2.5 Controlling Your Robot with the Joystick
The joystick supplied with your robot allows you to control your robot directly, without any programming. For example, if you just want to move the robot to a storage area without turning on the computers, just connect the joystick and direct the robot’s movements.
Special Note: The joystick shipped with your robot has been specially modified to control your robot. It will not work with other equipment or games you might have.
First, let’s connect the joystick to your robot. The joystick connection point is located on the base control panel. On the B21 robot, this panel is set into the door with the yellow dot on top, on the base.
Figure 2-2 - B21 Base Control Panel (set into yellow-dot base door)
On the B14, this panel is located behind the door with the yellow dot on top, on the base.
Figure 2-3 - B14 Base Control Panel (behind yellow-dot base door)
When your robot is under joystick control, the forward-backward axis of the joystick controls the its translation velocity -- that is, the speed at which is moves forwards and backwards. The left-right axis of the joystick controls the robot’s rotation velocity, that is, the speed at which it turns on its center axis. When you hold the joystick in the center position, the robot won’t move.
If you move the joystick straight forward or straight back, the robot will move forwards or backwards accordingly. The further you push the joystick from its center position, the faster the robot travels. If you move the joystick exactly left or exactly right, the robot will spin in place about its axis. Holding the joystick at any random point away from the forward-backward line will produce a circular travel path This is because if both translation and rotation velocities are held constant, the resulting trajectory will automatically be circular.
After a bit of practice, you will become proficient in controlling your robot with the joystick. You’ll probably find it a very handy tool, as well as quite useful for quick demonstrations of your robot’s motion capabilities.
After using the joystick to control your robot, the motion controller is in "joystick mode." This is indicated by a constant flash of a red LED on the base control panel. On a B21, this panel is set into the door with the yellow dot on top on the robot’s base. On the B14, the control panel is behind the door with the yellow dot.
To reset your robot so that it can be operated normally, press the bottom red button on thebase control panel. Then, if baseServer had been running, restart it by typing
baseServer.
