot like Six. Those types of robots are also more easily adapted to being a "platform" for mounting additional functions. For example something like adding a servo to cause the sensor to move in an arc, actually sweeping the area like radar.

Nomad 6R · Answer

the sensor comes on the backside in the middle between the legs, there you puch it in at the bottem chest.4 in 1 sensor

darticus · Answer

WOW! Thanks for all that info. Could JD use two distance sensors at one time and be mounted off slightly to both sides to watch sides and front? I worked for years with an AIBO ER7 and a ER1 Platform. The ER1 allowed for two distance sensors on the side to monitor front and back. What about the Orientation Sensor is this useful? It sounds like it would be. I see your pic and think your saying to mount a block with sensor or a distance in that spot no block. Thanks Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

You can put as many Ultrasonic sensors on your robot as there is free digital ports... And if you run out of digital ports you have 8 analog ports for IR sensors.... Just buy the robot and all your questions will be answered and more.... The orientation sensor will tell JD whether he is standing, lying face down or lying on his back.... This will allow him to determine what's the best method of getting back up on his feet again if he should fall.... I guess you will have to determine if this will be a useful feature or not...

Nomad 6R · Answer

here is the video from 4 in 1 sensor. 4 in 1 sensor

darticus · Answer

Thanks for that Video. I am flying blind as my wife won't let me see JD until Christmas and FREAKIN' SANTA BRINGS HIM. These videos are a great help. Hope all is good by you in Belgium. We are very concerned for you and also ourselves in the USA with this ISIS thing. Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus with the video comes also a big code. see post #13 code 4 in 1 yes the isis thing is bad.

darticus · Answer

Stay safe! I see the code. I don't know how you would install it but I'LL study it a bit and when the time comes maybe I'll get some help here. Thanks RON

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

You don't "install" code... just run the script or control that it's in....

thetechguru · Answer

@darticus, Once your new laptop arrives (unless it needs to wait for Santa too), you should download and install ARC and start looking at the tutorials and sample projects. It will all start to make sense when you actually get your hands on the software, and you can actually do quite a lot of things without it being connected to your JD. Alan

darticus · Answer

I might get the computer early. So thanks very much for all the info and ALL STAY SAFE ALL OVER THE WORLD! Happy Holidays! Ron

darticus · Answer

The Laptop came and it looks like I have to be sure is working fine. So I got it early. Will someone here tell me the first thing I should do for the programming and using of JD on the new computer 8.1. Its driving me cuckoo after XP for 10 years. Do I download ARC on it as the first thing? Thanks Ron

DJ Sures · Answer

Ron, welcome to the new computer age There is a button on the top of this website entitled LEARN. Press that button. That is called a menu link, and there are a few menu links such as Products, Software and Community (where you are now). The LEARN menu option is where you learn about your ez-robot. There is a video that explains the learn section when you click on it. I would start by taking the course for your robot. If your robot is JD, take the course entitled JD.

darticus · Answer

I did do that so I guess the download ARC is next. Just don't want to do the wrong thing. I downloaded the EZ- Builder download. Now its in the 8.1 windows computer but I can find it again once I turned it off and on . Not on desk top! Where is it? I also downloaded EZ BIT library. How do I find this on startup? Too use to windows XP. This must be somewhere to use. Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

There's a few ways to find it. A quick way to find ARC, is to swipe your mouse or touchpad from the edge of the right hand side of the screen to bring up something called a "Charm Bar". On the top, you will mind a magnifying glass icon with "Search" under it. Click on this and type in "ARC" and a search list will appear with the results. Simply click on "ARC" and it will open.  You can also use the "Tiles" page and use the search option there (located in the top right hand corner). What you can then do, is to right click on the ARC option then click on "Pin to taskbar" which will make it easier for you to find in the future. You may also have an ARC tile on that page too.

darticus · Answer

Thanks very much. This is really driving me nuts but I think I'm getting it now. I don't see arrows when I go to the bottom left corner or something when I go to the left side. Maybe this function is turned off. I check it again. Where do you hit on the screen to get things to pop out? I guess it will take a little time. Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

Sorry, I don't know what arrows you mean. What you will see is a Windows icon which brings up your system menu. What "things" do you mean by "pop out"? if you mean the charm bar, move your mouse pointer to the very edge of the right hand side of the screen. Then quickly swipe your finger from right to left on your mouse/track pad to bring the charm bar out. It takes a little practice, but you'll get the hang of it. A piece of advice, play about with the laptop first before jumping in to ARC, and if your stuck on anything, there's lots of "how to's" on the internet regarding using Windows 8 which you should find helpful.

Nomad 6R · Answer

he means this one,it chould pop up when you use mousscroll

Steve G · Answer

Ah, gotcha. The apps menu arrow. If the laptop supports it, you can use two fingers and scroll up using the mouse pad from the bottom of the screen to show the apps menu.

