Handibot App Software Development

Hello to those interested in developing Handibot Apps.

Our long awaited "Introduction to Handibot App Development" is now available on our Github site or from the Handibot site. Note that the document is a conceptual one that provides an overview of how we are thinking about Handibot App Development and what we are working on in terms of the hardware and software system that underlies it.

As described in earlier documents, the system builds on the evolving, core G2 motion system. This is an open source system that we believe will become a new standard for digital fabrication motion control. G2 is being developed from TinyG by the Synthetos team. It is not yet complete, but pretty far along and we are running tools with it. To G2, we are adding a fabrication "Engine" that provides the API for full control and monitoring of a tool and management of tool-path files. On top of that, we are developing a "Linker" module that will find and link to local Handibots using wired or wireless options from a wide variety of devices. These modules are components of what we consider a general purpose Digital Fabrication Motion Platform (FabMo for short). The functionality of the modules is not usable yet, but you can view their current status in repos on the ShopBot Github site. Our goal is to provide resources, libraries, and examples that simplify using the functions of these modules for Apps.

We appreciate that it has taken a while to get this all mapped out. While we look forward to input and contributions from the community as the software platform develops, we wanted to make sure that we had developed a comprehensive description of our plans for the hardware and software platform and details of how it would all work, before laying it out.

The introductory document also includes and example App that runs with the current Sb3 software to illustrate the Handibot App concept. Please appreciate that this is not intended to illustrate the new API or SDK but only to suggest how a Handibot App will need to generally interact with a user, create a tool-path file, and pass it to the tool. We hope to provide a couple of different simulation options for App developers while we await the prototype hardware.

[Note: I'll post this in a couple of threads where it is relevant.]

Ted Hall, ShopBot Tools

Thanks for the update and the obvious thought that has gone into that linked doc. Very illuminating and exciting.

A couple of questions:

1. It looks like there is a lot of activity underway across a number of projects that will together provide functionality I'll need as an app developer. Any plans to release a high-level roadmap/timeline for these so we can keep track of progress without driving you bonkers?

2. Are you ready for question and comment on the doc and if so what channel would you prefer we use? For example... if I wanted to know if it would be practical to add bluetooth support for triggering utility gcode that has been preloaded onto the tool, where should I post that?

Cheers.

Mitch H



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2014 07:20PM by Mitch H.

Hi Mitch,

Thanks for those questions ...

#2 - We've just opened up another Forum area here (just go up one level) for Handibot App Developers. We may end up doing something different in the long run. But for the moment, we thought we would host the development discussion there. We'll probably need other tools later ... but this will get us started and you can post that Bluetooth question there

#1 - We will edit/expand the first topic in that Forum area as we know more about our progress and timing. We've opened up most of the project on Github, and will get that last bit of SDK and resource material up soon. For all this, we are thinking weeks, not months. In terms of hardware, we're getting set up to make the beta version of the first new Control Cards (Version 4). I will make a post in the other forum about our thinking regarding adding an SBC to accomplish some of what we initially intended to do with the new controller.

Ted Hall, ShopBot Tools

"In terms of hardware, we're getting set up to make the beta version of the first new Control Cards (Version 4)"

Does this mean we handibotters are going to need to replace the guts of our handibots at somepoint to be "up-to-date" on hardware like we had to do with the new base for the large material jig?

I have no problem with this. It is actuallly pretty exciting. In the interest of transparency and "open-whatever", I learned in the military, "Bad news does not get better with time!"

I look forward to learning more about the guts of the machine as I teach math and physics. I am not truly a programmer, however, my goal is to have my students using the handibot as a true 3D graphing machine. Instead of creating a 3D surface in virtual space, it is much better to create the actual plot in handibot real space. Students are very demanding. I have it working right now with Microsoft Excel to handibot, but it is a bit of a stretch.

Thanks for all the hard work everone is doing. This forum helps. I tell my students the best way to learn is through frustration and confusion. I just do want to be frustrated and confused too long. Weeks are much better than months.

Just my 2 dollars (50 years of inflations). LOL

Hi Tim,

Forgive me if I do a little copy and pasting here ... and also into the new forum area, so all interested in software development can follow.

Quote
Tim Flugum
Does this mean we handibotters are going to need to replace the guts of our handibots at somepoint to be "up-to-date" on hardware like we had to do with the new base for the large material jig?

I have no problem with this. It is actuallly pretty exciting. In the interest of transparency and "open-whatever", I learned in the military, "Bad news does not get better with time!"

I look forward to learning more about the guts of the machine as I teach math and physics. I am not truly a programmer, however, my goal is to have my students using the handibot as a true 3D graphing machine. Instead of creating a 3D surface in virtual space, it is much better to create the actual plot in handibot real space. Students are very demanding. I have it working right now with Microsoft Excel to handibot, but it is a bit of a stretch.

YES ... on replacement. We've tried to be clear all along (see discussion of "roadmap" in ShopBot and Handibot developer areas) that the ShopBot Contol Card is a bit of a legacy item and does not have the micro-controller power for going forward, either for Handibots or ShopBots in general. However, the new Control Card will have the same pin-outs as the existing card, will be very modular, and will just plug right in to the existing CNC board on your Handibot (the larger board with drivers, isolation, etc) [and we will make new cards available to Handibot owners at cost]. It will be backwards compatible with all ShopBots and Handibots.

The new Control Card will be a 32bit ARM similar to the Atmel SAM on the Arduino DUE (if not the same; the DUE is the development board for all our current work). As described in the "Introduction to Handibot App Development", G2 will reside on the Control Card and provide the Core Motion substrate for the new system.

In addition, we will be adding a small SBC (with basic and minimal specs, such as a Raspberry Pi or Beagle Bone) to provide for management, connectivity, and additional features of a Digital Fabrication Motion Platform (FabMo for short). Originally, we had hoped to do all of our higher level work on the Control Card uC. But as time went by, we realized that by the time we added additional hardware for connectivity and storage, and developed the required functionality, it would be more expensive and less straightforward than just adding the SBC. The SBC, in the end will make for a much more developer-friendly system and has allowed us to already be pretty far along in terms of the overall FabMo platform now emerging on the Github site. So yes, we have added a bit of hardware here to what we had planned ... but in the end it will probably not add much to the cost but have a huge impact on flexibility.

Tim, I look forward to hearing more about your 3D graphing project with the Handibot. I think there would probably be some interest here (and on the 100kSchools website) in learning about what you are up to ... even in the Excel stages.

Ted Hall, ShopBot Tools