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Robo Pi First Test Video

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(@dkilzer)
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 6
 

Thank you for sharing this!

I haven't watched the whole video yet but the first part was done well. I stopped to download the software. My internet is limited. 

I wasn't aware of this resource until I saw this thread. So many tools available now.  


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
Topic starter  
Posted by: @dkilzer

I wasn't aware of this resource until I saw this thread. So many tools available now.

I only just started using KiCad myself.   I used to use two different programs called TinyCAD and FreePCB.  They were separate programs but compatible as  you could draw the schematics up in TinyCAD and then send the netlist over to FreePCB to make the printed circuit board.

Steve @codecage started a thread on KiCad and I decided to try it out.  It's actually quit similar to TinyCad and FreePCB but now it's all in one program.  Plus they have the additional 3D view of the finished board which is a nice touch.

I'm hoping to put out more videos on this over time.  But no promises of when that might happen.

Just a note of caution.  I'm not an expert at this.  I should have given that warning at the beginning of the video.  I actually intended to do that but never did.  I was going to have a live introduction of me explaining what I was about to do and confessing to be an idiot at that time.  But I never got around to making that live intro scene.  I'm only just starting out making videos and I don't have a good live studio set up yet.   So this entire video was just a bunch of screenshots.  

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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robotBuilder
(@robotbuilder)
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Posts: 2037
 
Posted by: @robo-pi

 I was going to have a live introduction of me explaining what I was about to do and confessing to be an idiot at that time. 

Obviously you are not an idiot.  I would start out perhaps with:
"Sharing what I have learned about using KiCad and how I have used it in some project." or something like that.

 


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
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Posted by: @casey

Obviously you are not an idiot.  I would start out perhaps with:
"Sharing what I have learned about using KiCad and how I have used it in some project." or something like that.

True.  Having little knowledge of something does not make a person an idiot.  ? 

I actually want to make it clear for my entire channel that everything I do on the channel is basically just a vlog of what I do in my own personal robot projects.  So this will necessarily include all my mistakes.  Well, not all of them.  I do try these projects out ahead of time so by the time they make it into a video they should at least work.  I wouldn't include the mistakes I made unless I wanted to also share with people what to avoid.

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
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A Second Video.

Still a learning process.  I just made this one for the sake of people who don't know how to get from a schematic to a PCB.  So I cover some of the fundamentals.   I did it in a crazy way, but it's the information that counts. ?   Hopefully, it will give people some ideas of how KiCad work.

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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codecage
(@codecage)
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Posts: 1018
 

@robo-pi

Awesome work James!  I learned some tricks I had not previously known.  ? 

SteveG


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
Topic starter  

@codecage

I'm so glad to hear that.   That's the whole idea behind making these.  If you get any good ideas that makes it worth while.   It's certainly not the point of that video to get anyone to duplicate what I did.  The hope is that they might pick up some subtle things just by watching me do crazy stuff. ? 

I'm hoping for this particular series to eventually become a complete build of an Inertial Guidance System shield.  I imagine that's going to take some time to complete.   I'm just starting this channel up.  This Inertial Guidance System Shield build will become one of the "Playlists" I have to offer.   I'm hoping to build a parallel playlist of videos that covers the actual prototyping of this shield along with the programming code. 

So I have big plans!   I hope I can keep it up.  Unfortunately when summer gets here I'll be doing a lot of logging and woodworking.  So time to be making robotic videos will decrease.

Kind of like Bill.  I might need to play the disappearing act once in a while. ? 

By the way.  Can I ask a favor?  When you watch my videos could you take a second to click on the like button?  In the YouTube world likes are helpful to the channel I'm told.

 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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(@dronebot-workshop)
Workshop Guru Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1053
 
Posted by: @robo-pi

Kind of like Bill.  I might need to play the disappearing act once in a while.

Sometimes it's the only way to actually get anything done LOL!

?

James, if these are just your "first efforts" then I have some pretty serious competition! You're obviously a natural at this.  And BTW, I just became your third subscriber!

It also makes me think that I really need to switch to KiCad. I've been using the online editor that Digikey has, Scheme-it. It's useful but also frustrating. It also exports to KiCad, and it would probably make sense to switch.  Your video will be a big help.

I'm going back to "play the disappearing act" for a while but I had to resurface just to compliment you on your excellent work.

Bill

 

"Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window." — Steve Wozniak


   
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(@dronebot-workshop)
Workshop Guru Admin
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Posts: 1053
 
Posted by: @robo-pi

I'll need to look into the problems you're having.  Maybe you just need to add those project libraries to your library manager?  I don't know.  We'll figure it out.  I'm making lessons on KiCad, but I really don't know what I'm doing either.

As I confessed in my previous post I know nothing about KiCad. However in Scheme-It when you export to KiCad you get two files - a .SCH and a .LIB file.

I know that these are the Schematic and Library files respectively.  And according to the KiCad File-Formats page, there is also another type of Library file called a "-cache.lib" file that has the following description:

-cache.lib: …​ a local copy of all the symbols used in the corresponding schematic, so that when the folder containing a KiCad project is copied to a different PC, the schematic can still be opened and printed and will still look the same as the original draughtsperson intended - even if that other PC does not have those symbols in its main libraries (or has symbols that coincidentally have the same name but are completely different).

Not sure if it's useful but I thought I'd throw it out there, again I know as much about KiCad as I do about yodeling so take it for what it's worth!

?

Bill

 

 

 

 

"Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window." — Steve Wozniak


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
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Posts: 1669
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Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

James, if these are just your "first efforts" then I have some pretty serious competition!

Thanks for the positive comments.  I won't be competition for you.  For one thing I'm not likely to be making videos on the same things you do.   Secondly I'll be sending my viewers over to watch your videos so they can actually learn something before coming back to see how I screw things up. ? 

The only place we might end up "competing" is in the department of building a "real robot".   You've got a huge jump on me with DB1.   But your disappearing acts seem to be winning  out over any actual DB1 videos.  So I might have a chance to catch up. ?  Only time will tell on that one.

My main focus is going to be on a Robot Overseer program that I'm writing in C#.   And I'm also hoping to make a series on Perceptrons and Neural Networks.  And finally I'm hoping to make a series on Semantic AI and Speech Engines.   So I'll have four main themes.

  1. Robotics in General - this Kicad Inertial Guidance System video would be in this category.
  2. The Robot Overseer program
  3. Perceptions and Neural Networks
  4. Semantic AI and Speech Engines.

That's it.   It might seem like a lot, but I'm actually working on all these things anyway, so I figure it's time to start making videos on what I'm doing.

As I say.  My channel is just a vlog of what I'm doing.  I'm not going to tailor my channel to any particular audience.   I'm just going to do what interests me and let those who find the content interesting become the subscribers.   I don't think I'm ever going to make any real money at this, so I better enjoy doing it!  Right?

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
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Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

I know that these are the Schematic and Library files respectively.  And according to the KiCad File-Formats page, there is also another type of Library file called a "-cache.lib" file that has the following description:

Ok, that makes sense.  In fact, I noticed that file had been created in my KiCad project directory.   So thanks for explaining that.  Now I have a better understanding of what that file is.

However, there are other reasons for wanting to create project libraries.   If you watched these videos you will see that I'm modifying the footprints.  You wouldn't want to do that with the original footprints.   It also makes it nicer as you build your schematic and you want to find things that you had previously used.  If  you store everything that you are using in your project library.  Then you can easily find it again.  Earlier I had used a symbol, and then erased it, and then decided that I wanted to use it again and had a whale of a time trying to figure out where I had found it originally.   So that was enough for me.  From that point on I started copying all symbols and footprints to my project libraries and this way I know exactly where they are when I need them. 

But I think  you are right.  The cache.lib is what will be used when you copy the files and send them to someone else.

 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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