Vorpal Hexapod Scratch Block Reference - Revision history

Cpadmin at 15:36, 2 August 2018

2018-08-02T15:36:26Z

Vorpalwiki: /* Pose */

2018-07-21T16:35:51Z

‎Pose

Vorpalwiki: /* Set Legs */

2018-07-21T16:35:31Z

‎Set Legs

Vorpalwiki: /* Erase Recordings */

2018-07-21T16:35:13Z

‎Erase Recordings

Vorpalwiki: /* Record Start and Record End */

2018-07-21T16:34:21Z

‎Record Start and Record End

Vorpalwiki: /* Reset Connection */

2018-07-21T16:34:00Z

‎Reset Connection

Vorpalwiki: /* Reset Connection */

2018-07-21T16:32:20Z

‎Reset Connection

Vorpalwiki: /* Future Blocks in Progress */

2018-07-21T16:30:37Z

‎Future Blocks in Progress

Vorpalwiki: /* Gait */

2018-07-21T16:30:12Z

‎Gait

Vorpalwiki: /* Gait */

2018-07-21T16:28:38Z

‎Gait

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 [[File:Reset-Connection.JPG|right|200px|Reset Connection]]
 *'''What it does:''' This block resets the serial port connecting Scratch to the Vorpal Gamepad and attempts to reconnect.
-* '''When to use it:''' You don't usually need to use this command at all; it's just for cases where you're having trouble connecting to the robot. The Reset Connection block is typically executed by itself outside of any other program. It's convenient to just drag this block out onto the programming area and leave it in a corner. If you have trouble with your connection just click on it to execute. Another time you might need this is in cases where you disconnect the gamepad USB from the computer to try something out, then reconnect again later. If you do use this in a program, typically it is placed immediately after whatever action starts your program (such as clicking on the green flag) and it is suggested that you place a wait for 5 seconds command after it, giving the connection time to fully reset before continuing.
+* '''When to use it:''' You don't usually need to use this command at all; it's just for cases where you're having trouble connecting to the robot. The Reset Connection block is typically executed by itself outside of any other program. It's convenient to just drag this block out onto the programming area and leave it in a corner. If you have trouble with your connection just click on it to execute. Another time you might need this is in cases where you disconnect the gamepad USB from the computer to try something out, then reconnect again later. If you do use this in a program, typically it is placed immediately after whatever action starts your program (such as clicking on the green flag). It is suggested that you place a wait for 5 seconds command after it, giving the connection time to fully reset before continuing.
 * '''Options and Menus:''' This block has no options or menus, so it is very easy to use!
-* '''Other Notes:''' You should not place this block in a loop or otherwise cause it to be executed more than once in any program because that would cause undesirable delays and also could flush incoming sensor data that arrives while the connection is being reset.
+* '''Other Notes:''' You should not place this block in a loop or otherwise cause it to be executed more than once in any program. Doing so would cause undesirable delays and could also flush incoming sensor data that arrives while the connection is being reset.
 ==Walk==
 [[FILE:Walk-V2.JPG|right|350px|Walk]]
 *'''What it does:''' This block triggers actions that are identical to the Vorpal Gamepad "W" (Walk) line of mode buttons.
-* '''When to use it:''' When you wish to move the robot in a way that is identical to the gamepad "W" mode buttons. Note that to create custom variations of walk commands that only differ in the amount of movement of hips and knees, leaning or timing factors, use the GAIT block instead.
+* '''When to use it:''' When you wish to move the robot in a way that is identical to the gamepad "W" mode buttons. Note that to create custom variations of walk commands that only differ in the amount of movement of hips and knees, leaning, or timing factors, use the GAIT block instead.
 * '''Options and Menus:'''
 ** ''Walking Style:'' This is the first (leftmost) pulldown menu on the block. The walking styles correspond to the W1, W2, W3, and W4 gamepad buttons. For example, selecting "scamper" from the walking style menu results in the same walking motion as triggered by the W4 mode button on the gamepad. The styles are:
 ***normal: medium speed normal tripod walking gait.
-***high knees: slow because it raises hips as high as possible, good for getting over obstacles.
+***high knees: slow because it raises hips as high as possible; good for getting over obstacles.
 ***small steps: takes tiny little steps, allowing you to finely adjust Vorpal's position.
-***scamper: moves as quickly as possible by overlapping hip and knee motions and barely raising the knees. This makes it somewhat unstable and it may drift left or right on slippery surfaces, but if you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible this is the mode to use.
+***scamper: moves as quickly as possible by overlapping hip and knee motions and barely raising the knees. This makes it somewhat unstable, and it may drift left or right on slippery surfaces. If you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible, however, this is the mode to use.
 ** ''Walking Direction:''  This is the second menu on the block. These selections allow you to simulate DPAD button presses to move Vorpal in different directions. Note that the special value "Stop" is equivalent to no DPAD buttons being pressed. This allows you to make the robot stand in the same manner as it does during walk modes where no DPAD button is pressed.
 *** forward: walk forward (in the direction of the accessory port)
@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
 * '''When to use it:''' Making sounds can be a good way to debug programs or spice up a dance routine. For example: you could make the robot beep in higher or lower tones depending on a sensor reading, giving you immediate feedback on how the sensor is working.
 * '''Options and Menus:'''
-** ''Frequency:'' The frequency of the beep, in Hertz.  Higher numbers are shriller tones. The number should be between 30 and 2000, numbers out of this range will be clipped to the range.
