Xi RPi Support Has Been Extended For:

PWM
Standard Servo
Continuous Servo

No changes are necessary to the Xi Clients or Server.

Just update your copy of raspi-io to the latest:

In the xipi directory:

1. sudo npm rm raspi-io
2. sudo npm install raspi-io

My DuinoKit Has Arrived!

This is a great kit for the classroom! All devices come pre-installed on a quality circuit board mounted in a beautiful hinged metal carrying case that has a removable cover. Not only does this kit provide a large number of actuators and sensors, but includes discrete devices, such as capacitors, resistors, diodes, and transistors that are all mounted on the printed circuit board. 

You can check it out here: DuinoKit

Italian Translation Has Been Added To 

s2a_fm

For Both Scratch and Snap!

Gianfranco Zuliani has graciously provided an Italian translation for s2a_fm.

You can get this latest translation on Github.

Thank you Gianfranco!!!

Xi Update

23 November 2014

• French Translation Available For Scratch Blocks

• Translators Guide Availaible in the Documentation Directory

 Go to https://github.com/MrYsLab/xi to view or download the latest changes.

Xi Update

17 November 2014

Additional Functionality For BeagleBone Black

XiBone now supports Servo Motors (standard and continuous), Infrared Distance Sensors, and Piezo Actuators.

Wiring diagrams are available on the Xi Github page for the new features.

No updates are required for xiserver.js, but BeagleBone-IO will need to be updated to the latest version for servo motor support.

To update, go to the xibone directory.

For Linux/Mac type:

sudo npm update beaglebone-io

For Windows type:

npm update beaglebone-io

Sonar Distance and Stepper motor control will most likely require making use of the BeagleBone PRU (Programmable Real-Time Unit), and I will need time to understand how to program these beasts, so the time-frame for those features is unclear.

Language Translation

I have been testing a simplified scheme to provide Scratch block text translation. This scheme delegates all translation details to the Xi client and simplifies using Unicode with Xi. It is being tested using a French translation graciously provided by Seb Canet.

As soon as testing is complete, a Tranalator's Guide will be released.

What's Next?

Additional Raspberry Pi support is next on the list.

Xi v.004 Has Been Released

All Baseline Arduino Features Are Complete For Both Scratch and Snap!

The current feature set is shown in the table above. The next goal is to test the BeagleBone Black against the entire feature set. When that is complete, Raspberry Pi support will follow.

The "grand scheme" is to have all features fully supported on all three boards.

You can get Xi here: https://github.com/MrYsLab/xi

Xi Update Report

The next version of Xi for Arduino is almost ready for release. Releases for BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi will follow on.

All features shown in the screen shot below are currently functional with the exception of stepper motor support. I am awaiting delivery of a bipolar stepper motor and Big Easy controller board, and hopefully this will be incorporated into the release in about a week or so. It will probably take me another week to update the documentation.

Here is an expanded view of the "Set Pin Mode" block. I have added hints for the pin type needed for the new features. For example, If you wish to add a SONAR device, you would connect the device to a digital input pin.

The command block to move a continuous or standard servo contains an "Inverted" field selector. In the case of the continuous servo, if the orientation of the motor provides movement in a direction opposite of what you expect, you can invert the movement. This allows the Direction field to reflect the correct direction of the motor no matter what the orientation. For standard servos, depending upon motor orientation, the angle might be the reverse of what you expected, so here too, the invert field comes in handy.

For distance sensors, both SONAR and Infrared, the reported distance reported can be configured to be either centimeters or inches.

That sums up the current status. If there is a device you really would like to see incorporated in a future release, please let me know. If you have ideas of how to improve the current device support, let me know those as well.

Wish me luck with the steppers!