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Welcome to the Hexy wiki

Getting Started

Some basic instructions may be found at the [ArcBotics website] (http://arcbotics.com/products/hexy/start/). What follows will shed a little more light on the process.

Assembling your new Hexy:

Hexy Assembly

Full Instructions: Carefully follow the step-by-step instructions found at MakeProjects.com

Some Tips while Assembling

• Test the Servos: Be sure to test the servos before attaching them to the legs. A good way to do so is by running PoMoCo (see below), plugging the servos into pin 4 and using the sliders in the PoMoCo GUI to verify full range of motion.

• Center the Servos: Centering the servos while attaching them to the legs is very important but sometimes will not look 100% perfect. Fortunately, PoMoCo allows for additional calibrate your servos and save the offsets into a config file that can be re-used later.

• Attaching the Servo Horns: Due to the manufacturing method, the screw holes that you attach the servo horns to have a smaller diameter on one side of the acrylic parts than on the other. This prevents the short screws from "biting" into the plastic when you attach them on the side with the wider diameter. This easily solved by flipping the part over so that the smaller-diameter hole faces the horn.

Connecting the Ping Sensor

The ping sensor ("eyes") connect to the port labeled "ECHO TRIG" in the middle of the Servotor board using the supplied 4-wire cable. Be sure to match up the ground (GND) pins on either end of the cable.

TODO: Edit above image to highlight ping sensor pins.

Connecting the Bluetooth Module

Plug the bluetooth module on into the GPIO header starting with the GND, A4, A5 and A9 pins as illustrated below:

Upload the Latest Firmware

Get the latest firmware from the ArcBotics site or Github and upload it to the Servotor using the Arduino Software. NOTE: Be sure to tell the Arduino software to recognise the board as an "Arduino Leonardo" via the "Tools > Board" menu.

Installing and Using PoMoCo

You'll need a Python environment on your PC. Python comes pre-installed on Mac, but not on Windows.

Installation

Mac Instructions

Since Python is included in Mac OS X, you'll simply need to install the PySerial library.

• Install PySerial: $ sudo easy_install pyserial

Windows Instructions

TODO: Someone with a Windows PC please supply step-by-step instructions and verify what's being provided here:

• Download and install Python
• If on a 32bit Windows PC, get the x86 version of PySerial
• If on a 64bit Windows PC, get the amd64 version of PySerial

Launching PoMoCo

PoMoCo may be launched by changing into the PoMoCo directory and running the following:

Mac Example

$ cd PoMoCo
$ python PoMoCo.py

Windows Example

TODO: someone with a Windows PC, please supply instructions.

Using PoMoCo

Once launched, it can take PoMoCo a few moments to scan your serial devices and connect to your Servotor board, so please be patient. Once connected, you'll be greeted by the PoMoCo user interface:

Calibrating via Offsets

PoMoCo lets you fine-tune your servos by creating an "offset" file that can be automatically loaded whenever PoMoCo is executed.

The first step is to run the setZero preset on the left hand column of buttons or by selecting individual servos by checking the On checkbox and pressing the "Reset" button adjacent to the reset button. Then use the + and - buttons to adjust and center the servo in question.

Saving Offsets: Save your offsets by selecting File > Save offsets from the PoMoCo menu bar. Be sure to save the offset configuration file into the PoMoCo directory and verify that the filename ends in ".cfg" such as hexy-offsets.cfg.