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus here some more pics

darticus · Answer

Thats it. The task bar always shows. I now have ARC on the task bar. The arrows don't show when you go to the edge or corners. The apps menu arrow shows fine but the ones that should pop out when you go to the edge don't seem to show. I'm not using a mouse only laptop pad. I am getting there now. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus by a mini mous,much easier.

darticus · Answer

I will give it a try. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

i think the arrow only shows up when you scroll,atleast mine does this

darticus · Answer

I'm not sure what scroll means but the mouse has all kinds of things popping out. Is this controllable or it happen if it wants to pop out. Sometimes it does it sometimes it don't. Anyway its seems usable. Now what do I try if I start up the ARC program. Is there anything I can do without the JD robot? Sorry for all the questions as I get started. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

the more questions you ask the better you can use ARC. yes you can do some stuff,open windows and see what it is. the scroll on a mous is the middle roller you can puch fort&backwarts. avery window has this key? when you click on it it will bring you to the tutorial. i will make a pic for you in a moment

thetechguru · Answer

There is a lot you can do with ARC without any robot. You can teach it to understand your speech and react to it. A lot of scripting things you can learn. Even without JD attached, you can get familiar with the menus and controls just by opening up the JD project and poking around. You can't hurt anything since you can always re-download JD project or re-install ARC, so just open it up and play around for a while. Alan

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus · Answer

Thanks I'll open it up and just look around. "I don't want to screw things up until I ready to screw thing up". I did check it out and its overwhelming! A lot of stuff. Is there a simple way to get me to try something like understand speech and reacting to it? Is there a step by step you could tell me and maybe I'll get the Idea if I do it. I did hit open and viewed JD assembly instructions. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

click on avery ? mark you get all exsplained,avery window has it.

darticus · Answer

I'm in here but very confusing. I hit the add + button and got the add control window. I picked audio than speech recognition. It seem to hear me say things as a wav is showing as I talk but I don't know what it means. Thanks Ron

WBS00001 · Answer

@darticus Understanding speech and reacting to it are two different things. The "understanding speech" part is basically entering the phrase or word you want the computer to understand. The word "understand" is not quite appropriate in this context. A better word would be "respond." That's what the ARC program does. It responds. It understands nothing. When you use the Speech Recognition control, that control has no idea what you are saying. That is to say, it does not break down the phrase and try to interpret the words and give them meaning. All it does is look for a match in the list of phrases you typed in. When, and if, it finds a match, it responds. It works on the whole phrase. A match is only made if it matches the whole thing. Not just one of the words. Also, a "phrase" can be just one word. How does it respond? That's the other issue. It responds by what you type into the corresponding code (Command) area. Note; it only responds to the phrase it matched. Any other phrases and their corresponding code do nothing. They could just as well not even be there. They only come into play if a match is found to their phrase. But writing code is a whole other issue. And it's the hard part. I know some on here may tell you it's easy to write code using the script language. That's true to a certain extent. It's knowing what instructions go where and how to start that's the hard part. The thing to keep in mind is that writing code for the Speech Recognition control is no different than writing code for anything else in ARC. No matter what control you put it in, it does the same thing. So, let's do a simple example. Click on the gear icon in the Speech Recognition control. Type (or copy and paste) this into a free box under the area labeled Phrase in the Speech Recognition control setup:
 This is a test

Then type (or copy and paste) this into the area labeled Command right across from where you entered the phrase:
 print("The phrase you said was this is a test")

Click "Save" at the bottom left. Note; the print instruction does not send anything to your printer, but to the screen instead. Now, making sure the little box next to the word "Pause" (top left of the Speech Recognition control) is unchecked, speak the phrase "This is a test" into the microphone. If all went well you should see the following in the black area at the bottom of the control.
 this is a test (0.95) The phrase you said was this is a test

It should appear again every time you say the phrase. The number in parenthesis on the first line may be different, however. The Speech Recognition control responded to the phrase it matched by executing the code you wrote in the code input area for that phrase. Let's carry the example one step further before concluding. Click the gear icon again to bring up the data entry screen. BTW, I don't know if you are aware of it or not, but you can reduce the window from full screen to a separate window by clicking the little box symbol in the upper right just like any Windows window. This can often make it easier to work with. Unfortunately it doesn't remember that and you have to do it every time you call it up. Now go to the box where the print command was entered and click anywhere in it. That will cause the pencil icon to appear. Click it. You should see a new window appear with the print instruction already in it. This new window can be resized as you like. I usually make it much wider for easier entry of the code. In this case it will remember that setting and come up the same way the next time. What you want to do now is add another instruction. Note; every instruction MUST be placed on it's own line. You can place it directly under the first line or you can skip lines if you like. Up to you. Type or copy the following:
 Say("The phrase you said was this is a test")

Click Save and then save again. If all went well again, you should hear the same thing that was displayed before (as well as being displayed again). Hope that helped at least a little.

Nomad 6R · Answer

choose soundboard pc,you will hear it thru your speakers.

Steve G · Answer

@darticus. Read the following tutorial for an explanation of how to use speech recognition, and what all of the functions do in the speech recognition control... Speech recognition tutorial Plus, there's tons of other tutorials in the learn section of this website. Take the time to read through them when you can, as you will get a lot of information from them.

Nomad 6R · Answer

avery window has a ? mark ,click on that and you get all info.

darticus · Answer

Very helpful I will work on this today and get back hope I have success. Thanks again for all your trouble Ron

darticus · Answer

Fantastic! It all worked exactly correct! Reminds me of the old days of programming back in 1975. WOW! Not bad! Freakin' Great! I love it! Now anything else I should try to further my training a bit. No sound and sound with robot voice! Cool! Thanks Again Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

there are a lot off sounds out there.mostly not free voices.you can try your own, voice from the laptop you have.

darticus · Answer

Great! How do you learn the terms used in program writing for JD? Like goto or print or say. Very much like the old TI99a Texas Instruments computer language from 1975. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

avery window has a gear icon you can click on.there you type what you are looking for.excample i used servo.there is also a cheet scheet where you can find , you own poses or sound you made.   red under lined is how you must wright it in left side of the script

Steve G · Answer

@darticus. If you add a script control to your project, or any control that has a script editor, there is a script menu in the right hand side that explains what each script command does. I have also posted the script manual here on the website... EZ-Script Manual

darticus · Answer

Very good! I see what your saying. I need something new to try! Again all Thanks Ron

WBS00001 · Answer

@Daticus Glad to hear you thngs are going well for you. One thing that would help on our end though is if you would put the screen name of the person you are addressing at the top of your post so we can tell to whom you are directing your comments. And perhaps be a bit more specific. For instance when you said Fantastic! It all worked exactly correct! what were you referring to? At first I thought you were talking to someone named Ron since there is no comma or line feed between the word thanks and Ron.

darticus · Answer

Sorry WBS00001 I will try to remember. You must be an English Major. Thanks! Another question- When we program in script on the computer is this info sent to JD's memory through wireless communication when we hit save? Anyone know how this works? Thanks

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@darticus tsk tsk.... somebody hasn't been reading the tutorials... You should know by now the ezb4 is not an arduino... all code remains and runs (in real time) on your PC or mobile device... The ezb4 is just a puppet ... It executes commands sent to it over wifi from ARC or mobile device in real time... When you click save it just saves your script on your PC... when you hit save in the menu, you save your entire project to your harddrive.... or the cloud server...

darticus · Answer

Richard R OK got it, I guess JD is useless without the computer on. Can JD run a program without your computer on? Now what would be the difference between running windows 8.1 and running an Ipad with ARC? Just learning sorry.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@darticus... No... the ezb4 needs to be connected to a pc or mobile device at all times... It does not run code on it's own... That's why the ezb4 can do so much. The PC does all the work... Quote: OK, I guess JD is useless without the computer on  So is an Arduino and every other micro controller based robot.... Unless of course all you want to do is to follow a line or run around trying not to bump into things, then you're golden with an arduino.... Any robot worth anything uses the power of the PC in one form or another... The future of robotics is PC based... Micro controllers (for robotic use anyway) are quickly going the way of the dinosaur...

CochranRobotics · Answer

Arduino's and micro controllers are good at doing tasks repetitively. For example, if condition x, y or z is met do a, b or c. They are good at say transforming information from something unusable to something meaningful so that something else can use that data. They are not good at handling a lot of different things at one time. By using the PC to control a robot (as Richard R mentioned above) you are able to do many things at the same time with a robot. This also allows your robot to have access to all of the data that is available to your computer including the internet. This is the reason that all really usable robots run in a tethered mode. Tethered doesn't mean attached by a wire, but means that the robot controller is connected to something else that is driving it. You can use a combination of approaches to robotics by using arduinos or micro controllers as subsystems. These subsystems would handle one part of your robot and pass that information back to the main robot controller and thus the PC. This allows the load of monitoring specific devices to be done off of the main PC and thus reduce the load on the main processor or communications paths used to communicate to the PC from the main controller. If your son is accepted to MIT, this would probably be the approach that they would take in teaching him about robotics. This allows a level of abstraction which allows the programmer to make sure that a particular system is working correctly prior to integrating it into the entire robot solution. This is also how JD works in some areas. The camera module gathers information in its own subsystem and returns that data to the EZ-B. The eyes manage themselves and receive data from the EZ-B. The EZ-B simply sends the commands to tell the eye subsystem what to do. It then does it. The EZ-B sends commands to the camera and receives data. It doesn't need to handle the load of converting the data to an image, but instead receives the image and sends it to the PC to do something with it. It is also how Servos work. There is a controller board in each of the servos that receives a command from the EZ-B which allows it to then move the motor until the potentiometer reaches the location specified by the command. This is handled inside of each servo motor. Each servo motor is its own subsystem. The camera is its own subsystem and the lights in the eyes are their own subsystems. These are all already coded to handle what they are meant to handle so you don't have to do any of that. They are complete and ready to use so they are just devices. If you wanted to combine some of these devices to work together automatically without having to worry about how they will interact with other things, you could setup a subsystem that would stop the motors on the robot if something was withing say 12 inches of the robot. This could be done through ARC or through a custom subsystem that takes the load off of the PC running ARC. This could also be handled through C# and the SDK or a number of other ways. If you chose to do this through a custom developed subsystem you would be using an arduino or micro controller. If this is all that you are doing with this subsystem, it would be silly not to just use ARC to handle this function. This is the reason that the product is not a toy but could be used as one. This product allows the user to get as advanced or simple as they want to get with robotics. It also allows the user to have an extreme amount of untapped power through the use of the PC/Iphone/Android or whatever is used to control the robot. It allows the user of the product to grow in robotics and take the product wherever they want to take it.

thetechguru · Answer

Quote:Now what would be the difference between running windows 8.1 and running an Ipad with ARC The capabilities of ARC Mobile (on iOS or Android) are significantly less than those on a PC. You can make the robot move and make sounds, and you can see through its camera, but it can't do speech recognition and I believe the camera tracking functions are also not available yet. If you want to develop your own capabilities for JD, you need to create them on the PC, but you can then upload to the EZ-cloud and download to an iPad or other supported mobile device and use them. Without a PC, you are limited to the JD sample app, or any apps that others have marked public when they uploaded them. Alan

darticus · Answer

All you guys are great including Richard R for putting up with me. A lot of MY old memory refreshed! Years ago I worked with ER1 which carried a laptop on his mainframe. It really was fun but the company folded and most of us went out of it due to lack of parts. This seems like its going to be great if Santa ever gives me JD. I did get the computer early to work with ARC so I'm learning from all of you and reading a lot. I'm also able to try some stuff that you guys are sharing with me to try Like the speech recognition tutorial from yesterday. Thanks All!

WBS00001 · Answer

@darticus LOL, no, not an Engilsh major (thank goodness). Just that certain punctuation and annotations go a long way towards understanding one another when all you have is the written word. So, where do you stand now? I've noticed you have asked several questions in various posts but I have no real idea as to whether you still need them answered or not. Perhaps you could write another post listing the questions you still have that you feel you need help with. I realize that without the robot you are limited, nonetheless there are still many things you can do and see (and hear) results. As you said, the sheer volume of tutorials is overwhelming. It can be especially frustrating when all you want to do is write programs without having to wade through all the introductory stuff first. You're impatient to see something happen. I can certainly understand that. As you have seen, you don't have to know everything about the Speech Recognition control to use it. It's doubly bad when you don't even have your robot yet. Same thing happened to me. I had to wait for a month to get mine because of delays in manufacturing. So I played around with the software and used the designer to put together robot parts to see how they would look as a whole. Learned a lot during that time so I could hit the ground running when my JD showed up. With all that in mind, I can write posts for things you can try out, assuming the last one I did was helpful. Of course, you may already be past the elementary things I did in that post, but, again, I don't know.

darticus · Answer

WBS00001 I am an inpatient brat at my old age! I did do some examples with speech recognition that were shared with me and that really said a lot on how you do this programing thing. Just wondered if there was another project I could try to reinforce the writing of programming that someone can share that would demo another capability without having freakin' JD. This could keep me busy for several minutes. Than I just read for 20 days! WOW! PS I need a custom Santa suit to fit JD! LOL

darticus · Answer

I got my computer 2 weeks ago and just found out, I think, Its not the right one. Here is what I bought Dell Laptop Latitude Windows 8.1 Core 2 Duo 4GB Ram DVDRW WIFI Computer Win 8 HD Here is a screen shot of what the computer says is in it. Unless I'm reading it wrong its only 2 GB RAM NOT THE 4GB Can anyone confirm its wrong or am I reading something wrong. Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

that definitely only has 2 gig installed. Alan

DJ Sures · Answer

It indeed is only 2gb, but do not worry - ARC software will still work. There may be difficulties with 3D designer, as the files are quite large. But you should have no trouble, outside of the software being a little slow at times. If you wish, some local computer repair shops can upgrade the ram for you. I wouldn't trust Best Buy prices, although it won't hurt to check comparison

