I dint be happy for this. i think i change some differt software.

Very sorry to see you go. However, we understand if you are not able to support our effort of developing and maintaining the ARC software. The free ARC version still provides great functionality and may fulfill your needs.

HI DJ,  On the one hand I understand your need for a monthly business model to also make money (and maintaining all this SW is not easy or cheap), on the other hand $8.99 per month is a sudden significant increase certainly compared against Disney+ or Spotify. Since I got a working robot I hope I can at least keep using current functionality while I consider what to do next. So, some questions: What does "Simultaneous microcontroller connections" mean? I have bought 2 EZ-B's and embedded in R2D2, does that not work anymore? Can I at least keep running my current robots and will I not be blocked based on the new limitations? So, the new rules are forward looking and no punishment for being an active user in the past? Can I at a certain moment "Freeze" my functionality, stop the monthly subscription and just run it with what I have? Want to avoid that If I choose for Synthiam I am not stuck forever with a monthly fee in order to keep completed robots running.

Thanks Charel - You got it right, $8.99 for 2 computers to run ARC. The simultaneous microcontrollers means you'll need a paid version to use both controllers at the same time in ARC. You can stop a monthly subscription at any time - but the ARC will be limited to free version features. It's $100 for an entire year of benefiting from ARC's ongoing feature development. With the expensive hardware purchases that power your robots, I feel this is a minor expense considering ARC is what makes it all work :D. Synthiam and its employees do not get paid by your 3d printer, hbridges, ezbs, etc purchases from other companies.

I hope you don't see this as a punishment for being a past user - because I've been giving the software for free. We worked 10-12+ hours per day developing ARC and features that everyone experienced for free until now. A business that doesn't charge for products isn't a business, sadly. If the ARC software is to continue, it needs to produce revenue.

The alternative is I shut down ARC and focus on enterprise development for our corporate customers (meaning ARC just stops working) - but no one wants that :D. I'd hate to see anyone go, but I understand if you're not capable or don't believe in supporting ARC's feature developments. I'd like to think the software and the effort of our passion is worth continuing to use!

What happens when you require more than two computers to run the software at the same time in the Pro version?  Also does the Pro version include multiple instances open on a single computer? Will the license require an internet connection at all times since you won't be using a dongle for licensing?

I understand, DJ is younger, and needs to make a living and pay the bills - no problem with that. I am for that. I wish ARC stayed the way it was, and only "new features" had the subscription which would make cents :-) to me.

Now - Some of my projects will not open at all because the Talk servo is gone, I guess not free now

How can I open my work I have done without the talk servo function?

EzAng

Will,

1. yes you can run multiple of arcs at the same time on the same computer

2. you can get a license for as many computers as you wish. By pressing the buy button you can see all of the plans available

3. the license does not require an internet connection at all times. Only once per every 7 days

Fantastic...thanks you for the clarity.

DJ - Now - Some of my projects will not open at all because the Talk servo is gone, I guess not free now

How can I open my work I have done without the talk servo function?

With embedded computers onboard robots like the Latte Panda or other SBC's that run Win 10 and therefore run ARC onboard, then only 2 robots could run on a single licenses? So for every two robots you need another license?

Can ARC and the license live on 4 or 5 computers, but only active on 2 at a time? I have other software that allows you to put on as many computers as you want, but only two active at a time, i.e a floating license. Just running through the limitations on a use case.

Hey Will,

Check out this page: https://synthiam.com/Support/Install/subscription-plans for a bit more info.

The answer to your question is yes, it's a floating license that you can actively manage (as you described). You just need to release the seat token from one computer or SBC when you want to add another.

Ok great thanks for the link.

DJ or Jeremie - Now - Some of my projects will not open at all because the Talk servo is gone, I guess not free now

How can I open my work I have done without the talk servo function?

Hello EzAng,

Simply click the "No, continue using ARC with limited functionality" button. This will allow you to continue to use your project without the talk servo skill.

When I click the "no" - none of my project appears

How can I open my work I have done without the talk servo function?

\

A zoom meeting would be nice :-)

EzAng

Well, farts!  I can't even get the free version to load and open because it says I need a token.  I want to try the free version of it now before to see how funky it is before buying it, lol. 

EzAng, how did you even get that far, LOL Huston, we've had a problem. LOL

go to ez -robot https://www.ez-robot.com/EZ-Builder/

Hmmm....interesting. Yes, it happens to me as well with my other account if I have the talk servo skill added to a project. I'll mention it to @DJ.

it says the talk servo is free in the apps

much of my work is gone

@JustinRatliff, let us know where you are seeing the prompt about the token. Are you opening an existing project or just starting from scratch? I'm assuming you have the new 2020.11.02.00 version.

I wish ARC stayed the way it was, and only "new features" had the subscription which would make cents :-) then we could have decided if we want the new features  to pay for (a grandfather reasoning)

How can I open my work I have done without the talk servo function? even though in the apps it says it is free

Hi @EzAng, for the time being, you can merge your old project into a new project and just don't select the talk servo skill when merging.

ok I will try that

@EzAng, redownload, and install ARC. @DJ made a new ARC version (same version number though).

ok thanks Jeremie

Well, i understand that everything costs money and i really appreciate all your work you all have done for us. So thanks for that guys

But, for now, i have one major problem: I dont own a credit card, and without getting something like Paypal or Skrill or anything else as a payment-option, all of my year-long work is now gone and useless, because i cannot pay for the subscription! For example, ive been working on my Rover-Robot for a few weeks now, and now i cannot even open my old project without having a subscription

It would be great if you offer more payment options, and if you would have gave us more time to "adapt" to your new business model, because i havent read anything about it before... it would also be great if you would offer your long-time-robot-developers some "welcome-discount" for the first year of subscription...

Btw, what about a "one-time" license? Like, you pay for the software including upgrades for 1 year, and if you want to get another year of support and upgrades, you can pay for another year?

So, please try to get more payment options, i really would like to support you and build my robot but now i am totally stuck

D.J. and team, I am happy that you have come up with a business model that keeps the business moving. I know you have been searching for that since the EZRobot/ARC split. I see this as a positive development. There will be some initial shock and perhaps rightfully so as some of the core features that were free move to pay. I guess one of your options could have been to not have a free version at all so we will have to keep that in mind.  You do have a good point about reasonable cost. I look at all of the money we put into these bots. $100 for fully supported software seems about right.

I'll have to process this and figure out what is and is not included now but once again, it is good to see movement at ARC.

Perry

Thanks Perry - and you'll have AIML 2 soon :D. I'm working on it this week

I downloaded the new version, it did not work

Hi @EzAng, looks like you downloaded the early access version that requires a Pro subscription.

oh no,  I thought you said do a new download?

Quote:

@EzAng, redownload, and install ARC. @DJ made a new ARC version (same version number though).

PTP's stuff does not work anymore - DarkNet YOlO  not working now

You have to download the correct one. Teams is the one you want because you don’t want to pay. If you wanted to pay us for our work, you could use the Early Access

Ptp said he’ll be updating his plugin soon

Thanks DJ

grandfather EzAng

There is a lot of positive discussion in regards to how we meet DJ and crew (who we all respect and appreciate their work) need for a business model, and our need for a hobbyist robot platform.

I am more than happy to support the platform and community but I believe the community needs to have input on their needs to make sure we are all aligned. (EzAng Suggested a Zoom Call)

Having input from the community is important, and I believe in hindsight there should have been an open discussion prior to an announcement versus the first hint of a pay per month model coming when our robots stopped working on Halloween.

I like Perry_S and dReadSolJah idea of a one time licence fee (perhaps community support only) for existing users. I believe this with a pay for an upgrade model if we believe the next version provides value if we upgrade (additional features we need).

I struggle with the idea of a monthly fee as there is no guarantee this fee will not increase or that there will be additional features we need to justify the fee in future. If we invest our time developing on the platform we need some way to predict future costs.  If a monthly fee must be the model I would prefer if it was a SaaS based cloud model so I don't need to worry about scaling, security, hosting, backup, DR, upgrades, support etc.  This would however require some core app dev work and an update to the EZB / ESP / microcontroller code so they auto connect to the SaaS environment. This would also be extremely valuable to enterprise customers (especially if you provided a secure connection with Tokens and SSL/TLS etc).

I fully support paying community members for plugins, but it is important that community members also get the money or at least a % of the money. a bit like Apple App Store.

I can confirm this process is OK, bought a subscription, it activated quickly (upon download), downloaded the Early Access versions which detected a license and activated itself. The activation is tied to my forum account as opposed to some sort of software key that must be entered. Works as it always has for me now although I have not tried too many functions.

Glad you are working on the AIML2 program D.J. Better be, your dealing with paying customers now and we are always right (whip cracking noise) xDxDxD

I myself would preferred a one time licensed program. Like when you buy your fav software in a store , it comes on a CD, and has the license key that you must enter in during the install. Then its a full complete package good forever. When an uprade is available, you buy that one with its license and install it over the old one, etc... and of course with a fully complete detailed users manual.

I might add that the auto renew function is not appropriate. It is a chachki for bad services that make most of their money from people that are too busy to cancel services. This is my first substantive feedback. Good place to differentiate yourselves as good guys. I would remove the auto renew.

Perry

Good news about our auto renew is you get a few emails 30 days before the renewal letting you know. We'll make sure there's notice - rather than being sneaky and billing without letting you know ahead of time

I've given you guys a free software program for years - no reason to start trying to rip you off now haha

So far so good as far as I am concerned. I will add that to some extent I do not feel like I have been getting this software for free to some respect. The original EZRobot software which was very good was something that came along with the EZRobot controller that I bought from your company. I did not buy a controller with no software so please be sensitive to your user base on that point. While you may see it as free software, all of us on this forum that you speak to came about by paying money to use it via buying a EZRobot controller. Nobody here has received free software from our standpoint since some amount of our money is already in your pocket. :).

Cheers

Perry_S is right. I, for myself, bought an EZ-Robot JD for around 500 euros 2 years ago. I wouldnt even consider starting to program a Robot, if there wouldnt be a sofware available. And my thoughts on starting with robotics would be different, if I had to buy the robot AND the software seperat.

But, as mentioned before, I am willing to support you as far as i can, but I would need a valid payment option like Paypal, because creditcard-payment isnt very common here in europe/austria. Please let me know of your plans, or if there is another option to pay you, because in the mean time i am not able to continue with my work

dReadSolJah

i need a paypal too . for payment solution.

Hey guys, I just wanted to mention that we also have Apple Pay, Microsoft Pay, and Google Pay as options as well.

hi jeremie

i have none off these .but i found a video on how to pay with google.

Hi Nomad,

On payment page where it is asking for Card Number click the second button that says 'Proceed to Payment'. This will take you to a new page. If you have already setup your Google Pay (Android phone) or Apple Pay (iPhone) you will see a button at the top of the page that you can click to pay.

Visit this page for more details on Google Pay: https://pay.google.com/intl/en_ca/about/learn/ Visit this page for how to use Paypal with Google Pay: https://pay.google.com/about/paypal/

Visit this page for Apple Pay: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204506

hi admin

ARC synthiam doesn show up in google pay. on my pc . i do not wish to pay with my phone ,consider the , hacking is a regular problem here . any other ideas i can try?

Hi Nomad,

There is a way for you to use Google Pay on your PC using Chrome Browser.

0 - Make sure you are using Chrome browser and you are logged in to your google account inside Chrome (top right corner of browser window there is a little circle that shows your avatar) 1 - Add a payment method to your google account here: https://pay.google.com/#paymentMethods 2 - In our checkout page where it asks for your card information select the second button that says 'Proceed to Payment' 3 - A new page opens where you can use Google Pay to complete the checkout:

amin

noppe it doesn show up . and its in there on google.

I see. Is there any other payment method you can add to your google pay account besides PayPal ?

amin

i have only paypal i can use . i will send a mail to google ,maybe somethin come up.

thanks

No need to contact google Nomad. I believe PayPal with google pay does not work with our payment processor. We are looking into other payment options like directly from a bank account. Stay tuned.

amin

great thank you .

Hi Jeremie, did you ask DJ

Quote:

from Jeremie - Hmmm....interesting. Yes, it happens to me as well with my other account if I have the talk servo skill added to a project. I'll mention it to @DJ.

EzAng

Well, I guess I won't be working on my robots for a while.  15% pay cut due to Covid, and no raises or bonuses this year, and I already haven't been doing enough to justify the cost of replacing all my dead Lipo batteries.  I certainly can't do $9/month or even the discounted yearly for something I am not using regularly.

Hope to be back at it this winter.

That being said, I hope this goes well for you and the team DJ.  I knew you were going to need to monetize Synthiam at some point, and although I see the point of some who are complaining that they bought hardware that had a promise of free software along with it, that could not last when the company split in two, and I do plan to subscribe when my salary is restored this winter.

I do think a little more lead time notice, and maybe a reduced rate for the first year for long time users would have eased the pain some.  There have been several companies lately that have been badly burned in the tech press for doing this exact thing.  IFTTT and one of the home automation companies (Truvia I think?) - imposing a new few on a formerly free product and either reducing the features of the free tier or not having a free tier at all.   i don't think Synthiam is big enough yet to get noticed by that kind of press, but this trend is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the maker community.

Alan

Thanks Alan - sorry to hear about your job. The alternative to a payment system is to shut down the company and ARC stops working. I hope your employment situation improves and you can return to building robots with us

DJ,

No worries on the job front.  Salary will be restored later this month, just been a tight summer (although no raises or bonuses in the company this year, so will take a while to fully recover).

I totally understand that you needed to find a way to make money for this work and that whatever you got paid for EZ-Robot wasn't going to last forever.

I'll still participate in the community in the mean time.

Just had another thought.  For occasional users who can't justify $9/month.  How about a usage based micro-payment with a monthly cap.  Say, 50 cents an hour that the software is connected, and if it exceeds $9 it converts to monthly for that month. Might be a way to get new free tier users to try the advanced features and keep the money flowing in......

Alan

That's great feedback - thanks for sharing. We'll consider evaluating something like that in the future

dj

is it possible to pay with paypal ,and use one off yours mail adres for collecting the amount?

I wish we could, nomad. PayPal doesn’t offer a service that our licensing system can use. PayPal surprisingly has a bunch of software limitations. We originally attempted to integrate with PayPal but had to disable it because it doesn’t work correctly. We’re surprised as any of you are. Wish there was something more I could do to help you

dj

ok. i can ask for a second bank card .put the amount on there and use that to pay. question .i see a sign next your name says pro member .for me the ( pro ) is to much . ive rather see just ( member ) for me .xD

Ha well pro is the subscription and with the robots you’ve built, don’t downplay yourself. I believe you’ve come along way and deserve the title. There isn’t a single robot on here that I’m not impressed with. Watching everyone’s creativity and devotion to building robots is remarkable. That being said, if it wasn’t for people like you and the others, I would have closed Synthiam and took a teaching job instead. The shock of paying a small fee for the software is being accepted - it’s going to mean even greater things for the software.

I have a lot of plans that you’ll all benefit from. Stay tuned

Nomad

Quote:

ok. i can ask for a second bank card .put the amount on there and use that to pay.

Check https://www.paypal-prepaid.com/

Alan

hi thetechguru

nice find ,but not in europe . it doesn login . and my town has only 4 digits .you need 5 .

thanks

Put a zero at the front?

PayPal prepaid is not supported in Belgium it seems. But like Nomad said ordering a prepaid card from the bank is possible to use for payments.

hi amin

it seems the only solution for belgium .credit card cost 7.50 euro per month . where is donald trump when you need him xD.

I subscribed to the ARC platform so I could continue to use the Plugins I need but I am not sure if this will solve the revenue challenge.  I assume running Synthiam (Building lease, Utilities, Salaries, Research and Dev etc) would be in the region of 300K to 500K CAD annually so we would need to have 3000+ subscribers to make this model viable.

Obviously the win comes when Synthiam can land a commercial account. I work with a lot of Canadian startups who are all in the same position. They all have cool tech but unless they have a complete end to end solution that is robust, secure and backed by a large company then they will not get past a Proof of Concept (PoC).  I love Synthiam's vision: companies in retail, mining, agriculture etc will use Synthiam to control their robots. Unfortunately until they have a complete solution (Robot + Software + Services) like EZ-Robot had, I am not sure Synthiam will get a lot of traction.

I believe Synthiam should focus on their strengths and sell the development of PoC's for future products. All large companies have R&D/Innovation labs and their goal is to build the next XYZ to support their business.  The ideas are usually half baked and they need to build a (POC) to prove them. Example a retailers R&D lab will say we want to do shelf compliance, make sure the products are in stock and where they should be and the Electronic Shelf Labels are in front of that product and they are working.  They will look at the commercial offerings and do a PoC. If one doesn't exist that meets their needs they will need to build a prototype and do the PoC. This seems like a huge research and development project. You have to  build a robot that can run around the store, know exactly where it is, use visual recognition to identify products, check that against a 3D planogram you also have to create using SLAM,  check the shelf label is in front of the product and the correct price details are displayed.  In reality with ARC it is only a 2 to 3 week project.

Developing robotics PoC for industry is where I believe Synthiam will add the greatest value. In a few weeks you can get a prototype running with ARC to control and do just about anything. This is what ARC was designed for.  Synthiam may only receive 30K to 50K per PoC but this should be enough to keep the lights on and there is additional opportunity if the PoC is successful to work in partnership with another Robotics Hardware or IT company to build out a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) and then licence ARC as part of the final solution.

You guys have no idea how happy it makes me to see more and more pro member badges popping up in the community! Pumped!

That is great news DJ, I didn't realize you have so many users who have subscribed. If you can get to a sustainable business model through subscription ignore my post.

In regards to PoC I didn't mean PoC hardware, I mean solve real world customer problems that will require a combination of hardware, software and services. Think Synthiam Labs that uses Synthiam software (ARC, Exoshpere), Synthiam Services (You, Jeremie, Amin, Valentin and community members as required) and select the hardware required that meets the current use case. This maybe 3rd party robotics, off the shelf components or custom solution.

I would probably start by putting together a service offering (describe in a 1 page brief with a link to a video showcasing your work). I would then reach out to the innovation lead at large enterprises (Type Innovation as search in Linkedin). Offer free Synthiam Lab workshops to brain storm ideas for Robotics. You could either do in person (Covid willing) since you have the space or you can do virtual, especially with Exosphere. Automating physical tasks through robotics is becoming a hot topic. Everyone was caught off guard when Covid hit as people were not able to come to work. I would take an industry approach and focus on an industry that you are most familiar with or where robots would have the greatest impact and then add additional industries over time.

Well interesting, I have been gone from the robot world for a few months so all this info about subscription hitting me all at once. I came back here to check on modifying the Roomba robots as, I bought 1 broken last winter and just purchased the new  Irobot Create 2 which is a cheaper version of the roomba vacuum 600 series.Is hackable model with none of the actual brushes but instead has the mother board exposed with USB to any laptop/PC or microcomputers arduinos etc...free software to fully hack the Irobot sensors and fully custom programmed commands just like what we do with EZB controllers. Only I want to use my EZB-v4 + Latte panda mini computer all on board the roomba to add even more functions from the synthiam software. So is it really a hundred dollars to upgrade all the synthiam software and what if I just keep using my older synthiam software,will all my old Terminator command programs still work? I am willing to pay but a hundred seems too much all at once,is there any way to split up the costs?

EDIT---  OK nevermind that last question I can still easily pay for the monthly subscription, no worries.

Do you know what I get tired with,  Canadian companies ripping off Canadians,  everything mentioned here is based on U.S dollars the monthly just an example the premium support is $14.99 U.S. Dollars   for Canadians that is $19.51 Canadian Way to expensive.  I know as a Canadian trying to make ends meet during the corvid crisis.  since everything is imported into canada, an I do mean everything. I am barely hanging on.  Winter is almost here, think higher heating costs, clothing electricity, shipping.     The only fun during this dark times was Robotics, now what.   I think Synthiam has to address this.

I hear you man, Canada sux during this covid bull. Many of us lost jobs and then suddenly covid restrictions from the loving government made me lose my summer Motor home ,then my winter usual cheap motel spots all suddenly stopped charging the cheap winter rate for regular Canadians but the government took them all over to continue housing all the influx of new immigrants. S.O.L. for me, now forced to pay triple rents in the most expensive city in Ontario since that was all I could find as my brother was already there.Still will not give up my robot hobby,love the EZB and synthiam software,greatest in the world ,will support them to continue making amazing synthiam plug-ins, those guys like DJ ,Jer and the team always answer questions quickly and are like my virtual bro's of the internet! Hopefully loving government does not shut down our internets too,you never know,peace!cool

robo rad  if you have to choose between eating or freezing or robots I think you would choose eating and freezing before robotics.  Synthiam should take Canadian funds at par.  or wait until the pandemic is over before implementing all this.  I now have to go onto the english inmoov site and tell them not to use ARC and stay with their arduino and "my robotlabs software", and tell them I  am sorry for having suggested synthiam.

@Nallycat The pandemic is affecting us all, not just as individuals but businesses as well. The ARC software is still perfect for inMoovs, that doesn’t change, but everyone’s individual situation may be different at this moment in time when it comes to what they can/can’t financially support.

Jeremie  I don't think Synthiam is not being affected by the pandemic and I believe they deserve all the rewards for all their hard work has to offer.  what I said I got very annoyed when a Canadian company treats Canadians like americans, a dollar is the same to americans as it is for canadians, Synthiam has to  burden the costs the same as other canadians.  but they can say ha ha we have away around this by charging U.S. money, Canadians are to small a group to bother with.  and because synthiam will only take a small loss and they should take Canadian money at par.

@nallycat, I feel your pain brother. I'm sorry you are so close to financial collapse. It's sad that you have had to stop doing much of what you have loved in the past. I understand what you're saying but the issue is bigger then you in Canada or me in the US. Your suggested cure would do little to help your plight and only spread discontent among Synthiam's customer base and add to the financial problems of this company.

I really don't want to give an economics lesson or to preach to you but..... Synthaim is part of a global economy and sells their product all over the world. Every country they sell to has a different exchange rate. Some more then Canada, some less. Added to that that Synthaim is not a charity organization. They need to obey the laws, pay taxes, pay operating costs and meet payroll. They need to operate and try to make a profit so they can invest that profit back into the company and it's employees. It's not corporate greed or a personal thing towards Canadians.

So I ask; You want canadian pricing to be at Par. At Par to what? Do you want to keep the prices set by Synthiam at the US pricing and make that the Par at the Canadian dollar level? From what you are saying, it sounds like you want to keep pricing at the US dollar rate and give Canadians this price flat across and ignore the exchange % rate (whatever it should be at any given time) . Great for you but this would force Synthiam to subsidize your robot fun out of their pocket. Being a business trying to survive (like the rest of us) why would they do that even if they could? Your only real choice is to vote with your wallet and either buy their product or not spend money with them. Synthiam could base all their prices on the Canadian dollar and that would take away the base of your augment completely. Then the only decision you would have is if you could afford the cost or not. Sounds like in the end that is you only real option anyway.

That's the cold business end of it.

