RoNeX FAQ (October 2013)
Thiago Azevedo
Frequently Asked Questions (October 2013)
What does RoNeX do ?
It connects hardware to software quickly, simply and efficiently.
Where can I download ROS drivers?
Right here: http://wiki.ros.org/sr_ronex
Is RoNeX only for ROS ?
ROS is very popular and it’s definitely the platform to support first – Shadow uses and supports ROS extensively. If you think we should support another platform, or would like to help us develop drivers for your favourite platform, let us know (rone...@googlegroups.com). Advanced users will also have the option of bypassing drivers altogether and talking to RoNeX directly.
Do I need any additional or special hardware for my computer ?
Absolutely not – with RoNeX, simply plug the Bridge into your computer’s ethernet port using a standard ethernet cable. Note that WiFi or a second ethernet port will be needed to connect your computer to the internet or another network.
What other Modules will there be?
We’re starting with the most important functionality first, but we have more Modules in the pipeline! We would like to hear from you (rone...@googlegroups.com) what you think would be the most useful functionality to have first.
Can RoNeX be used for real time control loops ?
It certainly can, and that’s a key feature. The 100Mbps EtherCAT bus allows real-time control loops (up to 1kHz) to be run on a host computer. Offloading control loops to a powerful host computer instead of a local micro-controller means control loop algorithms have more flexibility and can make use of more data, in more intelligent ways.
Can I connect wirelessly ?
Yes! This is where ROS comes into its own: it is designed to be distributed over many nodes robustly. What this means is that the ROS node controlling a RoNeX stack can be a small ARM computer, connected wirelessly to other ROS node(s) that may be a lot bigger, doing very clever stuff!
Does it have a benchtop case ?
RoNeX modules are great for experimentation and prototyping, and we know electronics can get knocked about, so we have made a great little case for them. The casing is modular and grows with each stack.
What does RoNeX do for my robot design ?
Local I/O with high-speed communications simplifies the architecture and lets you worry about mechanics, actuation, sensors and software rather than debugging your electronics. Flexible modules optimise the design, and the micro size of RoNeX means that the high-speed I/O and interfacing is still smaller than any other option.
Is RoNeX good value for money ?
RoNeX systems come with large I/O capabilities, making them cheaper pin-for-pin than other I/O solutions. The dense nature of RoNeX modules means you need fewer modules for a given robot, and because RoNeX I/O modules are flexible and multi-functional, you can use the same modules in multiple locations to do multiple tasks.
How well does RoNeX scale ?
RoNeX is based on EtherCAT, which is designed to be able to run newspaper printing presses and similar large systems with synchronised drives across 100s of metres. You can go 100m with a single ethernet span in RoNeX, and you can put 60 analogue and 60 digital I/Os on a single Stack – and then daisy chain multiple Stacks together (using a Bridge Out Module, coming soon!). The 100 Mbps bandwidth available over EtherCAT is what will eventually place a limit on scaling. Of course if you manage to saturate the 100 Mbps bus one solution would be to add more more ethernet ports and connecting RoNeX Stacks to those additional ports!
But we already design our own electronics ?
So do some of our customers. RoNeX provides a fast prototyping platform, allowing software, actuation, sensors, control and mechanical design work to get started without waiting for electronics, firmware and drivers. RoNeX just works – no need to debug prototype hardware, and it’s easy to have spares in case something gets broken. Meanwhile, instead of designing yet another communications architecture and infrastructure, your electronics team can concentrate on pushing the sensor design, or building a truly excellent brain.
Can I plug RoNeX into a network switch/hub ?
No. Whilst EtherCAT is similar to Ethernet, it is not the same protocol and therefore switches and hubs won’t route or operate properly with RoNeX. A RoNeX Stack should be plugged directly into a computer’s ethernet port.
Shadow Robot Company Ltd.
251 Liverpool Road, N1 1LX, UK
Registered Number 3308007 (England & Wales)
Soheil Gharatape
I have a question. How many packages can we send in 1Khz? For example, assume that I want to send 8 floats to the ROS Master. Then, the rate of sending data would remain on 1Khz?
