[Sugar-devel] [UKids] ProtoSnap with Arduino plugin

[James Cameron]

Alan Aguiar wrote:
> James Cameron wrote:
> > Alan Aguiar wrote:
> > > I was seeing this wiki entry: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/
> > > ProtoSnap_Contributors_Guide
> >
> > I have contributed there.
> >
> > > And see that it uses Arduino plugin. I'm mantaining this plugin
> > > for TurtleBlocks (AKA TurtleArt) and the version showed have a
> > > little bugs (for example, the read analog and digital blocks not
> > > returns the read value).
> >
> > Were these tickets in Sugar Labs bug tracker? Or are you tracking
> > changes using git only? (Just curious, not criticising.)
> 
> There are not tickets for that. I only use git for track the
> changes.

Thanks.

> > > With a friend, we update the PyFirmate in the plugin to latest
> > > 0.9.5.  Can you check on this GIT:
> > > http://git.sugarlabs.org/arduino
> >
> > git://git.sugarlabs.org/arduino/mainline.git
> >
> > Thanks, reviewed. I see the changes.
> >
> > The repository name "arduino" seems too short. Perhaps this
> > repository should be named turtleblocks-arduino?
> 
> Maybe: "arduino_plugin" ?

Is it a plugin for Arduino, or a plugin for TurtleBlocks?  I think it
is a plugin for TurtleBlocks to use an Arduino.  So perhaps
turtleblocks-plugin-arduino or merge it with the turtleart repository.

> > The boards.py file added in db6e133 does not contain the Arduino
> > Pro Mini used by the ProtoSnap. Is that important?
> 
> I not sure, I must ask to my friend. But seems that the boards.py
> are not used in the PyFirmata.

Good, thanks.

> > Ian Daniher's repository is a fork of your repository from
> > 2013-06-18, hash ec0719f. Ian's change in de87b83 looks cleaner
> > than your change in 9655ec5 but both achieve a similar effect. You
> > may wish to take Ian's change instead.
> 
> It's the same fix.. but I like the Ian patch. It's more clean.
> 
> > > About installation: the process described is correct but have
> > > their problems, for example: git is not installed by default on
> > > XO. And in some places like Uruguay, you don't have root access
> > > to install anything.
> >
> > Yes.
> >
> > The lack of git can be worked around using a ZIP download from
> > github.
> >
> > https://github.com/itdaniher/turtleblocks-arduino/archive/
> > de87b830207701eccc2503ff7c5ae4a931a73186.zip
> >
> > But still, can't install ino or make without root. So this method
> > is unavailable to Uruguay post-deployment.
> >
> > > Other option is use the option "Load plugin" of TurtleBlocks
> > > that install automatically the plugin selected (only you need
> > > download a .tar.gz into the Sugar Journal and press Load Plugin
> > > and it was installed).
> >
> > No, that is insufficient, you still need to load the firmware into
> > the Arduino.
> 
> Yes, but have Arduino plugin installed do all process a bit easy.

Yes, it is a bit easier, and now that we've heard from Mike Lee that
there are many ProtoSnap boards with firmware _already loaded_ perhaps
the Wiki page should be trimmed to separate the two steps.  It is a
waste of time to program them if they are already programmed.

> > > But that are a bit complicated... To solve that, we package the
> > > Arduino plugin (and others like Lego NxT, Lego WeDo, etc)
> > > with TurtleBlocks in a new activity called TurtleBots:
> > > http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4434
> > >
> > > I'm not have a board to test, someone can test it???
> >
> > I've downloaded turtlebots-22.xo but there is no firmata firmware
> > in it, so this does not achieve any of the more fundamental and
> > important steps in
> > http://wiki.laptop.org/go/ProtoSnap_Contributors_Guide
> >
> > I suggest these steps can be done by pre-building the
> > StandardFirmata sketch for various Arduino, and packaging both the
> > binary output of these builds _and_ an activity local copy of
> > avrdude for programming it into the Arduino board.
> >
> > .uy deployment may also add packages ino, git and make in next
> > season's build.
> 
> Maybe we need do an activity for that.

On the other hand, the demand is low.  A teacher could program the
firmware.  It only needs to be done once.

-- 
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/