+** ''Frequency:'' The frequency of the beep, in Hertz.  Higher numbers are shriller tones. The number should be between 30 and 2000; numbers out of this range will be clipped to the range.
 ** ''Seconds:'' This is the number of seconds to execute this block before moving on to the next block. It is recommended that this value be no lower than 0.15 seconds, since the radio protocol only transmits actions once every 0.1 seconds and servo motors cannot respond any faster than that anyway.
 * '''Other Notes:''' None.
@@ Line 146: / Line 146: @@
 * '''Other Notes:'''
 **To access your new leg movement:
-***Click the mode button you stored it in for 0.5 seconds or more. When you first press the mode button you'll hear a tone, then if you keep holding it for 0.5 seconds or more you'll hear a second higher pitched tone to indicate you are now in long click mode and your Scratch recording will be executed when a DPAD button is selected.
+***Click the mode button you stored it in for 0.5 seconds or more. When you first press the mode button you'll hear a tone. Then, if you keep holding it for 0.5 seconds or more you'll hear a second higher pitched tone to indicate you are now in long click mode and your Scratch recording will be executed when a DPAD button is selected.
 ***Press the DPAD button you stored it on.  If you press a DPAD button on which no recording was saved, then the default action will be executed as usual.
 **To return to the default action performed by the button:
 ***Click the mode button for less than 0.5 seconds. You'll hear an initial tone to confirm you pressed a mode button but no second high pitched tone.
-* It's important to realize that what's happening here is the gamepad is simply playing back the results of your Scratch program. So, Scratch programs that use sensor values to modify robot actions won't work as expected when replayed: whatever sensor reading actually occurred when you made your recording will govern how the legs move. Think of it this way: you're not storing the actual Scratch program on the gamepad, you're just storing the leg motions that Your scratch program caused to happen when it ran.
+* It's important to realize that what's happening here is the gamepad is simply playing back the results of your Scratch program. So, Scratch programs that use sensor values to modify robot actions won't work as expected when replayed: whatever sensor reading actually occurred when you made your recording will govern how the legs move. Think of it this way: you're not storing the actual Scratch program on the gamepad, you're just storing the leg motions that your Scratch program caused to happen when it ran.
 ==Erase Recordings==
@@ Line 305: / Line 305: @@
 ** ''hipsfwd, hipsbw:'' These parameters let you specify the angle used when moving hips forward and backward. See the SET HIPS command for a description of what the position numbers mean.
 ** ''kneesup, kneesdown:'' These parameters let you specify the angle used when moving knees up and down. See the SET KNEES command for a description of what the position numbers mean.
-** ''lean:'' This parameter makes the robot lean forward or backward while walking. It only works currently in tripod gaits. A positive number leans the robot such that the accessory port would be higher up, a negative number leans such that the accessory port is lower down. This can be extremely useful in games like Joust or Capture-The-Flag when making custom Scratch leg motion recordings. The maximum angle you can specify is 60 degrees, the minimum is -60 degrees, but in practice you should probably keep this in the range of plus or minus 45 degrees.
+** ''lean:'' This parameter makes the robot lean forward or backward while walking. It only works currently in tripod gaits. A positive number leans the robot such that the accessory port would be higher up; a negative number leans such that the accessory port is lower down. This can be extremely useful in games like Joust or Capture-The-Flag when making custom Scratch leg motion recordings. The maximum angle you can specify is 60 degrees, the minimum is -60 degrees, but in practice you should probably keep this in the range of plus or minus 45 degrees.
 ** ''Cycle time:'' This is the amount in time, in seconds, that one complete cycle of the gait should take. The smaller you make this number, the faster the robot will move. However, if you make this number so small that the servos can't physically complete their motion, then you'll end up with a big jumble of motions that don't work. For ripple gaits this needs to be a larger number than for tripod gaits, and the farther you move the servos the longer this time needs to be.
 ** ''Seconds:'' This is the number of seconds to execute this block before moving on to the next block. It is recommended that this value be no lower than 0.15 seconds, since the radio protocol only transmits actions once every 0.1 seconds and servo motors cannot respond any faster than that anyway.
-* '''Other Notes:''' When standing in a normal stand position the servos will automatically go to sleep after about 6 seconds of inactivity, this saves power. On most surfaces the robot will continue standing normally with servos asleep.
+* '''Other Notes:''' When standing in a normal stand position the servos will automatically go to sleep after about 6 seconds of inactivity; this saves power. On most surfaces the robot will continue standing normally with servos asleep.
 =Future Blocks in Progress=

@@ Line 268: / Line 268: @@
 ==Pose==
-[[File:Pose-V2.JPG|right|600px|Pose]]
+[[File:Pose-V2.JPG|right|750px|Pose]]
 *'''What it does:''' This block allows you to set all 12 leg servos in a single command.
 * '''When to use it:''' When you want to "pose" the robot in one single convenient command. Although you do need to set all 12 position numbers. This is best for poses that are not symmetrical or hard to implement using the SET LEG, SET KNEE, or SET HIP commands. Also, it's good for creating a new "stand still" type pose for the robot when programming "nothing pressed" custom Scratch motions using the RECORD START block.

