CS 372 Artificial Intelligence

Robot Building Lab

How to Initialize the Handy Board for use with IC4

You will need to download/acquire your own copy of Interactive C. The current version available is IC4.

Find a computer (MAC, PC, Linux) and if you are using a MAC or a PC, download and install the appropriate version of IC4 for your computer from the above link. Extract the following items from your kit:

  1. The Handy Board.
  2. The battery charging unit.
  3. The serial cable.
  4. The RJ11 cable.
  5. The power adapter cable.
  6. The Interactive C floppy disk.

 

Next, we will connect the Handy Board to the computer, and power it up!

  1. Connect the battery charging unit to the serial port of the computer using the appropriate cable.
  2. Make sure the "Charge Rate" switch on the charging unit is selected for "Normal Charge" (as opposed to "Zap Charge").
  3. Connect the Handy Board to the battery charging unit using the RJ11 cable.
  4. Connect the power cable to the battery charging unit and the other end of the cable into a wall outlet.
  5. If the Handyboard battery is totally drained, charge the board for a few hours (preferably overnight) before proceeding.

The Handy Board requires two software components: A 6811 runtime library, and the Interactive C application program. Both are included in the IC distribution. The 6811 runtime routines are like a small operating system for the Handy Board. Launch the IC application (this will be different under different systems: MAC, pc, linux)t. You will get the following screen:

Move your mouse over to the picture of the Handyboard and click on it (to select the Handyboard). Another window will pop up as shown below:

Since we are trying to initialize the Handyboard for the first time, just select the "Connect Later" option giving you the following:

In order to initialize the board, you have to reload the pcode system. From the "Settings" menu option, choose the "Download Firmware" option. Next, a pop-up window will ask you to specify the port you are connected to. On PCs/Linux, you typically connect the serial cable to the COM1 or COM2 port. On Linux, COM1 ports are called /dev/ttyS0 and COM2 is /dev/ttyS1. Select the appriopriate port in the dialog window:

Press the "Download Firmware" button after selecting the correct port. This will be followed by a series of windows with connection diagrams and diagnostics to ensure that you have made the proper connections. Follow the instructions (you will have to respond to some questions based on what you observe, and also turn some switches on/off at various times. This will ensure that the board is configured to accept the firmware download. Once the download begins, you will see a couple of progress windows, like the one shown below:

Once the download is complete look at the boardand you should see the message:

IC v4.010
Handy Board 1.2

Also, notice in the bottom right corner of the Handy Board screen, there is a blinking heart. A blinking heart indicates a healthy Handy Board.

Next, in the interaction window, enter the command: beep();

When you hit the Return key, the statement will be translated and executed on the board. You will hear a beep sound from the board. This means the board has been successfully initialized and is ready for interaction.

Back to Robot Lab Manual | Back to Week 1 Lab.