ARC Free Known Issues

This is a list of known issues with the ARC Free edition of ARC. This list is also presented when ARC Free is loaded with an internet connection. ARC Free is updated yearly. The next scheduled update is Jan 2024 to fix known issues. Upgrade to ARC Pro and experience these fixes with new features.

**>> Many robot skills do not work in Free version <<**

- Updated with new commands for Say with SSML

- New default global variables for $IsSpeaking and $SpeakingText

- Updated to latest framework (performance improvements, dpi rendering improvement, gui performance improvements)

- Updated to latest python compiler and libraries for the arc script compiler

- Fix for the python script executor where ARC can lockup after execution

- Number slider control (used for servos mostly) has been updated for improved readability with dark or light themes

- allow the ability to disable checking for update

- Help question mark rendering fix. This is the GUI help question mark that is for displaying help for options.

- Removed unused resources in ARC binary

- updated chromium engine to latest version for performance and security fixes

- speech recognition list allows selecting one of the otpions with the mouse

- display message in auto position for no frame selected or no servos added

- fix: auto position velocity and acceleration set to -1 for default. This was the most common issue when using dynamixel servos and the auto position.

- speech settings has a new controlcommand for adjusting the speed value

- Fix for speaking audio with null buffer error

- Added a new blockly block for raw javascript to be inlined with the generated code (Utility category)

- QR code generator takes a control command to generate, and the image resizes correctly

- fix for graph from painting the buttons that were under a cursor into the graph

- Bing speech recognition has no option for minimal confidence of wake word

- Bing speech recognition displays suggestion hints for wake-word
- updated online help for blockly blocks (right-click on the block and select help for more information on each block)

- added new blockly block getServoRealtime

- added new commands to blockly in the movement section (setAcceleration, setMaxPositionLimit, setMinPositionLimit, setVelocity, release)

- added virtual servo ports to blockly servo movement commands

- direct input joystick robot skill has an option for "max speed." Also, a new internal function for smoother control with an analog joystick
- added sr_04 support to doit esp32 and esp32 cam

- added Remote UI remote control feature in ARC

- moved many robot skills to the new Remote Control and Communications categories

- javascript compiler will catch exceptions using TRY/CATCH commands

- increased max servo positions from 32,000 to 2,147,483,647

- removed the X on robot skills for runtime edition (removing the skills can't be re-added, so we prevent people from removing them in a project)

- changed the runtime edition popup to include more information about what Runtime edition is

- (For robot skill creators) added a new event for speech synth for OnSpeaking2. This new event includes the output type. This is because STREAM types won't execute the OnSpeakingCompleted event. So don't bother with it when SayEZB(), anything to a file, etc.

- speech synth disposes the objects in order of their relationship hierarchy to reduce rare scenarios that raise an error closing ARC. Also, Clear/Reset the streams based on their hierarchy as well

- updated bing speech recognition and regular speech recognition to use the new OnSpeaking2 event. This is because there is no need to pause when speaking with the EZB. The result is that speech recognition systems will not PAUSE when speaking out of the EZB; they will only pause when speaking out of the PC. This fixes the issue where the speech recognition robot skills would PAUSE when the robot spoke but never UNPAUSE after.

- auto-size the font of objects for the full-screen interface

- fix when using ShowControl() on an interface for the fullscreen where an error message was displayed about a desktop #3 not existing

- fix in cheatsheet for showing user interfaces in the ShowControl() list

- added new javascript command: WaitForAnyNumberSpeech()

- added new javascript command: WaitForAnySpeech()

- added new python commands: WaitForAnyNumberSpeech()

- added new python commands: WaitForAnySpeech()

- Added new blockly blocks: WaitForAnyNumberSpeech, WaitForAnySpeech

- Added feedback for speaking advice and low confidence detection to all WaitForSpeech-like commands. This provides guides about talking louder, quieter, slower, etc.

- All WaitForSpeech-like commands will reset the timer if there is low confidence in detecting errors. This prevents people from having to panic when detection is taking place.

- increased font size for debug log window

- performance improvement with the loading of the script editor

- performance improvements with script editor help pages

- help hover user control optimization. It's used in a lot of places, so this will improve the loading of forms that use several of them

- performance improvement with the blockly editor

- entire ARC and EZB application codebase has been reviewed and optimized

- Show the PC IP Addresses tool in the top ribbon menu under Options

- do not switch to the fullscreen interface desktop when ShowControl() is called, and the remote UI server is running

- ezb emulator broadcasts itself for the ARC scan tool

- UI performance render update

- Interface builder UI performance render update

- Fixed intellisense mistake for SetServoRandom() that showed low-speed and highSpeed as parameters

- display control visibility controlcommand() options in the code editor when right-clicking (for showing interfaces using Remote UI, etc.)

