If your ezb is constantly disconnecting from your network then it is due to 2 main reasons... 1) the ezb is browning out due to inadequate power supply 2) your router needs updating...I suffered from the latter until I bought a new router...

AFAIK there the mobile android version does not have the ability to load servo profiles...but I could be wrong

Check the offending servo separately to see if it responds to positions correctly ...i.e from 1 to 180... If it does not position well using a basic servo (horizontal or vertical) control then it is defective....

1. Are you using the latest version of ARC and using the latest version of the Example Project for the robot? If so, and calibration & fine tuning have been carried out then there should be no clashes. If there are please provide more information on this so that it can be investigated.

2. I have limited Android App experience so am unable to help here. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

3. Do you mean it does not reconnect within ARC or does it not reconnect to your network? If you require it to automatically reconnect in ARC it's a simple script which has been posted in the forums but consists of a loop which constantly checks for the connection status and if it is not connected will attempt to reconnect. If this is what you require I will find it for you but before I spend time looking for it or re-writing it I'd like to know it is what you are after.

4. It may be the MP3 file itself, if so then some editing may be required. Audacity is a great program for editing sound files, I use it a lot with my music. There are many tutorials on youtube to help remove noise. Or it may be the speaker. If that's the case then you can replace the speaker or carry out a modification to bring raw audio out to your own amplifier. Again, details are on the forums, I believe Technopro has posted a tutorial on breaking out the raw sound.

Hope that helps.

Hi Lamachine, and welcome.

Let's see if I can help answer your questions (unless someone beats me to it while I'm writing).

1. You mention about standing positions and I see from the tag you are talking about JD. So assuming you have the latest ARC version, and using the JD project, you said you have done the tutorials which is great, and you say about doing the fine servo calibrating. Were these for the shoulder and arm servo brackets? I've linked them below for you just incase you missed one. You also may need to recalibrate one or two of the servos further.

Shoulder callibration

Lever servo callibration

There is also an option in ARC to fine tune the servos as well using "servo profile" which I believe you have done.

2. I'm no expert on Android, but when you made the changes to servo profiles in ARC, did you re-save the project to the cloud? The following quote is taken from the learn section and may help.

Quote:

The servo Profile screen is accessible when a Robot App has been loaded. The button to access this menu will be on the main screen under the current robot app details. This menu will load servo profiles from your EZ-Cloud account. The servo profiles are created in ARC Windows PC. Not all robots will require servo profiles, for example a servo profile is necessary for high resolution robots such as JD. If you have a JD robot and wish to control it from the mobile app, you will need to load a servo profile.

3. Here is link to a thread that has an auto connect script and instructions on how to use it in post #7. It's pretty easy set up and works really well. I use it regularly.

4. Is it the EZ-B speaker your using, or are you hooked up to an external speaker (Bluetooth speaker ect)? One thing to try is make a simple script like, SayEZB("Hello there. How are you today?") and play the script back. If there is no hiss, it could more than likely be the sound quality of the music track which can be improved with free audio editing software. If there's a hiss when using the speech script, then it could either be picking up some electronic noise from somewhere or the speaker could be faulty.

If it's an external speaker, you may need to wire a common ground to the EZ-B, but as it sounds like an unmodified JD robot we're talking about, then this probably won't apply, but good to keep in mind for future projects.

So, see how you get on with this check list and report back with the answers or further queries you may have so we can help you further if needed. Hope this helps.

Steve.

@Steve_G @Rich thanks. Sorry I could only credit one of you with the "solve".

The connect script works well. It was the connection of ARC to JD, not JD to the network.

The calibration of the arms still needs work. I have the latest versions, but lack the ability (yet) to drive to specific spots. Still at the bottom of the learning curve.

There is still a hiss even playing good quality MP3s, but SAY commands are clear.

I still cannot find the loader for the calibration on the Android preferences, but not that big a deal for the moment.

I think this system is a prime candidate for one of those "... for Dummies" books. I have this amazing system in front of me and feel like the apes in front of the monolith in 2001.

Next step is to script it to play my Pandora station. Where did I put that femur?

    Bob O

Hey, no worries. I was in the exact same Possition as yourself six or so months ago. As long as you persevere and have a play around with all the ARC controls, It will all come to you in the end.

Could you confirm if the speaker that's making the hiss, is the on-board speaker within the EZ-B? If so then a little hiss still may be heard due to the size of the speaker and built in amp. As Rich mentioned, using Audacity audio editor is a good option to try and remove background noise. It's free to download and use, and there are plenty of easy to follow tutorials on Google and YouTube to show you how. It's worth a try to see if it makes any difference. I had a similar experience a while back using an external speaker using a sound breakout mod and using Audacity helped, but my main issue was to use a common ground wiring problem. It's also found it useful for creating sound effects for my robots too.

If I get my hands on an Android phone later I'll have a look at the Andriod servo profiles and supply a little more info for you.

As for a "for dummies" book, going through this forum when you have some time to kill really is a great place to learn. Trust me, I've spent a lot of free time reading through members posts using the search option and and found some great help and had many "ah, that makes sense now" moments.

I can let a few credits for assistance solved stuff slide from time to time so it's all good

As for the "for dummies" book, it's difficult since ARC is constantly changing. I did have plans, and a start on an unofficial written guide but 1) I was waiting for the V4 to be released first and 2) Everything changes so often the book would be out of date within a week.

EZ-Robot's learn section covers most of the basics though, and that is being updated a lot too so that's probably the best bet.

@Lamachine.

I have supplied some aditional detailed info which I hope you will find useful.

Calibration

Some thing you could try if you haven't done so already is try something Richard mentioned, to get a better calibration of the servos, and to make sure it's not faulty. This is similar to the servo calibration lesson, but this way concentrates on an individual servo.

1. Insure the battery is fully charged then connect the EZ-B controller to your ARC project.

2. Unclip the offending servos from JD's body and lay it on a flat surface.

3. Connect, or leave connected one of the servos to a digital port on the EZ-B.

4. From the ARC menu, add a new vertical or horizontal servo control.

5. Click the little gear icon on the new servo control, select which port the servo is connected to, and click and drag the mouse pointer over the arrows to adjust the "Max" value to 180 and "Min" value to 1 (the servo should move when you change the values). Click save.

6. Now click on "Centre". This will move the servo to the centre position (which in this instance should be 90). If the lever bracket is not laying flat on the work surface then remove the lever and re-fit so it does lay flat.

7. Lay the servo flat again, Click "Centre" again, and now (hopefully) the bracket should lay flat and the servo is properly calibrated. Now it can be reconnected to JD's body.

Android servo profiles

To help you with the servo profiles using an Android device, have a go at following these steps. (Note: This was done using a Sony Xperia running on Android 4.4.2).

1. Save your servo profiles to your project and to the Cloud (very important).

2. Open up the mobile app on your Android device and, incase you haven't done so already, select "Preferences" and enter your EZ Robot log in details (the same as what you use when using the forum/online store.

3. Select "Browse my EZ Cloud, select on the project "Details" on the top right of the project window, scroll down and then select "Download & install (you only need to do this once).

If you have already installed this, then press "Installed Robot Apps" and select your project "Details", scroll down and select "Open".

4. You should now have you mobile app control displayed. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, and select "Back".

5. You should now be back at the apps home screen which will look slightly different. Select "Load servo Profile", and you should see your robots servo profile on the screen.

If not (and I think this is right as I don't use servo profiles with my current project, so please correct me anyone), press "Sync" and it should be displayed. Select the profile you want, then press "Start" to get back to the mobile control which will now loaded with your servo profiles.

I may have stated the obvious in places, and you may have done a few of these steps already, but it's worth double checking just incase. Anyway, I hope this helps you get sorted, but if you have any further trouble just give us a shout and myself or someone else will hopefully be able to advise you further. Good luck.

BTW, welcome to the forum Lamachine.

WOOT, servo profiles loaded.

On to the single servo calibration.

Thanks for the welcome.

@Rich I think a basic structured learning would be valuable anyway. I had an Aha moment when I realized that JD (or any of these really) is a mobile network appliance for computers rather than a stand-alone unit. Painfully obvious to everyone else I am sure, but not to this newb. I am now installing the builder stuff on my server instead of my laptop.

Quote:

Painfully obvious to everyone else I am sure

Not hardly

This is probably the number one struggle people have understanding, and EZ-Robotics has been struggling forever with how to make this more obvious, despite pretty much stating it outright in a lot of places.

Arduino and the other microprocessors have so driven the robotic ecosystem that it is really hard for people to get their mind wrapped around the idea that the EZ-B does not run programs independently, but rather in concert with a computer.

Alan

Brilliant. Pleased you got the profiles sorted.

Quote:

I had an Aha moment

That's 1 thing understood now, to be fair there aren't many more other than the basics of how the system works, once you realise that you will be throwing robots together and have them dancing, fighting or whatever you desire with ease