@@ Line 176: / Line 176: @@
 ==Set Legs==
-[[File:Set-Legs-V2.JPG|right|600px|Set Legs]]
+[[File:Set-Legs-V2.JPG|right|750px|Set Legs]]
 *'''What it does:''' This block allows you to arbitrarily choose the positioning of each knee and hip on combinations of legs on your Vorpal Hexapod in a single operation. There are options to allow you to conveniently apply the leg setting to groups of legs that are frequently moved together, or you can choose an individual leg.
 * '''When to use it:''' When you wish to create a movement that is distinctly different from those that you can trigger using the gamepad

@@ Line 161: / Line 161: @@
 * '''Other Notes:'''
-This block is normally not used inside of a program, but rather is executed by itself outside of any program on an occasional basis. This block may a second or two to execute on the gamepad, so if for some reason you do decide to place it in a program then it is recommended that you put a wait block after it, and wait for at least two seconds.
+This block is normally not used inside of a program, but rather is executed by itself outside of any program on an occasional basis. This block may require a second or two to execute on the gamepad, so if for some reason you do decide to place it in a program then it is recommended that you put a wait block after it, and wait for at least two seconds.
 ==Sensor==

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 ==Record Start and Record End==
 [[File:Record-modebutton.PNG|right|350px|Record Start mode button options]]
 [[File:Record-dpad.PNG|right|350px|Record Start dpad button options]]

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Reset Connection==
 [[File:Reset-Connection.JPG|right|200px|Reset Connection]]
-*'''What it does:''' This block resets the serial port connecting Scratch to the Vorpal Gamepad and waits for a connection to be established. This process typically only takes one or two seconds, so you will see a slight delay when starting your program.
+*'''What it does:''' This block resets the serial port connecting Scratch to the Vorpal Gamepad and attempts to reconnect.
-* '''When to use it:''' The Reset Connection block is typically executed by itself outside of any other program. It's convenient to just drag this block out onto the programming area and leave it in a corner. If you have trouble with your connection just click on it to execute. Another time you might need this is in cases where you disconnect the gamepad USB from the computer to try something out, then reconnect again later. If you do use this in a program, typically it is placed immediately after whatever action starts your program (such as clicking on the green flag) and it is suggested that you place a wait for 5 seconds command after it, giving the connection time to fully reset.
+* '''When to use it:''' The Reset Connection block is typically executed by itself outside of any other program. It's convenient to just drag this block out onto the programming area and leave it in a corner. If you have trouble with your connection just click on it to execute. Another time you might need this is in cases where you disconnect the gamepad USB from the computer to try something out, then reconnect again later. If you do use this in a program, typically it is placed immediately after whatever action starts your program (such as clicking on the green flag) and it is suggested that you place a wait for 5 seconds command after it, giving the connection time to fully reset before continuing.
 * '''Options and Menus:''' This block has no options or menus, so it is very easy to use!
 * '''Other Notes:''' You should not place this block in a loop or otherwise cause it to be executed more than once in any program because that would cause undesirable delays and also could flush incoming sensor data that arrives while the connection is being reset.

@@ Line 312: / Line 312: @@
 =Future Blocks in Progress=
 ==cmucam5==
 NOTE: This button is experimental and not yet supported. Please follow us on the Vorpal Forum to see an announcement when this is officially released.

@@ Line 297: / Line 297: @@
 [[File:Gait-v2.JPG|right|750px|Set Legs]]
 *'''What it does:''' This block allows you to execute a customized version of a tripod gait or other gaits. A "gait" is a style of walking. For example, you could modify the normal W1 gait to lift the legs higher, move faster, swing the hips more or less than normal, or lean the robot forward or backward while walking. You can also access a "ripple gait" which is normally not programmed into any gamepad button.
-* '''When to use it:''' When you want to walk in a way not normally accessible from the gamepad, but don't want to have to program each individual leg motion. You can create modified versions of standard gaits with a single simple command.
+* '''When to use it:''' When you want to walk in a way not normally accessible from the gamepad, but don't want to have to program each individual leg motion. You can create modified versions of standard gaits with a single simple command. So imagine creating a "belly crawl" gait to get under an obstacle, or imagine leaning the robot back so your lance is higher up in a Joust match. You can do those things very easily with this command.
 * '''Options and Menus:'''
 ** ''Gait Style:'' This is the pulldown menu on the block. It allows you to select which gait style you want Vorpal to do. The styles are: