Further Resources

Introduction

This is a list of useful resources for assembling and operating the Monopod.

Core Resources

The Open Dynamic Hardware Initiative(ODRI) is a project by the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, and the LAAS/CNRS. Its goal is to develop an inexpensive, open-source robotics platform for robotics research. ODRI has developed several versions of an actuator module which can be put together into more complex robots. ODRI maintains several online resources, as follows:

The OpenSim2Real organization on Github has a number of repositories. The following repositories within the OpenSim2Real project are important for assembling the Monopod:

  • Motorware Dual Motor Control Firmware: This firmware is developed for the TI LAUNCHXL development board, and it does motor control for the Robotic Leg segment of the Monopod.

  • Encoder Measurement Firmware: This firmware is developed for the TI LAUNCHXL development board, and it reads encoder measurements for the Central Pivot segment of the Monopod.

  • Hardware Repository: This is a hardware repository containing both STEP and STL files for the parts required to manufacture the entire Monopod

The following 3D assemblies of the Monopod were developed on OnShape, a cloud-based 3D CAD platform. The public link to the OnShape document is found here:

  • OpenSim2Real Planar Monopod

  • The –Central_Pivot– folder within this document contains the –central-pivot-4-assembly– assembly, the current version of the Central Pivot we have developed.

  • The –Robotic_Leg– folder within this document contains the –complete-leg-assembly– assembly, the current version of the Robotic Leg we have modified from the base design provided by ODRI.

  • This OnShape document can be copied to a private OnShape account, if further modifications are warranted.

Learning Materials

The following video links provide a good introduction into Field Oriented Control, which the TI Launchpad microcontroller board uses to do current control for the actuators on the Robotic Leg. Part 2 is the most relevant to Field Oriented Control, but the whole series is worth watching.

  • Teaching Old Motors New Tricks Part 1

  • Teaching Old Motors New Tricks Part 2

  • Teaching Old Motors New Tricks Part 3

  • Teaching Old Motors New Tricks Part 4

  • Teaching Old Motors New Tricks Part 5

The Controller Area Network(CAN) Protocol is a widely used communications protocol in the automotive and marine industries. Vector is a major supplier of CAN signal analyzers, and they have a good introduction to the protocol:

The Texas Instruments LAUNCHXL-F28069M is the microcontroller evaluation board used for motor control on the Robotic Leg, and encoder measurement on the Central Pivot. Here are several useful links:

The Texas Instruments BOOSTXL-DRV8305EVM is an evaluation board for the DRV8305 motor gate driver. It drives 3-phase motors, such as the two BLDC motors used on the Robotic Leg. 2 of these motor driver evaluation boards can be connected to the TI LAUNCHXL evaluation board. Here are several useful links:

An Onshape document is a repository for all CAD models for a single project. OnShape has a learning portal with several courses to get familiar with the software platform: