Software Setup

This section describes how to set up the software environment.

What You Need

To get started, please make sure you have gone through the Hardware Setup.

Ethernet Setup

The Trossen Arm Controller communicates with the Linux PC via Ethernet. As a result, the following network configurations are required on the Linux PC.

• IPv4 Method: Manual

• IP Address: any unused IP addresses under the same subnet as the Arm Controller, e.g., 192.168.1.1

• Subnet Mask: the same subnet mask used by the Arm Controller, e.g., 255.255.255.0

• Other settings can be left as default

Note

Per factory settings, the Arm Controller uses

• IPv4 method: Manual

• IP address: 192.168.1.2

• Subnet mask 255.255.255.0

• Gateway: 192.168.1.1

• DNS: 8.8.8.8

Installing the Drivers

A Trossen Arm can be controlled using either the C++ or Python driver.

Python

To install and use the Python driver, follow these steps.

1. Set up a virtual environment (optional)

   Some of the popular package and environment management tools are listed below. Please setup one that suits your needs.

   • venv

   • virtualenv

   • conda

2. Install the driver

   Depending on the nature your application, you can install the driver in a virtual environment or the system environment.

   • Use virtual environment if the application is in pure Python

   • Use system environment if the application is for ROS

   pip install trossen-arm
   

3. Run a script

   python3 my_script.py
   

C++

To install and use the C++ driver, follow these steps.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/TrossenRobotics/libtrossen_arm.git
   

2. Install the driver

   cd libtrossen_arm
   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake .. [-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/path/to/install]
   make install
   

   If the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX argument is specified, the driver will be installed in locally.

   • static library and cmake configurations: /path/to/install/lib

   • header files: /path/to/install/include.

   Otherwise, the driver will be installed in the default locations.

   • static library and cmake configurations: /usr/local/lib

   • header files: /usr/local/include.

3. Build a script

   Here is the file structure of a minimal CMake project.

   my_project/
   ├── CMakeLists.txt
   └── my_script.cpp
   

   The CMakeLists.txt file should have the following content.

   cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
   
   # Set the project name and version
   project(my_project VERSION 1.0)
   
   # Specify the C++ standard
   set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
   set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED True)
   
   # Find the libtrossen_arm package
   find_package(libtrossen_arm REQUIRED)
   
   # Add the executable for the test
   add_executable(my_script my_script.cpp)
   
   # Link the libtrossen_arm library to the executable
   target_link_libraries(my_script PRIVATE libtrossen_arm)
   
   # Install the executable
   install(TARGETS my_script DESTINATION bin)
   

   Build the project.

   cd my_project
   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/path/to/install
   make install
   

   Run the executable.

   ./path/to/install/bin/my_script
   

Software Upgrade

A controller firmware is compatible with a driver if their major and minor versions match exactly. For example, the driver v1.3.x is compatible with the controller firmware v1.3.x.

Typically a controller comes with the firmware compatible with the latest driver as of the manufacturing date. As a result, when a new driver is released, the controller firmware may need to be updated.

To upgrade, follow these steps.

1. Install the Teensy Loader CLI if not already installed

   # Install the dependencies
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install build-essential libusb-dev
   
   # Clone the repository
   git clone https://github.com/PaulStoffregen/teensy_loader_cli.git
   
   # Compile the source code
   cd teensy_loader_cli
   make
   
   # Copy the executable to the system path
   sudo cp teensy_loader_cli /usr/local/bin
   
   # Configure the udev rules
   sudo wget -O /etc/udev/rules.d/00-teensy.rules https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/00-teensy.rules
   

2. Flash the firmware

   Connect the controller to the Linux PC with a USB to micro-USB cable.

   Download the firmware at Downloads.

   Unzip and flash the firmware using the following commands.

   # Unzip the firmware
   unzip firmware-wxai_v0.zip
   
   # Flash the firmware
   teensy_loader_cli --mcu=TEENSY41 -s firmware-wxai_v0.hex
   

Warning

Upgrading the firmware will reset all configurations to the factory settings.

If you have made any customized configurations, we assume you are already familiar with Configuration using the driver.

A typical workflow is given below.

1. Use the driver compatible with the current firmware to backup all customized configurations.

2. Update the driver to the latest version.

3. Flash the latest firmware.

4. Set the customized configurations using the latest driver.

What’s Next

After setting up the software, let’s configure the arm for your specific application.