VMC Software
Last updated
Last updated
After setting up your VMC in Phase I (https://bellflight.gitbook.io/vertical-robotics-competition/overachiever-goal/untitled/first-boot) you're now ready to install the Phase 2 software. There are two possible ways to setup your Jetson.
Possibly the simplest way to setup your Jetson with is a mouse, keyboard, monitor. If you have ethernet available, plug that into the Jetson, as you will need internet access. Otherwise, once you login to the Jetson, connect to a WiFi network in the top right.
Once signed in, open up a terminal. This can be done by clicking the application launcher in the bottom left (the 9 squares) or with the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+t.
The second (and more complicated) method of setting up your Jetson is using PuTTy like you did in Phase 1 (https://bellflight.gitbook.io/vertical-robotics-competition/overachiever-goal/untitled/first-boot). If you want to power the Jetson via USB (if it's not connected to a wall adapter or a battery) remove the jumper behind the barrel jack,
then plug in the MicroUSB cable to the Jetson,
and then into your laptop. Open up PuTTy and log in to the Jetson.
If you have ethernet available, plug that in. Otherwise, you can connect to WiFi via the command line (remove the angle brackets when putting in your WiFi network details):
Make sure to replace the jumper when you're done!
This method can also be helpful if you've already configured the Jetson to connect to a WiFi network, but don't know what the IP address is.
In the future, you'll want to use SSH to login to your Jetson, as it is far easier. However, to do so, you'll need to know the IP address of your Jetson. The simplest way to figure this out if you don't know is to login via serial, and then run the command
if you've connected the Jetson to ethernet or
if you've connected the Jetson to WiFi.
Once you've recorded this, you can then sign in with PuTTy. Make sure to enter the hostname as user@ip.
You'll need to accept that you trust a certificate the first time.
Now, run the following commands in sequence:
If you get a message saying "Release file is not yet valid", this usually means your system's time is not correct. Try running
to force your system to correct it's time.
This updates the packages available to install, installs git if it is not already installed, clones the software repo, changes directory into the repo you just cloned, makes the setup script executable, and then executes the setup script.
This setup script will automatically install and configure everything needed on your Jetson to get it ready for competition. Make sure to check on the script, as you will likely need to enter your account password a few times. This script does download approximately 10GB worth of data the first time, so depending on your internet connection, it may take a while to run.
At the end of the setup script, it will perform a few self-tests to make sure everything is configured properly.
Once this done, please restart your Jetson. Certain drivers were installed that require a reboot to take effect.
If the setup script fails to execute for any reason, it likely lost connection to the internet, or your network is blocking a site it tried to download content from. Try running the script again. If that still does not work, look at the README on https://github.com/bellflight/VRC-2021-Phase-II and make sure you can connect to all of the websites listed there.
Bell engineers are constantly working on improving the VMC software. If a new version is ever available, you just need to go into the directory the repo is cloned to, pull the latest code, and re-run the setup script:
The setup.sh script is safe to run at any time, it won't mess anything up by running it after everything is already configured.
To run the VMCsoftware, just go into the directory the code was cloned to, and run the command sudo docker-compose up:
To shutdown the software, press Ctrl+C in the console window you started the software in. Additionally, run
for good measure.
While docker-compose is stopping the software, DO NOT hit Ctrl+C again to stop it forcefully. Many components of the software has code in place to close connections and things as they are stopping and interrupting this process can cause corrupted states.
If your team chooses not to use certain aspects of the VMC software, you will need to disable them. For example, while using the PCC with servos and LEDs is highly encouraged, it's not strictly required, and if you try to start the software without a PCC connected, it will not launch.
On the drone, open up the file docker-compose.yml and add # to the beginning of lines you do not want. The easiest way is with the program nano:
For example, commenting out the PCC module:
To save the changes, press Ctrl+X to exit, Y to save the changes, and Enter to close.
Sometimes when starting the VRC software, things don't all start correctly.
Try the following in order:
Try starting the software again. This sometimes works.
Run the command rs-enumerate-devices. This seems to help librealsense pick up the camera.
Run the script reset_usb.sh (you may need to do chmod +x reset_usb.sh first). This resets all the USB devices.
Unplug the T265 camera and plug it back in.
Restart the Jetson.
If you get errors such as this constantly spammed, stop the software and start it again. Seeing this message once or twice is normal as all the software components start, but repeatedly should not happen.
This error means that the VRC software was unable to connect to the PCC. If you are not using the PCC, follow the steps above to disable that module.
Otherwise, to test that the PCC is correctly connected to the VMC, run the command:
You'll get the message ls: cannot access '/dev/ttyACM0': No such file or directory if the PCC is not connected. If the PCC is connected, /dev/ttyACM0 will get echoed back. Try unplugging the PCC and plugging it back into the VMC.
