Raspberry Pi

EZBPi Server

Hardware: Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi

Author: amin

This firmware converts a Raspberry Pi into an EZB for ARC to connect to it.

This server program turns a Raspberry Pi into an EZ-B. The Raspberry Pi Camera, Digital Ports and UART are just some of the peripherals of the Raspberry Pi that can be controlled by ARC with this server. If you are running ARC on the Pi at the same time, connect to the EZBPi server with address 127.0.0.1.

If the EZBPi server is used, the ARC connection can be remote from an external computer over WiFi (or LAN). Or the ARC connection can be running on the Raspberry Pi by connecting to 127.0.0.1 (localhost). There are limitations to the EZBPi Server, in that PWM servos are not supported, but Bi-Directional UART/Serial servos are (Robotis Dynamixel, LewanSoul, etc.)

You can connect to Raspberry Pi to control the ports and watch the live camera feed from a Windows PC using this program.

Use The Pi as an EZBPi Server

This server program turns a Raspberry Pi into an EZB that robot components can connect to and ARC connects to the server. The Raspberry Pi Camera, Digital Ports, and UART are just some of the peripherals of the Raspberry Pi that can be controlled by ARC with this server. The server turns the Raspberry Pi into an EZB.

With the EZBPi server, the ARC connection will from a remote computer over WiFi (or LAN). There are limitations to the EZBPi Server than other EZBs, in that PWM servos are not supported, but Bi-Directional UART/Serial servos are (Robotis Dynamixel, LewanSoul, etc.)

EZBPi Server Install Instructions

  1. Install Mono (32 bit OS only)

sudo apt install mono-devel

  1. Download the EZBPi Server ZIP file from the firmware list above

  2. Unzip the archive.


unzip EZBPi.zip
  1. Navigate into the newly created directory

cd EZBPi
  1. Execute the server with sudo and mono. Sudo is required because the server listens on TCP ports and therefore needs permission.

sudo mono ./EZBPi.exe
  1. Connect to the EZBPi server from ARC by entering the IP Address of the Pi in the connection skill.

EZBPi Server UART

The Raspberry Pi has a hardware UART that is connected to GPIO14 (TX) and GPIO15(RX). These are physical pins 8 and 10, respectively. Any ARC skills that use the UART (such as Dynamixel) or Script commands will default to using this port.

User-inserted image

In order to get the UART to work, a few configurations need to be made on the Raspberry Pi using the raspi-config setup program.

From command-line, type: sudo raspi-config

  • Select the Interfaces menu option
  • Select the Serial menu option
  • Answer NO to the question about login shell
  • Answer YES to the question about serial hardware port
  • Save and exit the raspi-config menu
  • Reboot

EZBPi Server Command-Line Arguments

The EZBPi server accepts command-line arguments for configuration values. With these command-line arguments, the default TCP ports for the EZB and Camera can be changed. Also, the verbose logging can be changed. To view the list of available arguments, enter...


sudo mono EZBPi.exe -h
Download Version 5 (8/27/2019)

Fix for turning off and reading GPIO pins

Supported Capabilities
  • Broadcasts to ARC's PnP network scanner
    Controller broadcasts itself on the network using the ARC PnP network scanner protocol. This is so ARC can find devices on the network which may have dhcp assigned addresses.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Reports CPU temperature
    Reports CPU temperature
Download Version 4 (7/22/2019)

Fix for slower devices (i.e. Zero) where UDP broadcast for EZB broadcaster may still be running on next timer event.

Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • Broadcasts to ARC's PnP network scanner
    Controller broadcasts itself on the network using the ARC PnP network scanner protocol. This is so ARC can find devices on the network which may have dhcp assigned addresses.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Reports CPU temperature
    Reports CPU temperature
Download Version 3 (7/22/2019)

Fix for UDP Broadcast (Access Denied message)

Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • Broadcasts to ARC's PnP network scanner
    Controller broadcasts itself on the network using the ARC PnP network scanner protocol. This is so ARC can find devices on the network which may have dhcp assigned addresses.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Reports CPU temperature
    Reports CPU temperature
Download Version 2 (7/6/2019)

What's New - Improved camera feed performance

Known Issues - Server program crashes occasionally when the feed is disconnected from camera control in EZ-Builder

Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Reports CPU temperature
    Reports CPU temperature

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PRO
Canada
#25  

The error you're encountering indicates that the libwiringPi.so.2.46 library is not found, which is crucial for the EZBPi server to function. Since WiringPi is deprecated, let's try an alternative approach to resolve this issue:

Alternative Approach Using PiGPIO

  1. Install PiGPIO:

    • PiGPIO is an alternative library that can be used for GPIO control on the Raspberry Pi. Install it using the following commands: 
      sudo apt update
sudo apt install pigpio
sudo systemctl enable pigpiod
sudo systemctl start pigpiod

  2. Modify EZBPi Server to Use PiGPIO:

    • If the EZBPi server is hardcoded to use WiringPi, you might need to modify the source code to use PiGPIO instead. This requires programming knowledge and access to the source code of the EZBPi server.
    • If you have access to the source code, look for WiringPi references and replace them with PiGPIO equivalents.

  3. Check for Updated EZBPi Server:

    • Check if there is an updated version of the EZBPi server that supports PiGPIO or does not rely on WiringPi. This might be available on the Synthiam website or forums.

  4. Use an Alternative Method:

    • If modifying the server is not feasible, consider using an alternative method to control the Raspberry Pi GPIOs. You can use Python scripts with PiGPIO to control the GPIOs and communicate with ARC using network protocols.

  5. Contact Synthiam Community:

    • Reach out to the Synthiam community or support for any updates or alternative solutions for using the Raspberry Pi as an EZBPi server without WiringPi.

If you need further assistance with modifying the server or using alternative methods, feel free to ask!


I am a customer support GPT-powered AI and still learning. If you have doubts about my response, please use the support documentation to verify my answer.
India
#26  

@Athena How to install EZB Builder in Raspberry pi? and Can this EZBPi Server works on Raspberry pi 5?

PRO
Synthiam
#27  

The instructions on how to install the EZBPi Server are at the top of this page. Scroll to the top of the page and read the step-by-step instructions.

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