thetechguru

One Day Deal On Neato Robot Vacuum

Not sure if this is a great deal, but I know some users have hacked the Neato vacuums for the Lidar sensor. https://meh.com/ has a one day sale on a refurbished Neato XV-21 Vacuum for $140. Alan

Another Small Windows Pc For Embedded Computing

Just saw a review for another small computer that look pretty good for embedding in a robot. Currently available for ~$100 US. MakeUseOf.com is doing a giveaway too: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/voyo-v2-windows-10-mini-pc-review-and-giveaway/ Alan

Question With Forum Web Page On Mobile

DJ I tried to post a new thread from Chrome on Android, and the thread type drop down is not working. I had to go to laptop in order to post a new thread. Alan

Recommendations For Multi-Meter?

The battery in my old Radio Shack multimeter corroded and even though I cleaned it up, it is dead. (of course, I need to check continuity on the bus fuses on my furnace that died on the coldest night so far this year, so great timing). If money were no object, I would buy a Fluke, but I rarely use it, so looking for something under $30. Does anyone...

Nice Little Write-Up In Makezine Today

http://makezine.com/2017/01/31/ez-robot/ I can't view the video while at work, but the article is a nice short history of EZ-Robot. Alan

New Ezmqtt Broker And Client Plugins

Thanks for these DJ. I am looking forward to trying them out. I can think of dozens of uses.... Alan

Editor For Http Server (Custom)?

@DJ Sures (or anyone else who has a good suggestion) I am trying to create a custom web page, and none of the free WYSIWYG HTML editors I tried will properly render the AJAX buttons. I don't mind paying something (although not a lot) for an editor that will work if there isn't a free one, but I don't want to buy without KNOWING that it will work....

Feature Request - Support Rtsp Video Stream

@DJ, If you have been following the recent threads on Foscam cameras, you may have seen that I am looking for a way to potentially get better performance from the Foscam's by using VLC or ffmpeg to transcode the H.264 RTSP stream to MJPEG in real time (rather than using the jpeg stream in EZ-Builder, which has a good bit of lag, so is not useful...

Ar Drone Sale At Brrokstone

I know the Parrot Drone 2 support is minimal and not really an EZ-R focus, and Parrot BeBop support is non existent, but since the topic has come up a lot, I though I would post that Brookstone is having a closeout sale on both the AR Drone and the BeBop 1. If you have been waiting for the price to come down, this may be the time to buy. Alan

New Option For Enhanced Speech Recognition

Google has just opened their speech API that powers Google now to developers, and at least for now it is free: http://www.speechtechblog.com/2016/03/23/google-opens-access-speech-api I haven't looked at the API yet to see what would be involved, but I imagine a plugin would not be out of the question. Alan

Interesting Article And Discussion Describing What Servos Are And How They Work

Saw this today on Hack-a-day. Nothing new to me, but it ties directly to a conversation I was having recently with @RR333 about using a DC motor and why I thought a servo better fit his needs. https://hackaday.com/2016/03/24/hackaday-dictionary-servo-motors/ Alan

Print(Txt) Script Function Does Not Work As Documented

The documentation for the script print function indicates that it should output to the debug window: However, it is only outputting to the script window, so if I have a print command in a script in script manager or other objects it outputs if that object has a display window, but not if it doesn't (I discovered this while testing a custom...

Getting Everyone To Take Tutorials

In a recent thread, DJ mentioned that only about 1% of users don't take the tutorials and asked how we can get that number near 0% (and we have seen some users say they took them but didn't mark them as complete, so the number may be even smaller, although I am never sure I believe that statement based on the questions that usually accompany the...

Great Deals From Brookstone

While supplies last, in addition to the BOGO deal, and regular internet discounts and/or free shipping coupon codes, they are also including extra stuff in orders if you order uneven numbers. The BOGO deal is mix and match, but they have already packaged things in packs of two. I ordered 3 rotation and 5 lever servos. I got 4 rotation and 6 levers...

Common Questions For Reporting Questions

I just created some trouble reporting forms to use with the call center agents at work when they report problems to my team because we always need to go back to them and ask questions to clarify what the issue is. I see the same thing happen here all the time where someone will write a post tjat "x doesn't work" or "y crashes" and we always need...

Part Suggestion

I find that , particularly with the new thicker battery charger, it is awkward to get the plug from the battery into the charger without putting the robot into an awkward position. Especially with my Roli where it needs to be on its side or back resting on its arms. I would like to see a short extension cable (maybe 6 inches) to go between the...

Suggestion For Revolution Tutorials

Just a quick suggestion. I think the Servo Calibration instructions should come before the assembly instructions in the tutorials. I just got a new Six from Brookstone, and because I have some experience, I calibrated the servos before starting assembly. It is a good thing because one of them was off by 90 degrees (and most were off by one or two...

Question About Adventurebot Sample Project

@DJ Sures I just added an AdventureBot to my collection, and I downloaded the sample app. Is there a particular reason you used the Auto Position Movement Panel instead of the Continuous Servo Movement Panel? It works fine, I am just trying to understand if there was some benefit, or was it just to show it can be done? Thanks Alan

Feature Requests - Servo Profiles

I suspect this is already on the todo list, but..... Could we get a script command to load a named servo profile on project start (or a function to always load the same profile for a given project)? Alternately, or perhaps in addition, can we add the ability to specify a servo profile in the shortcut builder? I have built a short-cut to my Roli...

Acer W3-810 And Windows 10

Since a lot of us use the Acer W3 for our robots, I thought I should post this: If you check compatibility from the Windows 10 reservation tool, it will tell you there is not a compatible driver for the video, but I did some research and the video doesn't need a driver. You can download the media creation tool from here:...

Camera Recording

@DJ Sures I can't find the thread from a couple of months ago to ask for an update there, but is there any update on the camera recording bug? ARC has been unable to record video for the past several releases. I would really like to be able to use this feature again. Thanks Alan

Nice Little Wifi Router For Robotics, Amazon Gold Box Deal Today

Due to the DHCP issue described here I set up my home network with a second WiFi router plugged into my primary router but using it's own SSID and a separate subnet that is only used by my robots. I found a nifty and inexpensive little TP-Link router that can run in multiple modes, and it is on sale for just $12.99 on Amazon today:...

Question About Mixing Order And Pre-Order Items And Shipping Costs

I am putting together an order of some items currently available (batteries, maybe a couple of servos) and some items that are on pre-order (new sensors, maybe an adventure bot), as well as pulling together a group by for US customers who only want a couple of small items in order to save on shipping costs. Will the entire order be held until the...

A Solution To Roli Wheel Slip

Several of us have mentioned that Roli's drive wheels sometimes slip, particularly when turning on carpet or other difficult terrain. I found an easy solution. I was shopping in the electrical department of Home Depot today and came across 3M 3/4" Friction Tape. It is a cloth tape designed to keep electrical cables from slipping around. I took off...

Bug Report - Sound Servo Ezb Log Error (And Joystick Log Error)

I have been working on an example of using Sound Server EZB and script to blink an LED when my robot talks. Every time the Sound Servo EZB object does anything or I interact with it, the debug log shows this error over and over again: 1/18/2015 8:54 AM - Sound Servo Error: Object is currently in use elsewhere. 1/18/2015 8:54 AM - Sound Servo Error:...

Roli Wheel Keeps Falling Off

The right front wheel of my Roli keeps falling off. I open up the wheel and the e-clip has fallen off the axle. I push it back on, but it is not very tight, and keeps falling off. It now doesn't stay on at all. I think it would be better to replace with the metal collar and set screw like the outside of the wheel, but I don't know what to search...

Which Wireless Joystick?

I know in the early days of the v3 DJ recommended the Logitech Gamepad F710, but I have also seen a lot of people using the Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless Joystick for windows. Does anyone have any recommendations of one over the other or something different, and why? I am going to be ordering one soon (got an Amazon gift card for Hanukkah). The...

Script Help - Give Key Control Foreground

I have a "Key Control" in my project to provide shortcuts to numerous actions and scripts. Upon connection, I would like to give the "Key Control" focus so that I can control the robot from a BT keyboard without necessarily seeing the computer or using a mouse to select the control the first time. I thought adding this line to my init script would...

Feature Request - Script Label In Desktop Interface

@DJ Sures Can we get the script label function that you have in the mobile interface in the desktop interface? I know I can use Variable Watcher to see all my variables, but I want to display just a couple of variables that I need ready access to on my main page (virtual desktop 1), and have variable watcher on virtual desktop 3. Thanks, Alan

Digital Servos?

In another thread, DJ said that to prevent the "jump" on power-up of servos, we could use digital servos, and that in the new year EZ-Robots would be offering a line of digital servos with full motion range (apparently a limit on those available today). I have a couple of questions about these. I know digital servos can provide position feedback....

