I was at Indiana Linuxfest this weekend. A couple of BeagleBoard-xMs were raffled off in support of the conference and it seemed a lot of people were interested. I gave a brief talk about the BeagleBoard project, Mark Yoder from Rose-Hulman and his students gave hands-on training to those interested in the Hackerspace Village and we had a BeagleBoard.org table for part of Saturday.
On Friday before I left for the show, I got a package from CATCAN in Taiwan containing two BeagleBoard-based robots and not much else; certainly nothing else I understood. I left the hexpod at home to make sure it wasn't damaged and took the quadpod with me. Sitting at the table, a group gathered and we figured out what we thought was the right way to connect the battery. The first thing we noticed was this ominous shrill after applying power. As we sat nervously wondering what was going to happen when we applied power, one person sitting at the Linux in the Ham Shack table noted a resemblance of the bot to the evil metal spiders in Dr. Who.
We decided that the shrill was likely the fans in the servo motors. You can block it out after a while, but it is loud and frightening. There was some concern that this meant that the servos were under strain, especially given that the motors were all moving themselves in addition to the legs, but I'm pretty sure we ruled that out and it really is the fans.
Knowing from the CATCAN and BeagleBoard.tw websites that this bot was running Android, a random group of us sitting around the table decided to hook up a serial port and tried to figure out what made the bot move. Being Android without any additional GNU utilities in the file system, the shell can be a bit frustrating. We couldn't hit backspace or perform tab completion. However, obvious commands, like 'ls', 'cd' and 'cat' are there so we could go about our exploring.
One of the first files we found was a log in /data/dontpanic. We found that quite reassuring. Eventually we found /system/etc/init.hexapod.sh and the fact that it pointed to executing /data/test-long-time-hexapod. Sure enough, running that executable sent our bot back through its motions. Running it from the shell gave us a printout of 13 different numerical values--the same number of motors on the bot. Eventually, I'll need to figure out how to recharge this bot--unless I have somehow underestimated its capabilities. I'm still a bit away from figuring out how to give it my own directions, but I think I have a start now--thanks to the attendees of Indiana Linuxfest!
It wasn't all games on the show floor, I also enjoyed a few of the talks. I especially enjoyed the presentation on Open Hardware by Joshua Burton. I am anxious to figure out what I can do with a Bug or BeagleBoard and the realtime sensor data aggregator Panchube. Joshua also introduced me to the work of Rodney Brooks who, among other interesting things, contributes to Edge.
I also picked up a bit I didn't realize in the Ubuntu for ARM presentation by David Mandella. One thing that surprised me is that the 10.04 release for ARM isn't considered "LTS" or long term supported. David predicts that the 12.04 is likely to be the first LTS release for ARM. With the Linaro work on the device tree and lots of OMAP/BeagleBoard patches being accepted into the mainline Linux kernel, I expect that to be a stellar release for the BeagleBoard users out there.
The presentations were recorded, so hopefully I'll be able to provide an update with the recorded presentations.
Update (3/30/2011): Sog Yang gave me this link to find a charger: http://www.rc-airplanes-simplified.com/rc-battery-chargers.html
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
BeagleCast 2011-03-25: Super Jumbo
The theme of today's show is "Super Jumbo" and your hosts are Jason Kridner, Gerald Coley and Jeffery Osier-Mixon.
To provide questions or suggestions:
- Call +1-713-234-0535 or
- visit the BeagleCast suggestions form
Headline news
- Windows Compact 7
- Two new Distributors in China -- ChipSee -- CATCAN
- FFmpeg fork becomes libav
- Clojure on The Beagleboard -- What is a closure vs. what is Clojure?
- The 2.6.38 kernel is out
- What Is CLFS? - File System - Check!
- OpenEmbedded at CeBIT 2011 -- Should we still be excited about CES and CeBIT?
- Face chasing BeagleBoard-based robot using a Kinect
- How to build QT Framework 4.7.2 and OpenCV 2.2 for Beagleboard-xM -- How to build sample program for capturing image from camera (OpenCV and Qt)
- SPI with Trainer-xM
- Running CyanogenMod on BeagleBoard -- What is CyanogenMod? -- What is Rowboat?
- NEWS IGEPv2 goes Open Hardware
- Open Hardware Summit date announced for 2011? -- Looking for votes on a logo
- Beagleboard: Power usage (current draw) for certain scenarios
Community activity
- GSoC Update -- BeagleBoard.org not a mentoring organization this year -- Still looking for mentors to volunteer to mentor in other projects -- Considering a smaller scale BeagleBoard Summer of Code
- Always Innovating Announcement...Super Jumbo Beagle Buffet!
- Khasim Syed Mohammed will be on next week to discuss the Android Rowboat project
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
BeagleCast 2011-03-14: BeagleBoard-xM rev C
Today's hosts are Jason Kridner, Gerald Coley and Jeffery Osier-Mixon. Below are the show note links.
Links to the recordings
To provide questions or suggestions:
- Call +1-713-234-0535 or
- visit the BeagleCast suggestions form
- Running a BeagleBoard off of Batteries
- BeagleBoard cases with a MakerBot on Thingiverse
- New SGX Graphics Driver Release 4.03.00.02 for Linux now available!
- DVI-D to VGA converter for BeagleBoard-xM and issue to be fixed with the current BeagleBoardToys VGA adapter when using a BeagleBoard-xM
- Kinect + BeagleBoard-xM (now need GLES)
- Leverett and Wasson Win Texas Instruments Beagle Board Design Challenge
- Toolchain, Check! Kernel, Check! - Cross Linux From Scratch
Upcoming events
- Tweet @Jadon for free BeagleBoard hands-on training on March 26th at Indiana Linuxfest going on March 25-27
- Linux Collaboration Summit on April 6-8
- Embedded Linux Conference on April 11-13
- Maker Faire Bay Area on May 21-22
- New release candidate from Angstrom
- FAT vs. ext2
- boot.scr vs uEnv.txt change is not welcomed by all
- Why won't old MLO and u-boot work with xM rev C?
- Mark Yoder's ECE497 class with some students using the Kinect
- Collecting Google Summer of Code project ideas such as the car PC project
The theme music for BeagleCast was created and provided by Alasdair Drake.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
BeagleCast 2011-03-07: The inaugural podcast
Today's hosts are Jason Kridner, Gerald Coley and Jeffery Osier-Mixon. Below are the show note links.
Links to the recordings
To provide questions or suggestions:
- Call +1-713-234-0535 or
- visit the BeagleCast suggestions form
Jeff and Yocto
- Jeff at a conference near the Columbia river gorge
- Jeff now the Yocto community manager
- Yocto includes Poky build tools, is multiplatform and has a BeagleBoard BSP
- Yocto gets many new partners
- What does it mean to join with OpenEmbedded?
- OE and Gentoo share roots
- Arago Project
- Koen working on the oe-core
- eLinux wiki summary of embedded Linux projects
- Wikis "are like bread" (good when fresh)
- BeagleBoard.org and Google Summer of Code
- oe-core status update and Yocto birds of a feather at ELC week of April 10
SD card discussion
- Amazon selling consumer friendly packaging
- SD card performance shootout needed to measure controller performance
BeagleBoard and electronics hobbyists of all ages
News from the BeagleBoard.org RSS feed and elsewhere
- Cloud9 IDE on BeagleBoard
- BeagleBoard Trainer-xM
- Contributing upstream patches, such as uEnv.txt patch in u-boot
- The move from ttyS2 to ttyO2
- linux-omap kernel patchwork
- Linaro status
- Linux news
- Linux input events in Perl
- Student Robotics has a nice BeagleBoard based robot design and real student roots
- xM now available from Tenet Technetronics
- Koen made BeagleBoard coasters with his MakerBot
- Adobe Flash10.1 with DSP H264
- PIXHAWK Gumstix Camera
- BeagleWall with interview of Roger Monk
The theme music for BeagleCast was created and provided by Alasdair Drake.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Using Perl to read Linux events
For a simple demo that played a movie on a BeagleBoard, I wanted to add a simple mechanism to start the movie over again if the USER button was pressed.
