Mini K-Ceptor design

AxonSpark

valor So when testing out your K-Ceptor in the testcube blend file, you have to copy and paste the name of the K-Ceptor to replace the Unico object name. I also believe you have to do this testing on CH 1.

So, if you had the above K-Ceptor plugged into CH1, the object name you would have to enter in Blender would be kc-CH1-0

Hope this helps!

valor

Thanks, looking at your Test #1 thread, i did the same as one of the last screenshots and used kc-CH_1-2
But the box does not move.

Is there a way to check whether or nor the notochord is sending any data to the client?

daylanKifky

valor Is there a way to check whether or nor the notochord is sending any data to the client?

You can turn on "Debug mode" on the advanced panel of the Blender chordata addon, or use the script that you will find in this post: https://forum.chordata.cc/d/63-calibration-issues/71

valor

I've attached a logic analyzer directly to the SCL_T and SDA_T lines behind address translator and I'm able to see IMU i2c communication at address 0x6B. Checking the SCL and SDA lines towards the HUB shows bi-directional i2c traffic as well.
Am I missing a step?

AxonSpark

@valor I'm very much an end user, so I can't really troubleshoot your setup beyond what is in the wiki. However, you shouldn't copy the object name in my screenshot. The number after the dash needs to match the ID value of your K-Ceptor. For instance, the "-2" after "kc-CH_1" indicates that the K-Ceptor has an ID value of 2. I didn't have to build the boards from scratch, so I'm not sure exactly how ID is determined, only that is has something to do with the configuration of a specific resistor on the PCB.

valor

AxonSpark
1) can you show a screenshot of your Blender screen with the testcube loaded and the Outliner area with the scene and all children unfolded?
2) When you are testing one K-ceptor, do you have other K-ceptors disconnected from the hub?
3) Which parameters do you start the notochord with, when you are testing with testcube?
Thanks in advance 🙂

valor

Thanks, I just hoped it might work for me if it works for you, given that I connected the K-ceptor to the right port and used the sensorname which notochord found during the startup.

AxonSpark

@valor
1) You shouldn't need to make any changes to anything in the Outliner (I never have).
2) You should only have 1 K-Ceptor connected to the Hub, and it needs to be connected to
Gate #1 (aka J1 or Channel 1).
3) For the most part I stick to the default parameters in the testcube blend file. Just make sure under Notochord Transmission Method, you have it set to Unicast and the Local Address set to your computer's IP address. Also in the Advanced dropdown, make sure the Notochord Hostname is notochord.

If that doesn't work, I think the developers will be back on the forum on or around the 7th.

daylanKifky

AxonSpark If that doesn't work, I think the developers will be back on the forum on or around the 7th.

😁 I'm impressed. How did you guess?

Hi @valor. Your development looks amazing!
The blender workflow with the current version is kind of painful for non-blender people. The new release will make everything easier.

Did you managed to make it work?

valor

Hi daylanKifky
Thanks a lot 🙂
I found the calibration thread and managed to run some tests on my mini K-ceptors. Both the i2c tool commands work as expected and the calibration data gets saved according to the notochord verbose output.
Running the notochord with scan parameter and having it output to a csv file I can confirm that the raw data gets saved into the file...and is more or less consistent with the timings of when I left it stable, and when I moved it.

The whole setup just refuses to work with Blender.
I've disabled all firewalls.

What does the Debug mode on the Chordata Blender plugin do?
I will try your script when I get home later today.

daylanKifky

valor What does the Debug mode on the Chordata Blender plugin do?

it dumps to console every message it receives, so you can tell if data is reaching blender.

valor

daylanKifky Great, that'll be useful.
What is the state of the v2.8 plugin. Is it in better state than v2.79?

daylanKifky

Everything look really neat!
Can't wait to see them capturing!

valor What is the state of the v2.8 plugin. Is it in better state than v2.79?

The v1.0.0 version of the addon (compatible with blender 2.8x) is still WIP, you can follow the progress in this thread (we recently published a video where you can see where we are standing). The short answer is: this version still not capable of receiving real data from the KCeptors.

The current one is v0.1.0b which is kind of basic, not always stable, and not-so-easy to use for newcomers to blender

valor Could the problem have been due to missing Python dependencies

It shouldn't. The addon ships with osc4py3 included. If it wasn't there you would have seen an error when activating the add-on ¯_(ツ)_/¯

PS:
What did you use to draw those RJ11 wiring diagrams? they look great

valor

Okay! I've installed the osc4py3 and ran the script. And could finally see the OSC data flowing in!

Right after that, I closed the script and launched the Blender. Everyting started magically working! 😄

Could the problem have been due to missing Python dependencies?
Anyway, i had prepared 12 more Mini K-ceptors which I was holding off until I verified that the data was reaching the Blender. I will now proceed with soldering them. 🤣

valor

I've finished soldering and testing all 15 Mini K-Ceptors. Now I'm ready to start making my first Mocap suit 😃

I've experimented a bit with a 4-wire cabling and so far the i2c seems very stable. I will continue with that as the wiring is slightly more flexible.

Now the casing... I wanted to ensure that the k-ceptor LEDs are visible so I opted for using commercially available light pipes. The ones I had on-hand were round capped 3mm light pipes from Bivar (pn: VLP-200-R). I forgot they had mounting pins so I did not add the alignment holes to the PCB. I just cut them off.

The tolerances on the printed caps came out very nice. The K-ceptors "click" in place. This is temporary, I will figure out how to mount the botton part of the casing as I design it along.

Both LEDs (5V and 3.3V) are now visible from a wider angle.

highmatergogo

Great work @valor !

valor

highmatergogo Thanks a lot. This forum is inspiring us all.

daylanKifky Thanks, I'll stick to the version I have running then. It's very mystical why it started working, as until the installation of the script dependensies, i've even tried multiple reboots, firewall deactivation...

The wiring drawing is something I sketched while writing the update above. It's done in Adobe Illustrator, nothing fancy.

daylanKifky

valor It's very mystical why it started working,

Recurrent situation in computer software 😅

Could you also share the sources for the mini Hub? I would like to build your versions to give them a try myself

valor

daylanKifky
I've shared the PCB project on EasyEDA and the rest on my Github: https://github.com/valordk/chordata

The Mini Hub is shared at: https://easyeda.com/Muza/vals-chordata-mini-hub-v1_copy
It's still at v1.0.

The Mini K-Ceptor is shared at: https://easyeda.com/Muza/vals-chordata
It's at v1.3 as I have slightly improved the LGA footpads and have added support for the Bivar VLP-200-R light pipes.
All of the resistors are not 0805. The only 1206 are 1uF and 10uF capacitors.

I'm in the process of printing the new edition of the enclosure. I've opted for tac-gluing the enclosure to keep its size to a minimum avoiding latches or other fancy fastener features.

daylanKifky

Hi!
having everything in a single repo is a great idea!

I ordered the PCBs and will solder the components when I have the chance.
We would like to share your development in our wiki, so users have the option to build your version instead of the current one.

If you can share a detailed BOM for your version it would help people to get the right components.

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