Page Comparison

This document covers the regular use and maintenance of the BenchBot Version 3.0 in the semi-field image acquisition application.

Table of Contents:

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• What does it do?

  • It automatically moves and takes images of species to collect data.

• Where does it do it?

• Basic Traits / Specs:

  • Top-heavy. Slow Y-axis movement is necessary to not potentially tip over the BenchBot.

• Axes of motion:

  • X-axis movement: the carriage moves across the BenchBot. Controlled by the BenchBot App.

  • Y-plane movement: forward, backward, left, and right movement controlled by the Amiga or the BenchBot App.

  • Z-axis movement: the Z-axis components move up and down. Controlled by the BenchBot App.

• Block diagram:

• General description of the function of the major components:

  • Amiga Dashboard: Smaller screen that allows for Y-plane speed settings (default speed is way too high) and to turn auto-control on and off. Other settings are also on-screen but do not generally need changes.

  • Amiga Pendant: This remote allows user to control Y-plane movement manually if auto-control is off.

  • Amiga Brain: This is where the BenchBot App is available for use. Includes manual controls for the X, Y, and Z axes. Also allows for setup of the BenchBot to be run automatically.

  • Electrical Box: Part of the carriage. Can find components including the Mini PC, network switch, ClearCore, etc. on the inside of the box. Wires are seen coming out of the box and the box should normally be locked.

  • Emergency Stops AKA E-Stops: These red buttons stop movement in X, Y, and Z axes when they are pushed in. Twisting the E-Stop after they are pushed in will pop the E-Stop out again.

• How waterproof is the BenchBot?

  • It is completely waterproof minus the Sony camera/flash (and camera USB 3 cable) and the batteries. Although the batteries are fairly water resistant. That being said, it is slightly better to not have the high pressure water (from the sprinklers) spraying directly on the BB more often than every now and then.

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Hardware Setup

What needs to be done before the system can be powered on and used.

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1. Turn the battery key to “LOCK” or “UNLOCK” so the battery is off and the rod on the battery is shortened.

2. Take out the key.

3. Unplug the plug.

4. Slide out the battery.

   1. On one specific NCSU BenchBot slot, this is difficult. You may have to shake the battery side to side while pulling outward to get it loose. Try not to shake the BenchBot too much as the bot is top heavy.

To leave batteries in briefly while powering down:

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Starting BenchBot Operation:

1. On the Dashboard, click start.

2. On the 1st tab on the left sidebar: Set speed limit to 3 or 4 bars.

   1. MUST KEEP IT LOW or else the bot MAY FALL OVER. THE DEFAULT SETTING IS TOO HIGH.

3. Do two preliminary E-Stop tests.

   1. Test that E-Stops are preventing Pendant-controlled movement from beginning:

      1. Press in an E-Stop.

         • Do not press two E-Stops in at once. We are testing each one to make sure it works individually.

      2. Attempt to move the BenchBot forward or backwards using the Pendant

         • Make sure it is a direction where you have room, in case anything goes wrong. The BenchBot should NOT move.

      3. If this test fails, that E-Stop is faulty and this issue should be resolved.

      4. If this test passes, clear that E-Stop and repeat the test for other E-Stops.

   2. Test that E-Stops are preventing Pendant-controlled movement that has already begun:

      1. Using the pendant, move the BenchBot in a direction where you have room.

      2. As you are moving it, have someone press in an E-Stop. The BenchBot should stop.

      3. Clear the E-Stop and repeat the test for other E-Stops.

4. On the Amiga dashboard, click on the 3rd tab on the left sidebar. Turn on auto-control.

   1. The icon will turn from gray to orange/yellow. Now the Amiga is ready to be controlled by the BenchBot App on the BenchBot Brain.

   2. Auto-control may reset each time an E-Stop is used.

5. On the Brain, click on BenchBot App on the Apps screen.

6. Start on the 1st tab: Manual Control tab.

7. We will check for 5 things to be working properly (X axis, Y axis, Z axis, image capture, and the Emergency Stops (E-Stops)).

   1. Test the app-controlled X-axis movement a small amount: add 10cm, then click +X (positive X). Then click -X to check the negative direction.

