Eggduino

This is a fork of Arduino Firmware for Eggbot / Spherebot with Inkscape-Integration by cocktailyogi made after painting few eggs :)

I found that steppers did not move fluently. Furthermore, I wanted buttons to toggle pen and disable motors (my steppers are very audible while stationary), which double function of manual commands in eggbot extension.

So, lets summarize changes over the original version:

• added new move command joining together move and PRG button testing (SM + QB = SMQB :) ). This command acknowledges before engaging motion what allows to receive next command in background. It makes BIG difference, plotting is much more fluent. This command requires my custom version of eggbot inkscape extension, see below.
• pen toggle button (pen up and down positions are stored in eeprom)
• motor on/off button

I have also modified inkscape extension:

• you don't have to disable autoreset (although it is still better to do it anyway)
• arduinos are properly autodetected in linux (tested with chinese CH340G-based arduino)
• SMQB command support

Note that this code is compatible with original eggbot inkscape extension (tested with version 2.4.0), but only with disabled autoreset. Of course smooth movement will not be available.

Below slightly updated README from original repository:

Version 1.4s tested with Inkscape Portable 0.91, Eggbot Extension and patched eggbot.py

Regards: Eggduino-Firmware by Joachim Cerny, 2015

Thanks for the nice libs ACCELSTEPPER and SERIALCOMMAND, which made this project much easier. Thanks to the Eggbot-Team for such a funny and enjoyable concept! Thanks to my wife and my daughter for their patience. :-)

Features:

• Implemented Eggbot-Protocol-Version 2.1.0
• Turn-on homing: switch-on position of pen will be taken as reference point.
• No collision-detection!!
• Supported Servos: At least one type ;-) I use Arduino Servo-Lib with TG9e- standard servo.
• Full Arduino-Compatible. I used an Arduino Uno

Tested and fully functional with Inkscape.

Installation:

• Upload Eggduino.ino with Arduino-IDE or similar tool to your Ardudino (i.e. Uno)

• Disable Autoreset on Arduinoboard (there are several ways to do this... Which one does not matter...)

• Install Inkscape Tools wit Eggbot extension. Detailed instructions: (You just need to complete Steps 1 and 2) http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Installing_software or my modified version: https://github.com/bartebor/eggbot_extensions

• Because of an bug in the Eggbot-extension (Function findEiBotBoards()), the Eggduino cannot be detected by default. Hopefully, the guys will fix this later on. But we can fix it on our own. It is quite easy:

    - Go to your Inkscape-Installationfolder and navigate to subfolder .\App\Inkscape\share\extensions
    - open File "eggbot.py" in texteditor and search for line:
    	"Try any devices which seem to have EBB boards attached"
    - comment that block with "#" like this:
    		# Try any devices which seem to have EBB boards attached
    		# for strComPort in eggbot_scan.findEiBotBoards():
    		#	serialPort = self.testSerialPort( strComPort )
    		#	if serialPort:
    		#		self.svgSerialPort = strComPort
    		#		return serialPort
    - In my version lines 1355-1360