Author Topic: Evolution Robotics, ER1 Robot, and ERSP Thread. (Read 103622 times)

lupinoxp · « **Reply #30 on:** January 23, 2009, 05:55:25 AM »

Hello Tymtravler here was achieved something.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~coral/cmassist/

lupinoxp · « **Reply #31 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:36:21 AM »

Hello, some people are so 'kind to make available a copy of the ERSP software? Thank you

lupinoxp · « **Reply #32 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:44:14 AM »

Hello, here are the pictures of the new RCM 4.0

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #33 on:** January 29, 2009, 08:58:59 PM »

Interesting! What is the price for it?

lupinoxp · « **Reply #34 on:** January 30, 2009, 05:13:40 PM »

I asked Evolution Robotics if it could reopen the old forum and if they provide new software updates or sale of accessories for our ER1, their answer was this:
Hello Alessandro,
Thank you for your continued interest in Evolution Robotics and the ER1 robot. At this time there are no plans to resurrect the ER1 user forum as we discontinued the product several years ago. As the ER1 is discontinued there are no new software updates or applications. If you have any other questions please let me know
Thank you,

Kim Herzog
Evolution Robotics
[email protected]

SciTech02 · « **Reply #35 on:** January 30, 2009, 10:20:39 PM »

Quote from: lupinoxp on January 30, 2009, 05:13:40 PM

Hello Alessandro,
Thank you for your continued interest in Evolution Robotics and the ER1 robot. At this time there are no plans to resurrect the ER1 user forum as we discontinued the product several years ago. As the ER1 is discontinued there are no new software updates or applications. If you have any other questions please let me know
Thank you,

Kim Herzog
Evolution Robotics
[email protected]

This doesn't supprise me. When they "resurrected" the ER1 as the ER1-D, the company now wants you to use ERSP 3.0~3.1 (I think). They are not making any ER1 specific software programs or updates; hence, resurrecting the ER1 forums would be useless (so we have to use/modify the original software or create new software altogether).

Anyway, the pictures look good. An interesting observation is that DC motors are used instead of stepper motors and that hobby servo ports have been added. Inspeaking of hobby servos; can you control digital hobby servos using the digital I/O sockets on the original RCM? I have plans of adding a pan-and-tilt "head" to my ER1 and I wanted to use the digital I/O sockets to control it.

Tymtravler · « **Reply #36 on:** February 02, 2009, 12:01:44 PM »

Quote from: lupinoxp on January 29, 2009, 10:36:21 AM

Hello, some people are so 'kind to make available a copy of the ERSP software? Thank you

Love to get a copy too!
tymtravler

lupinoxp · « **Reply #37 on:** February 02, 2009, 06:24:04 PM »

Hello, I would like to know if there is a way to be able to recognize Gui ER1 Robot Control Center another program for speech recognition, because Microsoft Speech SDK 5.1 does not recognize the Italian language, for me this is a big problem, you have a way to change the Gui to use another Software?

Tymtravler · « **Reply #38 on:** February 06, 2009, 11:40:34 AM »

Quote from: lupinoxp on January 29, 2009, 10:36:21 AM

Hello, some people are so 'kind to make available a copy of the ERSP software? Thank you

hi
Tried getdropbox/shared/ER1 it said the file does not exists.

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #39 on:** February 08, 2009, 10:17:44 PM »

I managed to install XP on my motherboard for my ER1C robot. I didn't do anything with the robot yet, but I will try to see how SciTech02's code works. I also want to play with voice recognition and text to speech with it. Once the basics are covered, I plan on adding sensors (distance and compass) to add with orientation. Later on I'll add servos to move the camera.

I still need to buy a few parts for it, but I hope I can do that this week. I need speakers and a microphone (perhaps a wireless one?).

I tried to install ERSP but it asks for some .net and to uninstall the python sdk. Anyway, ERSP is overkill for me yet, so I'll just stick with python for now.

lupinoxp · « **Reply #40 on:** February 09, 2009, 02:16:17 AM »

Hello, if interested I made a version of Windows XP Professional very light with the addition of components Tablet, so you can put a touch screen on the robot.
I am using this webcam motorized:
http://www.rimaxit.com/ing/html/ficha_descripcion.asp?tipo_producto2=%3Fidfam%3D53&tipo_producto=53&id=334&Submit=go

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #41 on:** February 15, 2009, 07:04:20 AM »

I need help replacing the transformer in the ER1 charger. I have tried with several transformers I had around, burned a second transformer (was outputting too little current) and others don't output the proper voltage.

Can one of you take apart your charger (3 screws) and measure the alternative voltage on the transformer output before the rectifying diode bridge? It shoud be at least 14.4V, probably a little more...

Thank you in advance!

lupinoxp · « **Reply #42 on:** February 15, 2009, 01:58:03 PM »

Hello, I read:
OUTPUT: 12VDC 750mA
INPUT: 120VAC 60HZ 20W

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #43 on:** February 15, 2009, 03:53:49 PM »

Thanks Lupinoxp, but that is written on mine too.

Inside the charger there is a transformer and an electronic board. At the output of the electronic board we get 12V 750mA, but I need to know the voltage that goes at the input of that electronic board = the output of that transformer (the secondary coil). The primary coil of my original transformer has melted, so I need to replace the transformer with a similar one. But unfortunally it is not written on it the voltage it outputs...

So far I have replace it with a transformer that outputs 14.5V (I mean I plugged a transformer at the input of the electronic board of the charger), but the battery is on charge from yesterday about this time (almost 24 hours) and the LED is still orange instead of being green. The battery wasn't completly depleted, so it didn't need such a deep charge, that means the transformer doesn't have the proper voltage. I don't have a bigger transformer, so I need to buy the proper one.

Please help!

lupinoxp · « **Reply #44 on:** February 15, 2009, 04:48:02 PM »

Hello, it must be so 'batteries Upload stabilized voltage 13.8V with a capacity of 700mA.

lupinoxp · « **Reply #45 on:** February 15, 2009, 05:05:39 PM »

Hello, it is important that it is stabilized voltage.

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #46 on:** February 15, 2009, 06:24:05 PM »

Sorry Lupinoxp, you don't get my question.

Er1 has a charger that plugs in the battery box. The charger outputs what you allready sugested. Inside the charger, there is a electronics board and a transformer. My electronics board works fine, but the transformer is burned. I need to replace only the tranformer inside the charger.

lupinoxp · « **Reply #47 on:** February 16, 2009, 05:06:22 AM »

Hello, sorry now I understand, it is not easy for me to translate the English into Italian! I have taken for granted to change the whole charger, now unmount the mine and you do know the values of only trasformer.

SciTech02 · « **Reply #48 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:44:52 PM »

(Reply to above post and battery question on the video section of forum):

If all else fails with repairing your charger, you can just buy a new battery. From what I can tell you from my own experience, any 12 volt battery will work with the ER1 robot. When I got my ER1, it didn't have a battery; so I bought a 12 volt NiCd power drill battery from a swap-meat (flea market) and it works perfectly so far. What I have heard from Evolution Robotics is that you do not want to go over 12 volts; if you have a battery that is rated above this, regulate it to 12 volts. Also, if you were like me and don't know which part of the plug is + or -, the central "hole" is + and the outside of the plug is -.

UPDATE: Fortunately, my schedule has gotten better, so I have more time to work with my ER1. Just this evening, I mostly finished a test script that sends movement commands through the API connection that makes the bot follow an object (basically a reproduction of the "move towards" API command). The big difference is instead of moving so the the robot is directly facing the object (object is in the middle of its view); my script makes the ER1 move so the object is at a given x-coordinate in its view. The purpose of this is to increase pathfinding accuracy. It can recognize an object that will see along its found path and move so it is in a certain position relative to that object (basically, it uses the object as feedback for its position on the map). Now it is possible for my ER1 to go along a path without veering off significantly (hypothetically).

lupinoxp · « **Reply #49 on:** March 08, 2009, 03:22:07 AM »

Hello guys, I redid the graphics software ER1 Control Center, was also translated into Italian, if you are interested I can put the exe file with the settings menu in English, but with the main screen in Italian because I recorded graphically.

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #50 on:** March 08, 2009, 09:03:07 AM »

Lupino, that is wonderfull!

I have a question, say if we want to mount the camera on a pan/tilt head and also want to control an arm with several servos, can you add a feature to the software to comunicate with a USB connected micro like an Roboduino or Axon? Perhaps having a tab with some sliders to set the servo position and a Store Position button and then Play Sequence button, so we can set a Play Sequence as an action...

lupinoxp · « **Reply #51 on:** March 08, 2009, 02:39:09 PM »

Hello, to do what you need, you need to completely rewrite the Software is rather difficult without the source code.

urro · « **Reply #52 on:** March 24, 2009, 07:43:49 AM »

Hi all !

I have a question for ERSP 2.0 users: Can you access the hobby ports using the ERSP API? I cannot figure how this can be accomplished. I’m sure ERSP can do it, as it contains a drivers like RCMIrSensor that necessarily access the ports, but… what’s the class to do that?

Thank you a lot!

urro · « **Reply #53 on:** March 25, 2009, 09:33:58 AM »

Hello again,
I have another question, this time for users of Python ERSP's bindings (maybe one day I’ll start answering questions, instead of just asking…

sorry)
When I use a recent version of python with the ERSP, it doesn’t work, as it always fails to load ersp.task:

Traceback (innermost last):
File "speak.py", line 5, in ?
File "c:\Program Files\ERSP\python\ersp\task.py", line 13, in ?
ImportError: no module named _libevoctask

The problem is solved by using an older version of Python (the one packed with the ERSP), but… there aren’t nicer solutions? I would like to use jython instead of python, but… then the ImportError problem comes back. What python version are you using?

Thank you again!

urro · « **Reply #54 on:** April 15, 2009, 02:04:08 AM »

Not sure if this thread is still alive, but....

Has anyone the Linux version of the ERSP (and agrees to share it)? I would like to use ERSP together with Player/Stage, and that platform by now works only on Linux (the port to windows is on the way, but still is not so practical.

Thank you a lot.

By the way.... I answer my previous question about ersp/python: Not possible to use jython, nor a recent version of python. Bad luck

edwardray1 · « **Reply #55 on:** April 23, 2009, 11:43:23 AM »

Hello All,

I just purchased a used ER1 as a project for my son & I but we have no documentation or software.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Ed

lupinoxp · « **Reply #56 on:** April 23, 2009, 02:03:03 PM »

Hello, welcome! I sent you the email explaining how to get what you need.

kevinvr · « **Reply #57 on:** May 02, 2009, 08:53:09 AM »

Hi All
I've started looking around for er1 stuff and found this thread. Thanks for all the time and info you have all put in. I got some reading to do. I have just rebuilt my er1 and want to make it usable, have been taking a look at Microsoft Robotics , but it looks a bit topheavy and my programming skills are not so good. I will read these threads and see if i can get something working which doesn't involve having to fork our more money

Don't want to buy ersp 2 etc.
Will pop in again soon

lupinoxp · « **Reply #58 on:** May 03, 2009, 04:40:12 AM »

Hello Kevinvr, welcome among us!

SciTech02 · « **Reply #59 on:** May 07, 2009, 08:48:34 PM »

Greetings, fellow ER1 owner! Feel free to ask any questions.

Good news: I finally have time to work on my robot! The last few months, I have been buried in schoolwork; but I'm used to the workload now and I am back working on my ER1. Right now, I'm rewriting my pathfinding script as a lightweight and streamlined python module, so it can be integrated into scripts easily. I'll try to create that resource page during the next few days.

SciTech02 (it's good to be back)

News:

Author Topic: Evolution Robotics, ER1 Robot, and ERSP Thread. (Read 103622 times)