Thank you,
On Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 9:23:24 PM UTC+9, thiago wrote:
Frequently Asked Questions (October 2013)
Can RoNeX be used for real time control loops ?
It certainly can, and that’s a key feature. The 100Mbps EtherCAT bus allows real-time control loops (up to 1kHz) to be run on a host computer. Offloading control loops to a powerful host computer instead of a local micro-controller means control loop algorithms have more flexibility and can make use of more data, in more intelligent ways.
...
Ugo Cupcic
Hello,
I have a question. How many packages can we send in 1Khz? For example, assume that I want to send 8 floats to the ROS Master. Then, the rate of sending data would remain on 1Khz?
Thank you,
On Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 9:23:24 PM UTC+9, thiago wrote:
Frequently Asked Questions (October 2013)
What does RoNeX do ?
It connects hardware to software quickly, simply and efficiently.
Where can I download ROS drivers?
Right here: http://wiki.ros.org/sr_ronex
Is RoNeX only for ROS ?
ROS is very popular and it’s definitely the platform to support first – Shadow uses and supports ROS extensively. If you think we should support another platform, or would like to help us develop drivers for your favourite platform, let us know (rone...@googlegroups.com). Advanced users will also have the option of bypassing drivers altogether and talking to RoNeX directly.
Do I need any additional or special hardware for my computer ?
Absolutely not – with RoNeX, simply plug the Bridge into your computer’s ethernet port using a standard ethernet cable. Note that WiFi or a second ethernet port will be needed to connect your computer to the internet or another network.
What other Modules will there be?
We’re starting with the most important functionality first, but we have more Modules in the pipeline! We would like to hear from you (rone...@googlegroups.com) what you think would be the most useful functionality to have first.
Can RoNeX be used for real time control loops ?
It certainly can, and that’s a key feature. The 100Mbps EtherCAT bus allows real-time control loops (up to 1kHz) to be run on a host computer. Offloading control loops to a powerful host computer instead of a local micro-controller means control loop algorithms have more flexibility and can make use of more data, in more intelligent ways.
Can I connect wirelessly ?
Yes! This is where ROS comes into its own: it is designed to be distributed over many nodes robustly. What this means is that the ROS node controlling a RoNeX stack can be a small ARM computer, connected wirelessly to other ROS node(s) that may be a lot bigger, doing very clever stuff!
Does it have a benchtop case ?
RoNeX modules are great for experimentation and prototyping, and we know electronics can get knocked about, so we have made a great little case for them. The casing is modular and grows with each stack.
What does RoNeX do for my robot design ?
Local I/O with high-speed communications simplifies the architecture and lets you worry about mechanics, actuation, sensors and software rather than debugging your electronics. Flexible modules optimise the design, and the micro size of RoNeX means that the high-speed I/O and interfacing is still smaller than any other option.
Is RoNeX good value for money ?
RoNeX systems come with large I/O capabilities, making them cheaper pin-for-pin than other I/O solutions. The dense nature of RoNeX modules means you need fewer modules for a given robot, and because RoNeX I/O modules are flexible and multi-functional, you can use the same modules in multiple locations to do multiple tasks.
How well does RoNeX scale ?
RoNeX is based on EtherCAT, which is designed to be able to run newspaper printing presses and similar large systems with synchronised drives across 100s of metres. You can go 100m with a single ethernet span in RoNeX, and you can put 60 analogue and 60 digital I/Os on a single Stack – and then daisy chain multiple Stacks together (using a Bridge Out Module, coming soon!). The 100 Mbps bandwidth available over EtherCAT is what will eventually place a limit on scaling. Of course if you manage to saturate the 100 Mbps bus one solution would be to add more more ethernet ports and connecting RoNeX Stacks to those additional ports!
But we already design our own electronics ?
So do some of our customers. RoNeX provides a fast prototyping platform, allowing software, actuation, sensors, control and mechanical design work to get started without waiting for electronics, firmware and drivers. RoNeX just works – no need to debug prototype hardware, and it’s easy to have spares in case something gets broken. Meanwhile, instead of designing yet another communications architecture and infrastructure, your electronics team can concentrate on pushing the sensor design, or building a truly excellent brain.