- Updated NewsonJson to the latest version for security bug

- Wake word for bing speech recognition fix, so it properly saves with the project

- Updated online help for blockly blocks (right-click on the block and select help for more information of each block)

- Added new blockly block getServoRealtime

- Added new commands to blockly in the movement section (setAcceleration, setMaxPositionLimit, setMinPositionLimit, setVelocity, release)

- Added virtual servo ports to blockly servo movement commands

- Direct input joystick robot skill has option for "max speed". Also a new internal function for smoother control with analog joystick

- Fix for speaking event not being launched

- Fix for viewing project size with plugin robot skills

- Added an audio effect chain for speech synthesis for real-time effects on spoken phrases

- Bing Speech Recognition has a "Wake word" option, plays a custom sound when hearing wake word, and has max recording time option

- Stop the ping radar, ping collision and ping when attempting to read from an ezb that does not support the ping capability (Rather than filling the log with errors)

- Added leonardo support for sr04 ping sensor (needs the updated firmware)

- EZB emulator now emulates audio stream

- Fixed saving variable name in checkbox and combobox for interface builder

- Cheat sheet formatted in a tree view rather than a long scrolling list of items

- Control commands for speech synthesis settings

- Speech synthesis settings has a generate javascript button

- Added new blockly block for auto position movement blocks for plain text and variables

- Camera device robot skill GUI update for scaling

- Added two new blockly blocks for Say EZB and Say EZB (wait) that accepts an EZB Index number

- The interface builder object "servo button" has been changed to the "servo touch slide" to be consistent with mobile version

- Number of interface builder backend fixes for performance and efficiency

- Adding Bing Speech Recognition can cause an error about the audio graph renderer

- performance improvement for graph used in robot skills such as speech recognition and microphone

- debug window relocated into a virtual display with a notification icon

- EZB communication manager improved for performance

- Improved file manager with close button

- Added new utilities to top menu: script monitor, file monitor, com port monitor

- performance improvement for camera. using the camera buffer for the bitmap directly

- new camera device option in advanced tab. Allows forcing the output/processing image to be a specific size no matter what the hardware capture image size is. Some cameras display different zoom values based on the resolution. This will allow cameras that require a high resolution to be lowered to a more suitable resolution for video processing on slower cpus.

- number of changes to UI and first load

- updated terms about page

- new option to select performance based on default code editor

- when disabled the help tab, allow clicking on the message to load the web manual

- allow disabling cheat sheet tab in script editor for performance

- camera device robot skill is smaller and uses less screen area on the workspace

- new Javascript command "Audio.waitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new Python command "Audio.waitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new ez-script command "WaitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new Blockly command "WaitForSpeechRange" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- fix for occasional camera flicker and sometimes performance issues

- allow disabling cheat sheet & blockly tab in script editor for performance

- Performance improvement for the camera device

- New UI that relocates the debug log to a virtual workspace rather than lower popup

- New camera device performance option in advanced tab. Allows forcing the output/processing image to be a specific size no matter what the hardware capture image size is. Some cameras display different zoom values based on the resolution. This will allow cameras that require a high resolution to be lowered to a more suitable resolution for video processing on slower cpus.

- Fix for memory leak that causes crach from a bug in .Net framework garbage collector

- Fix for robot skills raising error under certain circumstances while adding new robot skills

- new Javascript command "Audio.waitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new Python command "Audio.waitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new ez-script command "WaitForSpeechRange()" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new Blockly command "WaitForSpeechRange" that will prompt a range of numbers. The user can select a value with the mic using their voice

- new option in ARC preferences under Advanced Tab for disabling blockly & roboscratch. This allows a significant performance improvement on computers that do not use blockly. This is very useful for embedded computers in robots

- new option in ARC preferences under Advanced Tab for disabling help in script editor. This allows a significant performance improvement for those who use the online help and do not require rendering the help in the editor

- fix for occasional camera flicker and sometimes performance issues

- blockly supports soundboard pc in the Audio block

- false positive fix for glyph detection

- hbridge (non movement) robot skill has control commands to move robots individually

*Note: the last release of Teams/Free was Feb 22nd, 2022.

*Note: this message is updated when ARC loads with an internet connection.