RoboThespian Button Panel

Overview

As an optional extra RoboThespian can be supplied with a button panel to enable simple robot control.

Which can be incorporated into customer's own plinth. For example as Festo have done here:

Settings

The four main buttons (1 - 4) can be setup to trigger any sequence (animation), or start any Control Function (behaviour of the robot). For example:

• button 1 plays the first track on the COMPOSE screen of the flash interface
• button 2 plays the self test sequence
• button 3 plays third COMPOSE track (see screenshot of COMPOSE 3)
• button 4 plays singing in the rain

Changing sequences or control functions triggered by the remote buttons

If you would like to change the sequences that are triggered by buttons 1-4 you can do this using the Settings panel in the IDE. These settings are read by the UserButtons control function.

Use the prefix seq: to play a sequence or cf: to start a Control Function (press again to stop)

• BUTTON_1 = seq:Compose 2
• BUTTON_2 = seq:EN-GB Self Test
• BUTTON_3 = seq:Compose 3
• BUTTON_4 = seq:singing in the rain

The names for the sequences can be found in the Assets tab. E.g. if you want "Festo-EN-I-am-RoboThespian" to play on BUTTON_4 use the name sequences_user_festo-en-i-am-robothespian (highlighted):

Would then change setting for button 4

• BUTTON_4 seq:sequences_user_festo-en-i-am-robothespian

You can add more complex sequences from Virtual RoboThespian too or trigger other control functions.

If you have not encountered Control Functions yet, please see Tritium and Tritium Control Functions.

Alternatively, if you would prefer Engineered Arts to change the sequences for you, we are happy to help, please contact us.

Connecting custom buttons

Please use NO (Normally Open) push buttons. For example Farnell 163462

Wiring convention:

GND (black) and the screen / sheath are joined inside the heatsink at the connectors. Connect GND to the GND of all of the buttons.

Breakout board buttons are numbered 1 through 4 from left to right.

The wiring colours match the corresponding breakout boards button LED as closely as possible :

Button	LED Colour	Remote wire colour
1	Green	Green
2	Amber	Yellow
3	Red	Red
4	Blue	Blue
		Black - common to gnd/0v of all button

NUC breakout board in enclosure with custom electronics, firmware, and internal wiring for the button box, with flying cable connected ready to use with own buttons:

Example button wiring: