Introduction to Topview Robotics IDE

All robotic developments require a component that is equally important like the microcontroller based hardware, associated sensing elements, mechanical assembly is the ideal software development environment. This software environment gives you all the required power, ways to integrate all the robotic elements to undertake a specific task.

Topview Robotic IDE gives you facilities to develop your programs right from the scratch. IDE’s built-in Text Editor takes care program entry operations. You can simply key in your target code line by line.

For any new application, you need to start a new Project that contains all the required program files generated using C and Assembly language. You need not worry of assembly language at this stage. You can generate all your program files using C language.

You should start the program entry by opening a new project using New Project command from Project menu.

The generated project will be displayed in the project window as shown here:

The list of C files generated for the new project are

Fvector.c giving definition of fixed vector table.

Heap.c giving definition of heap size.

Initsct.c giving section initializations.

Intprg.c indicating variable vector table.

Resetprog.c keeping startup files.

Routineslib.lib keeping all required routines.

Test.c is your application code.

Here, Test.c is the c file generated with the project name assigned for that project and this name is different for every project. Other files are common for all the projects.

Now Test.c is the application file where main() function is available to get your program code lines.

Now we introduce the Functions window that lists the interacting functions available for all the sensors and helps you generate the required C code to embed these robotic functions into your robotic applications. These functions cover Motor control, Timer controls, Line tracking sensors, Object sensors, Light sensors, Sound sensor, LCD operations, Interacting keys and the Buzzer.

To generate the application code, keep your project file open in the text editor. Place your cursor at the required location where you want to introduce any of the sensor interfacing function. Then click on the required function in the function window. This window keeps all possible functions available for your use in your applications.

A dialog box opens up to indicate different operating conditions available for that function. You need to define your exact requirements in that dialog and click OK button to get the required application code at the cursor position.

The output window captures and displays the compiler output when the Build or Build All command is called to compile the project files.

Download application code

The Build or Build All commands generate the actual application code meant for the current project in .MOT format and stores the same in the project directory itself.

To make the FASTBot execute your application, you need to transfer this application code into the bot using Download Project command from Project menu. The downloading happens as shown here,

Execute the application code

There are two ways to execute your application code.

First choice is that you can execute the code without removing the bot from the programming adapter. Press the Reset CPU option in the Project menu to reset the master controller. Once the microcontroller is reset, the application code residing in the flash memory starts working.

The next is that you can remove the programming adapter cable from the FASTBot and take it to the field for testing. Here, press the reset switch, SW-05 on the bot to reset the controller start executing the application code.

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