Can I plug RoNeX into a network switch/hub ?
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- Ugo Cupcic
- Head of Software
- +44 20 7700 2487
Soheil Gharatape
Thank you for your answer.
Usually the frequency of data communication is reported in baud rate. I just want to make sure that this device is able to publish my sensor's data on 1Khz. I need this rate of data to run a super accurate control loop.
Hope this device can do it for me,
Bests,
Hugo Elias
Hello,
I have a question. How many packages can we send in 1Khz? For example, assume that I want to send 8 floats to the ROS Master. Then, the rate of sending data would remain on 1Khz?
Thank you,
On Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 9:23:24 PM UTC+9, thiago wrote:
Frequently Asked Questions (October 2013)
What does RoNeX do ?
It connects hardware to software quickly, simply and efficiently.
Where can I download ROS drivers?
Right here: http://wiki.ros.org/sr_ronex
Is RoNeX only for ROS ?
ROS is very popular and it’s definitely the platform to support first – Shadow uses and supports ROS extensively. If you think we should support another platform, or would like to help us develop drivers for your favourite platform, let us know (rone...@googlegroups.com). Advanced users will also have the option of bypassing drivers altogether and talking to RoNeX directly.
Do I need any additional or special hardware for my computer ?
Absolutely not – with RoNeX, simply plug the Bridge into your computer’s ethernet port using a standard ethernet cable. Note that WiFi or a second ethernet port will be needed to connect your computer to the internet or another network.
What other Modules will there be?
We’re starting with the most important functionality first, but we have more Modules in the pipeline! We would like to hear from you (rone...@googlegroups.com) what you think would be the most useful functionality to have first.
Can RoNeX be used for real time control loops ?
It certainly can, and that’s a key feature. The 100Mbps EtherCAT bus allows real-time control loops (up to 1kHz) to be run on a host computer. Offloading control loops to a powerful host computer instead of a local micro-controller means control loop algorithms have more flexibility and can make use of more data, in more intelligent ways.
Can I connect wirelessly ?
Yes! This is where ROS comes into its own: it is designed to be distributed over many nodes robustly. What this means is that the ROS node controlling a RoNeX stack can be a small ARM computer, connected wirelessly to other ROS node(s) that may be a lot bigger, doing very clever stuff!
Does it have a benchtop case ?
RoNeX modules are great for experimentation and prototyping, and we know electronics can get knocked about, so we have made a great little case for them. The casing is modular and grows with each stack.
What does RoNeX do for my robot design ?
Local I/O with high-speed communications simplifies the architecture and lets you worry about mechanics, actuation, sensors and software rather than debugging your electronics. Flexible modules optimise the design, and the micro size of RoNeX means that the high-speed I/O and interfacing is still smaller than any other option.
Is RoNeX good value for money ?
RoNeX systems come with large I/O capabilities, making them cheaper pin-for-pin than other I/O solutions. The dense nature of RoNeX modules means you need fewer modules for a given robot, and because RoNeX I/O modules are flexible and multi-functional, you can use the same modules in multiple locations to do multiple tasks.
How well does RoNeX scale ?
RoNeX is based on EtherCAT, which is designed to be able to run newspaper printing presses and similar large systems with synchronised drives across 100s of metres. You can go 100m with a single ethernet span in RoNeX, and you can put 60 analogue and 60 digital I/Os on a single Stack – and then daisy chain multiple Stacks together (using a Bridge Out Module, coming soon!). The 100 Mbps bandwidth available over EtherCAT is what will eventually place a limit on scaling. Of course if you manage to saturate the 100 Mbps bus one solution would be to add more more ethernet ports and connecting RoNeX Stacks to those additional ports!
But we already design our own electronics ?
So do some of our customers. RoNeX provides a fast prototyping platform, allowing software, actuation, sensors, control and mechanical design work to get started without waiting for electronics, firmware and drivers. RoNeX just works – no need to debug prototype hardware, and it’s easy to have spares in case something gets broken. Meanwhile, instead of designing yet another communications architecture and infrastructure, your electronics team can concentrate on pushing the sensor design, or building a truly excellent brain.
Can I plug RoNeX into a network switch/hub ?
...
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