11 comments to “Tutorial: Beginning with 3Pi Robot”

1. Elias Fares wrote:
   23. January 2010 at 4:11 pm :

   Hey this helped out but there are different drivers and sofwares from the link here than the one on your tanjir.net/upload/3pi.sip link.

   Do we need both?

2. tanjir wrote:
   23. January 2010 at 5:18 pm :

   I have mentioned to install Pololu USB Driver, can be found inside “win_cp2102_drivers.zip” and USBTinyISP, which can be found inside usbtinyisp w32 driver “v1.12.zip”. You need to install both.

3. Elias Fares wrote:
   26. January 2010 at 9:20 pm :

   Hey I tried doing the linefollower under examples in libpololu-avr-091201 and in atmega328p however I ran into a few problems.

   1) there are 2 linefollowers, one is “linefollower” and the other is “linefollower-pid” is there a difference between them?

   2) when I choose one of them, I try to build but it says “Build failed with 6 errors and 19 warnings…”

   3)After I connect the opposite port that I have chosen, I get all OK! but what do you mean
   Select the hex file
   Select the elf file ????
   Program

   Please reply to efares@connect.carleton.ca

   Thank you

4. tanjir wrote:
   26. January 2010 at 10:06 pm :

   Fares,
   1) linefollower-pid is based on pid algorithm, where linefollower is based on a simple algorithm. If you open the .c files, they are mentioned in the first line of the comment. One good way of understanding code is by reading the comments before reading the code. A lot of information on PID based algorithm can be found here: http://www.straightlinecontrol.com/pid_algorithms.html

   2) On my end build does not fail. Could you tell me what are the error messages you are getting? (Before that, did you copy the .a files in the right directory?)

   3) Once you get all OK, in AVR Studio, you need to build the program you want to run (in the given example we already built- for your case probably it failed). If build is successful, it will generate hex and elf files. In order to program the robot, you need to go to Tools menu-> Program AVR -> Connect. Once connects, cancel the upgrade, go to program tab. Then you need to select the .hex file from the “default” directory/folder inside that project. You can find the .elf files in the same folder. (Typically test.hex and test.elf files.)
   More about elf files: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-spec12/

5. Elias Fares wrote:
   27. January 2010 at 12:02 am :

   GREAT!!!!!

   Thanks it works fine now, I do remember copying the .a files in the right directory but when I went to check, they we’re there.

   So I copied them and it follows the line properly now,

   Thanks a lot for the quick reply.

6. Elias Fares wrote:
   27. January 2010 at 12:05 am :

   Just one more thing, what’s the difference between the .hex file and the .elf file? (test.hex and test.elf files.) I can only program one of them onto the robot at a time, do they both essentially do the same thing?

7. Antoine Awad wrote:
   27. January 2010 at 8:47 pm :

   I tryed to program the .hex to the 3pi and then tryed to program the .elf file , after waited until everything is done and after that i got Black squares all over the LCD , I wasn’t even able to test it . is there a way to reset the FLASH or the program on the 3pi ?
   Like any manual reset, because my laptop won’t recognize it anymore :s on any COM port …

   Thanks,
   Antoine Awad

8. tanjir wrote:
   27. January 2010 at 9:21 pm :

   @Fares and @Awad, .elf file is not required. Once you program it with .hex file it should work. They are just different way of programming the robot. As I mentioned in my talk, which language you are using is not important, important is that hex file. Cause everything eventually converts to binary, and hex is the easier way to go.

   @Awad, you should not try any COM port, but only the ones you have used. For example, if you have used port 2 and port 6, then you have to use the alternative ports in two different software. Try restarting the laptop.

9. Antoine Awad wrote:
   27. January 2010 at 9:46 pm :

   I did restart my laptop . I ran the com0com .

   1 – Install PortName=COM1 PortName=COM2
   2 – I ran USBTINYISP -> it’s using COM2 -> and says READY
   3 – AVR Studio is setup on COM1

   Now i try to read the signature it read signature successfully .
   but on the LCD i am always seeing on the TOP LINE : BLACK SQUARES

   no matter what i do . Is it possible to send me a working .hex file so i can load it and try it ?

   because i tryed loading other .hex files , for example the LV_xx8 demo program or the mazesolver or the 3pi_demo_program and the screen stay black.

   any idea why ? i don’t even see the original demo program.

10. tanjir wrote:
    27. January 2010 at 10:47 pm :

    Awad@ When you program, if you see red light is on in the programmer, then it is writing to the robot microcontroller. You have mentioned about the screen. Does it do anything at all? (blinking light or any sound or motor movement?) If not, then probably it is not on or the battery is not connected properly.
    Try this: remove the batteries. Connect the robot to the programmer and program it the way you are currently doing. (try line follower or push button program) And without removing the connection, you should be able to see something on the screen.

11. Antoine Awad wrote:
    28. January 2010 at 8:08 am :

    The screen doesn’t do anything even when the batteries are not installed, it is always showing me the BLACK SQUARES on the TOP LINE.

    And when I try to write a .hex file to it , the red and green lights are ON .
    Which mean that it is writing properly .

    Is it possible to pass by and show it to you sometime ?

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