2013-07-31 Ad-hoc Development Call

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Event Details

 * Time: 2013-07-31 8pm PDT
 * Location: Not recorded

Summary

 * @BA reviews 2 months of software updates
 * Discussion of sensor integration
 * @ES Preview of new design for chamber
 * Software feature requests
 * OpenCTD project
 * 3D vision camera

Attendees

 * Eric Stackpole (@ES)
 * Colin Ho (@CH)
 * Dominik Fretz (@DF)
 * Brian Adams (@BA)
 * Bran Sorem (@BS)

Agenda

 * Current state of the software
 * Current state of the image
 * Image solutions for windows and how the windows compatible image is created
 * Path to go to create new images
 * Why do we use Ubuntu
 * Roadmap for OpenROV 2.5

Current state of the software
BA:
 * The current master branch on the OpenROV github openrov-software repository represents the current state of the software.
 * BA is currently working on an reorganisation of the arduino code.

Current state of the image
DF:
 * There was no feedback from the last test image that was created
 * DF will update the current image with the latest openrov-software code and upload
 * To be tested by other team members

Image solution for windows
DF:
 * Currently we use win32diskimage to write the windows image, this does not work properly if there the SD card was already used before as the win32diskimager doesn't handle the existing linux partition correctly
 * Open would be to fork the win32diskimager and create a OpenROVWinDiskImager to write the image under windows
 * The current windows image is based on the current linux compatible 'image'
 * The linux 'image' is not actually an image. It is a compressed root directory of the ubuntu distribution prepared for the BeagleBone and a script to creat the SD card. When the script is run, it created the partitions on the SD card, downloads the appropriate kernel and sets the SD card up.
 * The script for to create the windows image is right now in @DF's github:
 * This script is derived from the original script that is used to write the SD card. Instead writing the kernel and root to the SD card, it creates an disk image on the harddrive, created two partitions and mounts them via the loopback device. It then applies the kernel, boot scripts and root directory accordingly.

Path to go to create new images
DF, BA:
 * For the future we should take the stock (demo) image for BeagleBone and apply the OpenROV extensions to them.
 * This process should be scripted for automation
 * Things that need to be done to a stock image:
 * Install missing ubuntu packages
 * Install nodejs in case it does not exist as a Ubuntu package
 * Setup network to OpenROV standards
 * Install mjpeg-streamer
 * install the OpenROV cockpit
 * install the nodejs modules needed
 * setup the startup script for the OpenROV cockpit
 * This automation can be used to create images for the BB black too
 * This potentially could be extended to use with other linux distributions too
 * To get the images applied to SD cards by cirquitco, the team could write a clean image onto an SD card and send that card to them for replication (without using it in a ROV)
 * BA found a solution for the problem of SD cards being bound to the BB thei where used on first: https://github.com/OpenROV/openrov-image/issues/12

Why do we use Ubuntu
It was discussed why we choose Ubuntu as a distribution: @BS:
 * It was not possible/very difficult to compile OpenCV on Angstroem
 * More people are familiar with Ubuntu, that helps to widen the user base

Roadmap for OpenROV 2.5

 * The OpenROV 2.5 packages should be shipped n the beginning of September
 * They will contain an BeagleBone black THIS MEANS WE NEED A IMAGE FOR THE BLACK!
 * They contain a full ATMEGA in a SMD casing
 * Programming of the arduino should be easier
 * The software architecture and testing aproach should be reviewd after we shiped the first batch of 2.5 ROVs
 * BS, DF: Using automated/unit tests
 * DF: having a simulator would be nice

Other things mentioned

 * http://www.instructables.com/id/Program-an-Arduino-using-BeagleBone-without-USB/step4/Create-the-upload-script/
 * http://blog.stevemarple.co.uk/2012/07/avrarduino-isp-programmer-using.html
 * Cool videos on embedded development: https://www.youtube.com/user/DerekMolloyDCU/videos
 * http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/
 * http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Quantal_12.10_armhf