On the moral and emotional side;

Why should Synthiam give Canadians a break and say screw the rest of the world. I'm sorry that your government is incapable of  bringing the Canadian dollar more in line with the global exchange rate. However, because you guys elect inept government officials that have policies that damage the currency, why should you get a price cut and not the rest of us? Many people all over the world have invested and bought EZ Rob*t products for years and helped get them to where they are today. If you guys in Canada think you deserve a price cut than all of us should also get a break based on the current exchange rate. So, form my point of view, based on your way of thinking, take this example; People over in Europe pay .18% less than the USA based on the Euro/US exchange rate. The buyers in the USA should get a .18% price discount because many more people in the USA have bought and supported EZ Rob#t over the years. People in the US are getting screwed by Synthiam because the exchange rate favors them. Synthiam should level the pricing playfield for everyone because the whole world is getting screwed.

As far as this little temper tantrum of yours:

Quote:

I now have to go onto the english inmoov site and tell them not to use ARC and stay with their arduino and "my robotlabs software", and tell them I am sorry for having suggested synthiam.

I truly hope you find better times old friend. I'm going to miss seeing your posts here. Good luck in following your dreams. Try not to freeze to death this winter. It would be horrible to find you frozen and stuck to a tree out in the woods at the end of winter.

Dave I thought more highly of you.  but your response was not funny.   I am not giving up robotics, but what I am pissed off at is a Canadian company, rips off Canadian members.  do you think every time we go to the store, we say how much will that be in american dollars.  of course not.  but it might as well be. everything here is based on the G dam american dollar.  funny though american PBS membership is at par with Canadian dollars. american online auctions take Canadian dollars at par.  and when I could shop across the border quite a few stores took Canadian dollars at par.  We get ripped off  by a Canadian Company go fig  and Dave if you pay $8.99 I want to pay $8.99  I don't want to see U.S funds at the end of their Canadian G Dam adds.   and Dave you prob will be wearing shorts on your high horse in Florida in December.  eating cheap foods, the only expense you have will be going golfing. rough life. no heating bills I bet.  cheap gas and electrical.    and Dave don't make jokes about freezing to death, I almost died in 1984 slid off the Highway in a snow storm spent 8 hours and the engine block froze and cracked -24 deg cell.  I was found barely breathing with hyperthermia and and spent 5 weeks in the hospital.  so that was not funny,

@nallycat, I wasn't trying to be funny. Sorry I busted your bubble about your view of me. I think I simply stated the facts as they are and not as we want to see them.

As far as freezing to death I spent 38 years working out in the Wisconsin winters as a lineman keeping the power flowing so people wouldn't freeze to death. I'd get called out to work in below zero weather and snow storms at all hours of the night and holidays to restring power wires and replace poles. I'm intimately familiar with the concept of freezing and frostbite. I've come very close to losing fingers and toes several times. Also like you I've been stuck in a cold situation that I came close to death. I don't let it cloud my outlook in reality. Sometimes we need to laugh at the things that tried to kill us and learn not to do it again.

Quote:

You prob will be wearing shorts on your high horse in Florida in December. eating cheap foods, the only expense you have will be going golfing. rough life. no heating bills I bet. cheap gas and electrical.

So you see old friend, you're trying to put down the wrong guy. Only difference between you and I is that I see the reality and who is to blame. I'd suggest you start by electing gov officials that would cut canadian regulations and make it easier for your companies to compete, do business and make money and employ people with a livable wage. If you want to pay US dollars, have no heating bills, cheap gas and electrical then move to the US and to deep southern Florida. BTW, my electric bill here was $350 USD last month for a 2000 sf home.

It is 20 degrees Celsius in Toronto Canada today (68 Fahrenheit).  I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

hi dave

seeing you vids from B9 , i would never gess it that your really strong man .

hey nallycat

is it possible you had a bad week? and this was the last straw? there is stil a free version off ARC .and you never know what the future brings for you.

Sure - rub it in Nink! We've been hit with a pretty big cold front... Don't worry, we'll be sending it your way soon

As for the topic of currency - it is a tough one and we dealt with it A LOT at ezrobot. But it's not fair to blame the company because we're at mercy of the retail software. In this case, Stripe. There's no easy way to have multiple currencies. We can display the amount in a currency, but can't actually charge different currencies easily. Also, if you think Stripe is bad - wait till you see what we had to deal with PayPal ugh.

What we have may not be perfect, but it's darn near close enough! And with the positive response from so many people who subscribed, it makes my heart warm to know we have so many supporters. The most interesting thing i find is how many people don't post - or - most likely don't even visit the forum at all. Remember, Synthiam has almost 40,000 users! We're approaching 3 million robot connections - wow

PS, i moved the community robot discussion here: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/Community-combined-robot-build-19949

Hey Ya Nink me too in Oakville all my Millionaire Neighbors are driving around still in their BMW's and Lamborgini's wearing shorts and T-shirts,LOL! I just went out in my old Fiero GT to get groceries(Trying to blend in LOL!) and it will be nice the next 2 days still. Hey Dave your statement reminds me of the Classic Conan movie "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" of course I'm a Terminator Fan so I also enjoy the classic Arnold Conan movies too.:D

Sorry about taking the thread off the tracks. Sometimes I just can't keep my mouth shut.