To read a Linux input event, it is as simple as just performing a read. The only trick to this for me, however, is that I wanted the read to timeout. This was resolved by using the Perl alarm() function can catching the signal within an eval().
I've uploaded a gist of my example play_movie.pl script:
To read a Linux input event, it is as simple as just performing a read. The only trick to this for me, however, is that I wanted the read to timeout. This was resolved by using the Perl alarm() function can catching the signal within an eval().
I've uploaded a gist of my example play_movie.pl script:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Vote for the winner in the TI/UT BeagleBoard Design Challenge
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Saturday, December 18, 2010
Looking for a college intern for this summer
In the past, for job postings and other commercial solicitations around the BeagleBoard I've recommended utilizing the BeagleBoard LinkedIn group because I never went deeper than the page that said that the job board was free. As I tried to list my own opening, I found that it was going to cost me almost $200. Given that, I welcome anyone contacting me with information on cheaper ways to do job listings and other commercial solicitations related to BeagleBoard activities.
What I'm inquiring about here is to fill an ARM microprocessor community development team internship position at Texas Instruments for summer 2011. You can find other job opportunities at TI with TI's CareerBuilder site (try keyword "Linux") or at http://careers.ti.com.
Job Description
Serve the needs of open source software developers utilizing TI ARM-based microprocessors by advocating within TI, consolidating and communicating valuable information internally and externally, and solving technical and organizational challenges including patches to fix open source software bugs or functional gaps in software like u-boot, Linux, applications within GNU/Linux distributions and tools to build software systems. Producing written, recorded and interactive presentation materials to train technical and semi-technical audiences on utilization and extension of open hardware platforms, such as the BeagleBoard, is required. A public reputation in open source software development is highly desirable. Some travel required. On-line communication skills are a must. This position is potentially very flexible in hours and location as long as mastery of communications with the core team can be demonstrated. Other potential benefits include flexibility in software projects and resources of perhaps the largest volume ARM microprocessor supplier in the industry.
Minimal Skills Required
Company Description
Texas Instruments (TI) is a global analog and digital semiconductor IC design and manufacturing company. In addition to analog technologies, digital signal processing (DSP) and microcontroller (MCU) semiconductors, TI designs and manufactures semiconductor solutions for analog and digital embedded and application processing.
Where to send your information
Please send all TI ARM microprocessor community development job related queries to me with "JOB" in the subject heading and to my jkridner account on beagleboard.org.
What I'm inquiring about here is to fill an ARM microprocessor community development team internship position at Texas Instruments for summer 2011. You can find other job opportunities at TI with TI's CareerBuilder site (try keyword "Linux") or at http://careers.ti.com.
Job Description
Serve the needs of open source software developers utilizing TI ARM-based microprocessors by advocating within TI, consolidating and communicating valuable information internally and externally, and solving technical and organizational challenges including patches to fix open source software bugs or functional gaps in software like u-boot, Linux, applications within GNU/Linux distributions and tools to build software systems. Producing written, recorded and interactive presentation materials to train technical and semi-technical audiences on utilization and extension of open hardware platforms, such as the BeagleBoard, is required. A public reputation in open source software development is highly desirable. Some travel required. On-line communication skills are a must. This position is potentially very flexible in hours and location as long as mastery of communications with the core team can be demonstrated. Other potential benefits include flexibility in software projects and resources of perhaps the largest volume ARM microprocessor supplier in the industry.
Minimal Skills Required
- On-line communications
- Conflict resolution
- C and C++ programming
- Shell scripting
- Demonstrated knowledge in Linux, operating system and build system concepts
- Software revision control management
- Oral and written communications in English (additional languages are desirable, especially Japanese, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Hindi)
Company Description
Texas Instruments (TI) is a global analog and digital semiconductor IC design and manufacturing company. In addition to analog technologies, digital signal processing (DSP) and microcontroller (MCU) semiconductors, TI designs and manufactures semiconductor solutions for analog and digital embedded and application processing.
Where to send your information
Please send all TI ARM microprocessor community development job related queries to me with "JOB" in the subject heading and to my jkridner account on beagleboard.org.
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