Pioneer 2 - Manual (Page 23)

Pioneer Mobile Robots
17
Saphira Client Start-Up
To start the Saphira client demonstration program, first locate the executable: It’s inside the bin directory
that is in the top-level Saphira directory—typically
C:\Saphira\verxx\bin or saphira/verxx/bin .
The demonstration program is named saphira or saphira.exe.
For instance, with the mouse, double-click on the saphira.exe icon inside
C:\Saphira\ver61\bin
on your Windows 95, 98, or NT desktop, or navigate (cd) to the Saphira directory on your UNIX or
Linux machine via an X-Window-based shell and type saphira, or ./saphira to execute the Saphira
client software there.
(We've set the $ { PATH} for onboard, Linux-based PC systems that we install for you, so that you need
only type saphira in an X-Window shell.)
If the demonstration program is installed and executed properly, a Saphira main window graphical-user-
interface should open and appear on your screen. Otherwise, diagnostic error dialog boxes will inform you
of the problem. (Also see Troubleshooting below.)
Pioneer Cold Start-Up
Place your Pioneer 2 on the floor in an open space. Slide the Main Power switch up to ON. The red power
indicator LED beneath the FLASH switch on the Console should light. After a short P2OS initialization
phase, the LCD on the control panel then displays the current status, the Console serial port baud rate, the
current P2OS version number, and the battery charge, in volts. For example,
no conn 19.2 kB
P2OS v1.2 13.8*
The "heartbeat" asterisk character following the battery voltage should be flashing on and off.
The same P2OS initialization sequence occurs whenever you press the red RESET button. Unlike the
original Pioneer 1, you cannot engage the drive motors until you have connected with a client, except
during self-tests.
RADIO ON
If you own radio modems for Pioneer client-server serial communications, switch on RADIO power.
Starting Saphira Client/Pioneer Server Communications
After it starts up, resets, or completes the self-test, P2OS enters server disconnect ("noconn") mode — a
quiet state in which P2OS awaits communication with a client computer.
To establish a connection with the Saphira client, pull down the Connect menu of Saphira’s main window
on your computer and engage the appropriate serial port: It's the one that you connected to the robot via a
direct cable or through modems (Figure 4-1). With the onboard PC, it is the first serial port.
The port name varies by computer platform, such as /dev/ttyx on a Sun workstation, the modem port on a
Macintosh, one of the COM ports (1 – 4) on a PC, /dev/ttySx with Linux, or any of the alternative serial
ports that hosts the robot-to-computer connection. (See Figure 4-2 on next page.)
The Saphira client initiates a connection with the P2OS server by exchanging three synchronization
packets. You may monitor this process on Pioneer’s Console LCD and in the Saphira client’s Colbert
interaction window.
As synchronization packets are received and echoed by the communications server, they appear
sequentially next to the word
sync on the top line of the LCD display on the robot. If these numbers do not
appear, the communication line is down or the client is malfunctioning. RESET Pioneer to return it to its