Firstly, I am thankful DJ Sures for your passion, expertise & overall input into my world. I've been around for a bit, since the early days when updates came daily and odd things broke unexpectedly. I appreciated your amazing efforts at implementing our individual requests at short notice. I thought it an amazing privilege to be mentioned in your posts and even more on occasion to have your personal attention.

I have been connected to the community since June 2012 and strongly supported the project but have not been very vocal in recent years as my focus has been more about enabling the next generation of robot builders. I have only given limited attention to the community, but noticed the upgrades in product and delivery but also realised that monetization of your work after the many years of development would become an eventuality.

Today I began recharging our minions ready for the final fun part of the school year - the term 4 home straight. The students were excited, knowing what's coming and decided to help with the software update. It's been our senior student focus in the final months of the year for quite a while now.

You see I have 15 little robots for my students in our small NZ school and a couple for myself at home to keep myself upskilled and just ahead of the students. It took me quite a bit of effort to get the boards into the country as our exchange rate was triple at the time, not forgetting to include the frightful freight and import duties to this part of the world. Overall it was an expensive little venture. Parents helped me cobbled together our small herd of bots over several nights.

I now have a problem. My teaching programme for the final term of the year revolves around EZ-Robot.... My students all sit in different seats each week, use different bots, and use different devices to work with their bots. Most have or are experimenting with different plugins. I've even had them talking to one another via MQTT.

What do I do now? I cannot now use our robots. The subscription fee is completely prohibitive for my small school and the budget was spent last month/ No more funds will March next year.

While I can understand that any future purchasers of boards should expect to have to pay for software on a subscription basis as is the trending model, to introduce this to existing well established and entrenched users leaves me at a loss. I clearly understood the hardware came bundled with software and that updates would not be forever but I am now hamstrung. I cannot go forward or backward it seems!

• Tameion

Tameion, you can continue to use the free version with the ezrobot projects. There’s a few limitations but it won’t affect the provided curriculum :). Talk with ezrobot as well, as they’re your product supplier and have access to work with you on bulk licensing IF that’s even required.

The only limitations to the free software is adding third party plugins and high number of speech recognition, etc.. The basic ezrobot features work under the free version. The third party plugins only require subscription - as they’re third party and it requires out software development efforts.

Not to dismiss the half a million lines of code that makes the free version run haha. But we’re considering that to be ezrobot legacy usage, so ill absorb that maintenance cost internally. The add-on third party plugins is where most of the development effort resides.

Hmmmm so I thought someone mentioned paying with PayPal.but the monthly Pro price said only debit or credit,no Paypal option to be found?

robo rad

there is no paypal for the pro year membership .

I tried for the monthly Pro subscription, What does it mean by debit card,can I just try with what I have a bank card?

a good excample of a credit card is visa . they have numbers or letters on the back of the card . thats what you need . sometimes you see CVC too.

Ya guess I'm out of luck no credit cards just paypal and bank debit,there is no cvc number on back.

A debit card is linked to an account at your bank like a checking account. When used the money comes right out of that account.  It's a pretty secure way to pay for stuff like gas and groceries. Here in the US the debit card issuer usually guarantees your account for 30 days if someone gets your number and cleans out your checking account. A credit card is more secure for online and casual buying (if it has this protection). A good CC company will watch for fraud and try to stop it if you don't notice it first. Also there is no temporary money out of your pocket if it does happen and it's caught like would happen if your checking account is hit.

robo rad /hi dave

i too have a debet card and paypal . my papers for a credit card are in the mail .

Boy - wish there was a way we could work with PayPal. Ugh

hi dj

just order another card . problem solved.

Nice - that'll work :). Maybe PayPal will add the support that we'll need. It does say their subscription service is new and still beign developed. So i'm sure we'll see some additional features someday

So I don't know why my bank debit card has no cv number on the back but would a bank card even work or is it only credit cards that work? I can try calling the internet bank and see if they can give me a cv number to use?

A bank card should work - it's strange that it doesn't. My debit card has a CV number on the back. I thought they all did. The bank should be able to answer that question of why you don't have one. I think the CV is extra security and it'll be good to get one no matter what

robo rad

i think a debit card is mostly local.it also depent on howmuch money you have in your account. also howmuch each month comming in . excample if an acount gets montly 100 dollar , the person will not get a master card . you can ask your bank for a credit card .here in belgium the first year is free .

Ya DJ, will give them a call in the morning,I just use the tap feature mostly so never needed that number before and your system does take a photo of my card so it is weird they also ask for cv#.I got the basic ARC for now,see if I can do anything with the new Roomba.

Post a Bitcoin address

No offense but how are you guys paying for anything. Unless it is way different in Canada vs. the US.

-You must have a bank account or something to hold you money. You had to have one to join Paypal, right? -Your bank issues you a debit card with your checking account that is linked to your account and accepted just like a credit card. Mine has a Visa logo on it, others will have a Mastercard logo. -You use a debit card just like a credit card -There is no $100 limit, or any limit as long as you have the money in the bank. -I used my debit card to pay for the software -If you don't have a CCV number on the back call your bank and they will provide it.  -Don't waste time or money getting a dedicated preloaded card just for this. It is a waste as there are fees involved

If you don't mind me asking what are you guys using at the store or gas pumps that only work when you slide a card into them? Not trying to be critical and just providing some info here but this is like money 101 stuff. There's no way it can be this hard.

My bank card does everything else like Tap ,slide,Interac, no problems and I used it to get paypal verified did not need no stinkin CV# so that has me baffled but ya I can likely get that 3 digit number if I ask them.

You're going to want that robo rad. I can't even order a pizza locally without the CCV. Cards without them are begging to be hacked.

Oh for sure,if they cant look up the CV# over the phone I will demand a new card to be sent to me.

hi perry

they dont tell you this at the bank . i didn know .i can use my card in belgium,holland and germany . averythin els is paypal.but as you say its better to have a ccv. i cant order pro ARC now . few weeks till i have the card.

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Cards without them are begging to be hacked.

Cards without CCV, are basically debit cards and they can only be used in ATM machines (w/PIN) can't be used in online/offline transactions.

For me it was a relief to carry only debit cards when going out at night. If it's stolen or cloned can't be used without a PIN.

I've an USA debit card with chip and CCV, and the security is a joke. I go to fast foods restaurants and they pass my card without using the chip or the CCV. At least 3, 4 times I had my cards cloned and used. I've requested the bank to enforce the chip / pin and they said for business convenience payments under $100 can go through. So where is (my) security ?

My solution: When I don't trust the place I pay with money and after returning from vacations, I'll ask for debit card replacement.

I understand a lot of us are credit card challenged and don't have or want to use credit cards on line. There are a lot of other options to accept payment.

• Robo Rad you should be able to just etransfer money to Synthiam since you are both in Canada?
• DJ it takes about 5 minutes to apply for a paypal account, why don't you accept PayPal?
• Anyone can accept Crypto currency all you need is to download a wallet. Why not accept Bitcoin?

I realize this maybe a manual option for Synthiam but if Synthiam offered it as a one time annual option to use other payments it would make life a lot easier for everyone.

So I am curious why only a credit card can be used with an automatic renewal?  The other obvious question is, will Synthiam subscription be like the hotel California ... ?

FYI I went into change payment details and I received an error ?

Many think Bitcoin is a false currency not backed by a government controlling a continent.

Many don't trust PayPal to fairly represent the interest of the vendors.

Credit cards are a proven and safe way to preform transactions.

A small business working on a razor's edge of profit and loss can't afford to bet on anything else then proven exchange.

Ooops! Nink I’ll get on that tomorrow. Been working all day and night in a new release. Make Dave happy fingers crossed it works

Hi Dave,

1. I pay taxes to the Canadian Government on Bitcoin sales every year. If it is not legitimate, should I stop paying 25% capital gains tax?
2. Paypal is a central payment organization so we don't have to trust every website with our credit card details!
3. As for credit card fraud, let facts speak for themselves. (source https://www.creditcardinsider.com/blog/2020-fraud-and-identity-theft-analysis/ )

1. I'm no expert but I  have us dollars in my wallet and back accounts. Wouldn't even know know how to exchange them or who would exchange them for bitcoin.  You got me there. Lol.

2. I use PayPal all the time but many people get burned when selling stuff and don't feel safe. Its the company's choice if they feel like the risk is worth while.

3. I've had 3 credit cards shut down my accounts over the past year because  of Freud and issue me a new number and card because scum has hacked my numbers. I never lost a penny. Whose fault is that? The card issuer or the scum bags that stole my numbers?

I understand your points and fears but in the end it's the company's decision on how much it can afford to expose it's self to fraud and loss.

Dave - 3) I've had 3 credit cards shut down my accounts over the past year because of Freud

If you accidentally call Fraud Freud is that you subconsciously admitting you were the scammer?

I used to think a Freudian slip was saying one thing when you mean a mother.

Everyone needs to get a handle on Digital currencies like bitcoin very soon.  The G7 countries published their plans for Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) last month and now the IMF, World Bank and G20 have signed up to collaborate  https://www.coindesk.com/imf-world-bank-g7-countries-to-create-central-bank-digital-currency-rules

@perry, love it!

@DJ, thanks for the sleepless night of work for us. I like being happy. Looking forward to seeing what you have come up with.