Steve G · Answer

It certainly looks like it only has 2g of RAM. I'd contact the seller and complain if it was advertised as having 4 gig installed, and get them to sort it out or get a refund.

darticus · Answer

Thanks I thought I was seeing it as 2GB. I guess will have to see what they say. This was the ad on ebay and on my receipt Dell Laptop Latitude Windows 8.1 Core 2 Duo 4GB Ram DVDRW WIFI Computer Win 8 HD Thanks Ron

darticus · Answer

The problem was fixed. They just sent me the memory needed and told me how to install. Now 4GB's. JD is coming SOON! Ron

DJ Sures · Answer

Awesome!

darticus · Answer

OK we got a chance today to build JD but the memory doesn't want to stay in. It will fall out if not held and it doesn't turn on. Maybe I don't have it going in right. I did fully charge but doesn't want to go in right and go on. What can I check. Thanks Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Dude... you really need to read through the tutorials.... EZB Power pin adjustment

darticus · Answer

Found the pins on the battery section are pushing down not allowing connection. Do I go inside? Is this just a glue problem? My luck! Ron

darticus · Answer

Had to go in! Screw not in. Now seems ok powers up. Does the brain normally sit as not a solid tight fit. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

darticus pics or chort video can be helpfull. you mean the dean connector?

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

The brain as you call it should not fall out... After fixing the screw if it's still loose in the base do the mini deans pin adjustment (see my link above)...

darticus · Answer

Thanks Richard R its fine now. Ron

darticus · Answer

Nomad 6R The deans plug was pushing in but tightened the screw inside and all is good. Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

daricus great to hear.

darticus · Answer

Now that its workable I turned JD on and his servos went all out of line and he would have fallen if I wasn't holding him. Where do I look now? Do I unscrew all servos to zero them in or is there another method. Are there settings I need to check somewhere to get him set before fine tuning? Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

did you callibrate all servo's

thetechguru · Answer

You need to go through the JD tutorial. The servos may need manual calibration, certainly need software fine tuning, and JD should always be powered on lying down. All of this is covered in the tutorial. Alan

Steve G · Answer

Quote:he would have fallen if I wasn't holding him.  If JD would have fallen over, then it must have been standing up. I refer you back to the JD tutorials as has already been suggested by Alan and Richard...  https://synthiam.com/Tutorials/Course/1

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@darticus... Again.... Before you damage your JD...  Read/Re-read the tutorials....

darticus · Answer

Going to the tutorials on here. I haven't wifi him as yet but will go back through tutorials. Thanks Ron

darticus · Answer

This is where I'm at. I'm having trouble keeping the computer connected to WiFi with JD so I turned off windows defender and I think its helping. I checked all JD's servos individually and they are all centering. My problem seemed to be not being connected to WiFi. I turn on JD while on his back and the servos move into an incorrect slightly out of alignment position but as soon as JD connects WiFi the servos go to 90 degrees and all are good. Is this the correct workings for JD when turned on? One servo in the ankle is off by about 10 degrees and I guess I would have to fine tune it unless you can adjust this with a Phillips head and move the gear. I don't know how you can get at it. Any one get at this servo? I can't seem to get into the fine tune screen for the servos. How do you get to this screen? Thanks all Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

did you callibrate on the web page?

Steve G · Answer

Quote:I turn on JD while on his back and the servos move into an incorrect slightly out of alignment position but as soon as JD connects WiFi the servos go to 90 degrees and all are good. Is this the correct workings for JD when turned on?  This is the correct workings for pretty much any robot that has servos. Servos will nearly always pulse (move a tiny bit) when power is supplied with no signal.

WBS00001 · Answer

Quote: One servo in the ankle is off by about 10 degrees and I guess I would have to fine tune it unless you can adjust this with a Phillips head and move the gear. I don't know how you can get at it. Any one get at this servo? I can't seem to get into the fine tune screen for the servos. How do you get to this screen?  You have to take the foot apart to get at the ankle servo. There are screws on the bottom. There is probably already a fine tune setup (servo profile) for your robot. You can call it up by clicking the "Projects" tab at the top, then click the icon with the 3 green gears ("Configure" ) over on the right. If you have not already set up a servo profile, all the numbers will be 0. Clicking and holding on a box will allow you to adjust the number in the box by moving the mouse up or down. Once done, save it under any name you wish. EDIT Made a mistake above. To change the numbers in the servo control boxes in the Servo Profile setup window you need to click the + or - button on the given box. Not move the mouse up or down. And that won;t even work unless you have a connection established to the robot.

darticus · Answer

I had some success but I am having some trouble staying connected to wifi. I did turn off windows defender. I was able to fine tune and get JD to stand from lying down position. I lost wifi before I could check out the sound board. Why would he disconnect from wifi. Running 8.1 and WIFI shut down with him running. Any other suggestions to keep the wifi connected and not losing it? How long will JD battery work while in ARC. I couldn't bet back to connect to JD once I recharged him. What I am doing to connect to him is loading ARC, hitting connect to wifi and than trying some tricks like sitting etc. Is it possible these servos can jam? JD sometimes can't finish the routine and I have to turn him off and redo from the beginning. Is there a way to check sticky servo. Slowly getting there. Just trying to pick your brains as you probably had my problems. By the way this fell out of JD's foot. Is this a servo cover? See pics. Thanks all Ron

darticus · Answer

I noticed that the legs are moving at different distances on both sides. One leg goes back further than the other and the oposite leg has a knee that moves further. I found this using a servo tester. One leg kicks really high the other is about half the height. This is a noticeable difference. Could this jam the program as it cannot complete many of the applications? I think all the servos are the same and don't go in special spots. It can't complete any of the sound board applications either. It stop short during the application, almost like something stops the servo and it can't continue even though the steps are still running and showing. Eventually it shuts down WiFi. Help Needed Thanks Ron

Nomad 6R · Answer

yes thats a servo cover. can you feel if any servo is hot?

WBS00001 · Answer

@darticus What happens when you try to run those same servos through their full range using a frame in the Autopositioner control (1 to 180)? Does one seem to go farther than the other then too? Do either of them hit the physical limit of their movement before reaching 1 or 180 as indicated in the servo control box? EDIT: As Nomad said, that thing that fell out is the cover for the bottom of the ankle servo. There should have been four long thin screws holding it on. If you didn't take it off that is a manufacturing defect. It could have jammed the ankle servo. It should be placed back on the ankle servo (assuming it's not an extra one that was left inside). You could take a couple of screws off an existing servo (from diagonally opposite ends) and use them to screw the cover back on. It needs to be on to keep the motor in place and protect the electronics. I would have liked to have gotten hold of 8 of those covers. Would have saved me from having to cut off and grind down some on 8 lever servos I modified recently to work on a Meccanoid robot. Next time I'll ask DJ if they have something like that first. Come to think of it, I could have used rotary servos instead like I originally wanted to since they had brackets on both ends. Darn!

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

What's JD doing when he disconnects? Moving servos or just doing nothing? What circumstances if any seem to cause the disconnect? When you do connect what colour is the LED on the ezb and is it solid (not flashing)?... 1) Flashing blue = the ezb is in wp not connected to ARC 2) Flashing green = ezb is in client mode, not connected to ARC 3) Solid blue = the ezb is in wp and "is" connected to ARC 4) Solid green = ezb is in client mode and "is" connected to ARC Common reasons for chronic wifi disconnects... 1) Low battery voltage, using AAs or cheap low output wall adapters 2) Crappy wifi router (in Client mode) 3) Crappy wifi adapter in your PC 4) Out of wifi range 5) software like antivirus interfering with connections

darticus · Answer

WBS00001 What and how would I use that Autopositioner control feature? Is there a section that tells how to use it? Gotta take that foot apart and see whats the deal with that servo cover. Thanks Ron

DJ Sures · Answer

I suspect that black cover fell into the box during assembly and can be discarded. The servos in the feet do not have those brackets removed so it's just a funny/silly mishap. Little things happen like that when we hand assembly so many robots for demand As for all the questions - have you viewed the assembly videos in the learn section for the jd course? They are helpful to follow along with. You can witness the entire assembly process. Every step is documented in videos. Even how to fine tune the servos. All of the questions that are being asked can be answered easier by watching the videos. I believe it's much harder to read about the solution than to actually watch a real demonstration. Regarding wifi disconnect. The question that needs to be answered is this, and do not ignore the question, please answer it: Does the disconnect make a "disconnect" sound of a "boot up" chime? This is an important question to answer. Because if it is a disconnect sound, then the issue is with the PC of either software or wifi troubled. If the sound is a boot up chime, then the issue is with the power pin due to "forcing/snapping the ezb into the body" as mentioned in previous posts. The power pin can be adjusted by using the learn section and viewing the well documented lesson found in the jd course under trouble shooting. Once you get it, it'll all click in your head and make sense. You're doing great, don't give up almost there! Just remember that all the resources you need are available in the learn section - it does take different amount of time for different people, don't let that discourage you. I got a jd for my younger brother for Christmas. He put it together and had it dancing in about 15 minutes. On the same token, I've given jd to other friends and they struggled for half a day! The best so far is my 7 year old nephew, he put his robot together this Christmas by himself in 12 minutes - which was 3 minutes less than my brother haha. Sure showed him!

darticus · Answer

Richard R When he appears to jam he stops dead. Eyes still lit but doing nothing. Will check out further today. Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@darticus DJ's question is important.... When JD disconnects do you hear "the disconnect" chime or does the ezb just stop responding with no sound at all? As DJ mentioned maybe JD is disconnecting because he is pulling the ezb out of it's base when the servos move... You'll have to revisit the power pin adjustment tutorial... What I did on one of my ezbs is to use some thin double sided tape to keep the ezb snug in it's base... You shouldn't have to if the power pins are adjusted properly but it's an option nonetheless...

darticus · Answer

Will check more and get back. Gotta get info on using the Autopositioner control. Ron

darticus · Answer

Thanks DJ I will check things more today. Good to hear I might still get this going. Ron

darticus · Answer

Turned on my computer and ran ARC. Turned on JD and hit connect to JZB on my wifi. Than hit connect to the right of my screen. Would not connect seems like a red and blue light going on. Shut down program got to go online than opened ARC again. Turned on JD again and erratic red and blue lights. Blue blinking than goes to solid, red flashing pulsing. Eventually solid blue light and connected. Will start blinking a red flashing light and jams. Ron

WBS00001 · Answer

@darticus I'm going to make the assumption here that you are using the JD example project and you already have an Autopositioner in it. The Auto Position control is on the upper right. On that control is a gear icon on the upper left. Click it. That will bring up the setup window. It will already be set to the "Frames" tab. On the upper right is a check box labeled "Realtime Update" in red letters. Make sure that box is unchecked for now. Below that check box are 3 buttons, and below the last button ( "Remove Frame" ) is a rectangular box with the names of various frames. From that list choose "Calibrate." Now, be careful because JD will go to the calibrate position when you click "Transition To." It should transition to that position ar a reasonable speed, but I have found that if this the first time you click the transition button, it will tend to jump to the new position. Anyway, click "Transition To" button now. Once all this is done, click the box labeled "Realtime Update". From this point on, whatever changes you make in this frame will cause JD to immediately move accordingly. All the control boxes should have the number 90 in them. Find the one which corresponds to one of the servos you mentioned in your previous post. Move the mouse cursor over that box and click and hold the left mouse button. As you move the mouse up and down the servo should move at the same time. You may have to hold JD up with your other hand to allow the servo the freedom to move. Run the number in the box all the way down to 1 (not 0) and observe the servo to see if it goes nearly all the way it physically can as you do so. There should be some movement, even if slight, all the way. If it stops moving significantly before you get to 1, there is a problem. For example, if you get down to 10 and, as you keep going down, the servo does not move, something is wrong. Do the same for the other direction by going up to the max of 180. Again, as you near 180 be sure to watch to see the servo moves some even as you get close to 180. Do the same for the other servo. Since you were saying one went farther than the other, this test will allow you to see if they are both going full distance. If not there can be several reasons why not. 1) The servo lever is way off. This would show up as the servo lever not making it to it's max or min position in one direction and going to it's max or min too soon in the other. 2) somewhere in the initialization script (or a script you are running) the travel of the servo has been limited by the SetServoMin or SetServoMax (or both) script instructions. 3) The servo is simply physically or electronically defective. Once you are done with doing whatever you need to do, be sure to set the servo control boxes you changed back to 90. Hopefully these directions will help you to determine which problem you have.

WBS00001 · Answer

@DJ_Sures Speaking of the bottom covers of the ankle servo, I was wondering if those covers (or the servos themselves) could be purchased separately? I could have used those covers recently. Would have saved me from severely modifying the bottom covers (White part) on some lever servos to work for a Meccanoid. That, or just ordering 8 of the ankle servos and using them directly instead. Too late for me now, but I know of at least one other person who plans to do the same thing.

darticus · Answer

WBS00001 Thanks for all that info and I will try to use it later. I disconnected all the plugs in the back of JD and ran ARC. Everything connected fine and no loose connection at the deans plug this way. I than installed all the servos etc. again to see if I put them in the wrong places. I ran ARC and connected to JD. I hit bow and he did it but jerking with each move delaying as he moved. I tried again and the same thing. Tried to get him to do fly and he jerked into a flight position stopped stood there bent over black screen came up saying disconnected no sound from JD and program locked up. Had to shut down computer to get out. How long does the battery in JD work for. Recharging and trying again. Thanks all Ron

darticus · Answer

MIRACLE I THINK! MY wife mentioned the wireless items in the house. Like phone, cable, speakers, etc. Unplugged all and he seems to be working. Now a little fine tune and maybe good to go. Gonna miss my TV etc. but shoot JD is happy! I still wanna check the auto position thing. As soon as I plug the wireless TV cable in the red light in JD starts to glow on and off and he gets jerky in his applications like bow. Thanks all Ron

thetechguru · Answer

I am at work, so I can't check, but I am pretty sure you can change the default WiFi channel in the web interface for AP mode. It is probably set to Auto, but very likely defaulting to channel 1. Try setting it to channel 6 or 11 and see if the issue clears up. Changing to Client mode can also help a great deal (even though you are then sharing the same channel with the other devices, you are sharing it on the same WLAN so there is less contention). Alan

darticus · Answer

Hi Alan How do you get to where you can change the WIfi Channel. Its working fine with me turning off the wireless cable unit but wondered from what you said would a different channel allow me to leave it turned on. At least I know JD is not a defect NO jamming works great! Also my windows 8.1 is asking me to upgrade to 10. Will this screw up any of the JD stuff I did already? Is 10 much better? Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

Quote:How do you get to where you can change the WIfi Channel. Its working fine with me turning off the wireless cable unit but wondered from what you said would a different channel allow me to leave it turned on.  Turn JD on and connect to it's Wifi, then open your web browser and go to https://192.168.1.1 which will open the EZ-B's web page. Click on the Wifi AP Mode button on the left, and the second item on the page that opens is the WiFi channel. It defaults to channel 1, which is also the default for almost every Wifi device out there. Try 6 or 11 (you want to go at least 5 channels up from the busy one for full frequency separation). Quote:Also my windows 8.1 is asking me to upgrade to 10. Will this screw up any of the JD stuff I did already? Is 10 much better? A few people have had issues with ARC upgrades after doing a Windows 10 upgrade. I had no issues, but to be safe you can save your JD project to the cloud and uninstall ARC first if you want. I have windows 10 on four machines, and the two that were Windows 8.1 both have far fewer WiFi problems (and fewer problems in general) than they did previously. The third machine started as Windows 7 and never had WiFi problems, but it works better on Windows 10 in all ways - boot faster, runs faster, less problems in general, and it is a really old slow machine. I was surprised it was up-gradable. (the fourth I got with Windows 10 already installed). However, @Oldbotbuilder had WiFi problems after upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, so your mileage may vary. Alan

CochranRobotics · Answer

Windows 10 is much better and no, it won't break what you have done. You change the radio channel on your access point if you are using client mode, and on the ezb if you are using AP mode. It is normally labeled Channel on the Web page used to manage your access point or router.

darticus · Answer

Everyone Thanks for that help. I guess I should think about the upgrade. Maybe because I don't have much of this computer now would be the time to upgrade. If I change the channel of wifi does that change anything with my Router DSL for online? Thanks Ron

thetechguru · Answer

No, it won't impact your dsl. I would go ahead with the Windows 10 upgrade sooner rather than later. It will only be free for a year, and probably easier to learn before you get too used to windows 8.1. Not too many differences, but a few. Don't worry about the uninstall /re-install of ARC. DJ just fixed the issue in today's release.

darticus · Answer

Will try and see if it offers me to update today and than I'll do it. Later boys Ron

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@darticus Why wait? Upgrade is here... Windows 10 upgrade

darticus · Answer

Thanks Richard From the past I try to let the computer offer the update rather than me getting the wrong thing. I did go to get it as you said but it says system down now, so I'll try later. I updated DJ's newest ARC and to wait for 10. TRIED to update to 10 5 times won't let me do it. says system is down. HELP! Thanks Later!

darticus · Answer

Still can't Update but working with activities on this site now. Is it normal for JD to walk if you say move forward or something he recognizes as robot move forward, when you don't want him to move? Is he moving because I have the window open for a verbal command? Just wanted to know how to keep him from doing things you don't want at certain times. Especially when programing him. Thanks Ron

Steve G · Answer

Tick the speech recognition control "Pause" check box to stop the robot performing movements etc with voice commands. Click here for a full explanation of how the speech recognition control works, and how to use it. On the bottom right hand corner of your computer screen, you may see a little Windows icon. Click on this and it will take you to the Windows 10 download page (I refer you back to post number 54). It's good that you are going through the activities in the learn section, as a lot of what you have asked so far is covered in the relevent tutorials. It's a goldmine of useful information which you should find helpful.

darticus · Answer

I hit the Pause box and thats good. I got through the first 3 activities but the 3rd color recognition activity seems like you put in your info and its gone If you shut the computer down. Is there a way to call it up again? Going to the update windows flag at the bottom right brings me to hit to upgrade button and everything in my computer matches to get updated but it keeps saying system down. I went to the site of window and same thing. Thanks Ron

darticus · Answer

Finally my computer ask if I wanted to download Windows 10. I said yes and it finally downloaded it. After a short 6 hours it was done and all is working. Now to try some new stuff. Any suggestion would help. Thanks Ron

darticus

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