Handling - Duckiebot DB21#

What you will need

What you will get

Knowledge on standard protocols to turn on, turn off, charge, and update the Duckiebattery software version on a DB21 robots;

Note

The box above contains important information on the requirements. Make sure to read and follow them before proceeding.

Note

In this manual, we use DB21 to refer to any version of the Duckiebot with prefix DB21, such as, DB21J, DB21M, etc.

Duckiebot DB21 handling tutorial video#

How to charge a DB21#

To charge your Duckiebot, follow these steps:

  • Plug in the charging cable to the free microUSB port on the HUT.

Note: to minimize mechanical stress on the HUT we recommend plugging in the charging cable once, and leaving the USB port end free to plug and unplug from charging instead. You can arrange the cable under the DB21 top plate during operations for cable management.

  • Plug in the charger to a 5V 2A source.

    Note

    the battery can draw up to 2A. Feeding a higher amperage will not be a problem, but wrong voltage will send the battery in protection mode.

  • If the Duckiebot is turned on when charging, a battery charge indicator will appear on the top right of the screen. If the Duckiebot is turned off, the LEDs will turn on. In both cases, a small LED on the HUT near the charger port will turn green, indicating incoming power.

How to power off a DB21#

Warning

The proper shutdown protocol for a DB21 requires having the Duckiebattery software version 2.0.0 or newer. To check the version of your battery, follow the instruction to “Verify current battery version” on How to update a Duckiebattery.

Make sure the Duckiebot has completed the booting process. You can verify this by checking the “Status” after running dts fleet discover on your laptop: a green Ready message will indicate that the Duckiebot has completed the booting process.

There are three methods to power off a DB21:

  1. Using the top button (preferred):

    1. Press the top button (not the battery button) for 5 seconds and release;

    2. What to expect:

      1. The top button will blink for 3 seconds;

      2. The Duckiebot front and back LEDs turn off;

      3. In about 10 seconds, the on-board computer and the fan will shut down;

    3. Troubleshooting: If the display just switched to the next page and the top button did not blink, try again and push harder on the top button during the 5 seconds;

  2. Using dts:

    1. dts duckiebot shutdown ![ROBOT_NAME]

    2. What to expect:

      1. In about 10 seconds, the on-board computer and the fan will shut down;

      2. If the charging cable is not attached, the front and back LEDs will also turn off;

  3. Through the Duckiebot dashboard:

    1. Open a browser

    2. Navigate to http://![ROBOT_NAME].local

    3. In the Top-Right corner, click on the Power options, and choose “Shutdown”. Then confirm the action.

    4. What to expect:

      1. In about 10 seconds, the on-board computer and the fan will shut down;

      2. If the charging cable is not attached, the front and back LEDs will also turn off;

Warning

The following “hard” power shutdown should be only be used if the three methods above failed to shut down the Duckiebot, as it might lead to software corruption.

As a last resort, one could still perform a “hard” power shutdown of the DB21:

  • ssh duckie@![ROBOT_NAME].local sudo poweroff;

  • Unplugging the microUSB cable from the port marked as 5Vraspi on the HUT;

How to power on a DB21#

To power on a DB21 robot, press the button on the battery once.

The Duckiebot LEDs, as well as the on-board computer LED will turn on.

After a few seconds, the Wi-Fi dongle will start blinking. The Duckiebot LEDs will then turn to a steady white color, followed by the button and screen on the top plate powering on, as shown in the tutorial video above.

How to SSH to the Duckiebot#

Next, let us try and log in onto our robot using the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol. We can do so by running the command,

ssh [email protected]

The default password is quackquack.

How to update a Duckiebattery#

Follow the instructions on how to update a Duckiebattery.

How to update a HUT#

Follow the instructions on how to update a Duckiebot HUT.

Note

Reflashing a HUT is rarely needed. A notable exception is for HUT version 3.15 which comes with DB21s. The HUT version can be read on the board itself.

Troubleshooting

SYMPTOM

The power button on top does not shut off the Duckiebot.

RESOLUTION

The power button needs to be held for three seconds and then released. If this still does not work, run dts duckiebot update <your_robot> and then use dts duckiebot reboot <your_robot>. You may also need to re-flash your HUT following the procedure described in Debug - Re-flash Microcontroller if you have not already.

Troubleshooting

SYMPTOM

My Duckiebot has a very low battery charge and is stuck in a boot cycle.

RESOLUTION

Unplug all cables from the HUT except port # that is used to charge the battery. Allow the battery to charge for at least 5 hours before plugging all cables back in their nominal positions.