Roli H-Bridge Wired Backwards

After following the connection tutorial, my Roli was going backwards but turning in the right direction. After some tinkering and using the direction/correction charts in Rich's excellent l298n tutorial I determined that the wiring harness was connected backwards. Reversed the connection on all the wires except the powerband ground. So, to save...

Deal On Tiny Bt Joystick

I have no idea how well or even if this will work with EZ-Builder, but I ordered one to try since the price is right. If you are looking for a small hand-held remote for your EZ-Bot, Woot has a key-ring size Bluetooth joystick today for a decent price: http://electronics.woot.com/?ref=cnt_sb_el_1

Minor Installer Bug

@DJ Sures, here is one for your rainy day list. After I install EZ-Builder, either on Windows 7 or 8.1, I pin the app to the task bar. Every time I update to the latest version, the icon on the task bar turns to a blank white icon and when I click it I get an error message that the application has been moved or removed, and I need to unpin and...

Ez-Bits Needed To Add Ping Sensor To The Front Of Roli?

I want to add a ping sensor to the front of my Roli (when it arrives) and I am trying to figure out which EZ-Bits I need to order or have printed. I know I need a rotation servo bit, and the ping sensor shell, and I think with one extension cube I'll be able to properly position the servo and sensor so it can scan left and right. Is that the right...

Nice Introduction To Home Networking

As the first EZ-B4's shipped, there have been a lot of conversations about connecting to home networks and a good number of just general network questions. I came across a nice article today that gives a basic introduction to home networking that I think is a good start. It doesn't cover three of the critical items that will come up with EZ-B v4...

Feature Requests For Additional Support Of Ar Drone

I mentioned this in the release note thread where support for AR Drone 2.0 was announced, but I think @DJ might have missed it. Can you add the ability to specify the IP address of the AR Drone? With the latest firmware, it is now possible to have the AR Drone join an Infrastructure network rather than creating its own Ad-Hoc network, so if we can...

Will The New Camera Be Easy To Convert To Ir?

I have a USB night vision camera with IR illumination LEDs, but it is no longer supported by the vendor. It took unnatural acts to get it to work on Windows 7, and I can't get it to work at all on my new Windows 8.1 tablet. I really want my big robot to have night vision, but my budget is just about tapped out, so I don't want to buy another...

Questions About Developer Kit Contents

I would use the "contact us" page for this, except that I think others may have the same questions. At the time I placed my pre-order, the developers kit description included a Lipo battery and charger (which I thought at the time was very generous given the price), but did not include the plastic case for the EZ-B. Because the kit listed the...

Question About New Camera And Ez-B V4

Does the new camera have a microphone for sending speech commands back to the PC? I wouldn't expect it to be high quality enough for a lot of speech control, but maybe for a few well articulated commands, or even just letting the operator at the PC hear what the robot can hear (remote presence). Alan

Using The Bv4113 Without A Movement Panel?

When I purchased my EZ-B kit last year, I also bought the BV4113 H-Bridge that EZ-Robot was selling at the time. I now want to use it to control the wrist and grip motors in a robotic hand that I got in an equipment trade from Josh. I found a datasheet and sample code here http://doc.byvac.com/index.php5?title=Product_BV4113 that shows I should be...

Keep Your Multi-Meter Handy.

I just learned a lesson and thought I should share. If something doesn't work, check the voltage and continuity of the hookup wires before taking things apart. I traded a smartphone with Josh for a robot claw. When I started to work with the claw, I could not get it to work. I took it completely apart to test the motors, and they were fine. After...

Finally Really Starting On My Bot.

I saved all my discretionary income and was torn between buying a Nexus 7 when the 32gb version comes out or buying robot parts to get started on my real robot build (Boxbot has been fun, but not my ultimate goal). I decided to pull the trigger today and ordered a Sabertooth 2x25, some switching DC-DC converters to take the 24 volts from my...

Multiple Cameras?

Is there a technical reason why ARC can only support a single camera control? I have more than one camera, and I wanted to have different things happen depending on what the camera sees. ie. seeing a specific color or glyph, it would follow. Motion, it would track, but not get too close, and a face would start a whole different set of actions...

EZ-B Sold Out?

I see you are now sold out of Ez-B boards. When do you expect more in stock? Are you expecting more of the cameras too? Alan

An SDK Idea

I hope I didn't miss someone already discussing this. I would love to see for the SDK, rather than all of the EZ-B functions in my program, the ability to create my own controls for things that ARC and even EZ-B don't talk to today and add them to the ARC framework so they can be activated by scripts. This way I don't have to re-invent everything...