      1. Note: Getting very close to the end sensor may cause problems, so you may want to move it a few centimeters away.

      2. Now test each E-Stop for the X-axis.

         1. Move the X-axis a decent distance like 50cm.

         2. Press in an E-Stop as it moves. It should stop.

            1. It should stop because of the E-Stop, not due to an error that has been found where sometimes Z-axis movement will stop short of the specified distance, or because you did not press the E-Stop in-time.

         3. Then clear the E-Stop and repeat the test on each E-Stop.

   2. Test the app-controlled Y-axis movement. Do a small amount like 20-30cm. Too small of a Y-axis movement will not work well. Check both directions.

      1. Now test each E-Stop for the Y-axis.

         1. Move the Y-axis a decent distance like 50cm.

         2. Press in an E-Stop as it moves. It should stop.

         3. Then clear the E-Stop and repeat the test on each E-Stop.

   3. Test the app-controlled Z-axis movement as well at a small amount like 5cm or 10cm. Check both directions.

      1. Now test each E-Stop for the Z-axis.

         1. Move the Z-axis a decent distance like 50cm

         2. Press in an E-Stop as it moves. It should stop.

         3. Then clear the E-Stop and repeat the test on each E-Stop.

   4. Finally done testing E-Stops. Now we know that Amiga Pendant-controlled movement (any direction in the Y-plane) and BenchBot App-controlled movement (X, Y, and Z axis) are stopped by each E-Stop individually.

   5. Check the camera by clicking “Take Image.” The flash should go off and the image should appear on screen in a few seconds.

      1. Check that the image exposure looks correct.

8. Make sure the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis are in correct locations as well before beginning.

   1. The Z-axis should be adjusted to where the camera lens is 1.8m above the dirt in the pots. Bring a measuring tape if needed.

9. Skip over the 2nd tab.

10. Go to the 3rd tab “Species Map”

    1. Adding more rows of species will add them on top of the previous rows. So plan accordingly by adding rows that are closest first and move further out.

       1. You can also add empty rows (use the “none” selection for species).

    2. Set pots per row, row spacing (Y-Axis), pot spacing (X-axis) and other settings.

    3. Click add species and the map will update.

    4. On the map, you can make some individual changes to pots.

       1. UNDO only works for entire rows, not individual pot actions.

    5. Verify everything by swiping and checking the screen.

    6. Click save to save map. “Species map saved!” will appear on screen.

11. Go to 4th tab “Traversal”

    1. The map is shown in its final version on the right. It is uneditable on this screen.

    2. STARTING TRAVERSAL:

       1. Before starting, confirm there are no errors on the dashboard, that auto control is ready, and the speed is still 3-4 bars.

       2. Click Start on the traversal tab.

       3. Text logs will begin appearing. Images will show as they are taken on the bottom and on the map. If there are errors, it will show on the map.

       4. Watch and listen to make sure the bot is operating normally as it moves across the X-axis and traverses for the first time in the Y-axis.

    3. DURING TRAVERSAL:

       1. Make sure to check the bot every few minutes. Setting a timer may help. You may need to make sure the bot is not going off-course (to the left, right, or too far forward when the bot is almost complete with the run for the day) or that there are no errors.

       2. Check that the camera is taking photos (it will appear on screen) and flash is working.

          1. When capturing images the user should inspect a test image collected at the time of image acquisition, and make change to the aperture F10-F13 to make sure we get an appropriate exposure.

          2. The image should also be inspected to make sure that autofocus and the flash is working as intended.

    4. PAUSING:

       1. The bot will finish taking its last action before pausing.

       2. To confirm the bot is paused, after clicking pause, the log will show “Traversal paused” and the corner will show it is paused. 

       3. Clicking start after pause will start from where it left off.

    5. STOPPING:

       1. Stop will take some time like the pause button to finish the last action.

    6. LEFT AND RIGHT NUDGES:

       1. Left and right will provide small directional correction when the BenchBot is a bit off. 

       2. It will only take effect when the Y-axis is moving next. You can confirm that the left nudge was registered by looking at the logs. 

       3. No matter how many times you click, it will only nudge a single time. 

       4. If accidentally clicked left instead of right, just click right and it will move to the right (it acts according to the last selection). 

       5. However, if left or right is clicked, it cannot be deselected. The bot will nudge. In the future it will be updated.

    7. EXITING:

       1. Click exit to launcher. 

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