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    # RNDMC
    
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    **Reconfigurable Numeric Dataflow Machine Controller**
    
    *aka project 'consistent-sandbox'*
    
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    ![img software](doc/images/atkapi.png)
    ![img hardware](doc/images/machine-with-atkapi.jpg)
    
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    This is a piece of software that is designed to help you assemble high level controllers from dataflow software elements. It serves a graphical programming interface, and is meant to live with dataflow hardware elements from [this project 'automatakit'](https://gitlab.cba.mit.edu/jakeread/automatakit).
    
    It's in the early stages, so bear with us. Everything is going to be great. 
    
    # Usage 
    
    
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    ## Installing Node.js, WebSocket and SerialPort
    
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    To Run DMC, you'll need to install node.js, and then the packages serialport and ws (websocket).
    
    ## Install Node.js
    
    Node.js is a runtime environment for javascript, so you can write and run js locally. [Download and install it here](https://nodejs.org/en/download/). 
    
    To check that node is installed, you can use
    
    ``node -v``
    
    In Windows check that in *Environment Variables, System Variables, Path* there is a path for C:\Users\yourusername\npm folder. If the folder does not exist, create it and set the path.  
    
    ## Install Serialport
    
    Node comes with a package controller called 'npm' - node package manager. You can use this to install dependencies for node programs. 
    
    Serialport is a package for node that allows it to interact with a hardware serial port.
    
    Navigate to the directory where you'll be running from (atkapi). Do
    
    ``npm install serialport``
    
    ## Install WS (WebSocket)
    
    WebSockets are very simple web connections. We use them to chat between the 'server' / heap (node) and the 'view' (your browser).
    
    To install ws, do
    
    ``npm install ws``
    
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    # Running DMC
    
    To run the program, we launch the main.js file with node, from the command line. One of the things this does is run a tiny HTTP server that we can use to access the UI.
    
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    cd to the rndmc folder and run: 
    
    ``node main``
    
    It's handy to keep a terminal window open beside a browser when running the software - it's not perfect yet - I do this:
    
    
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    ![term](doc/images/termopen.png)
    
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    This way I can watch for errors, and restart it when it crashes. Hopefully not a lot of this will happen.
    
    ## Open a Browser
    
    The program is now running a tiny HTTP server, where it will deliver an interface. It's set to show up at your local address on port 8080.
    
    In a browser open *localhost:8080* you will see the mods and this msg in the terminal *SEND PROGRAMS TO UI* 
    
    ## Using the Browser Interface 
    
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    ![img moving](doc/images/mothermother.gif)
    
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     - those GIFs tho 
     - steppers gotta step 
    
    
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     - load a program
     - drag around
     - zoom in and out 
     - add a module
     - hook events up
     - rm events
     - rm modules
     - change settings 
    
    
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    # Writing New Modules 
    
    
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     - whenever a menu is requested, the system searches ```modules/ * ``` for *anything*. include your .js of a new module there 
     - anything goes: you can run whatever code will run in node.js ... just follow these simple rules 
    
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     - TODO: put example here, with comments 
    
    # Writing Hardware Modules 
    
     - TODO: same, also including links / explanation to atk 
    
    # Development Notes 
    
    
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    ## For MW
    
    
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    - title is still 'xperiment'
    - do hw if you can, and gifs / demo at the same time?
    - some example program 
    - example modules 
    
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    - add reset button to hardware
    - add router for reset, test 
    
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    OK  
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    ## Documentation
    
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    - GIFS
    
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    ## Questionable Moves
    
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    - module deletion seems unclean 
    
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     - input / output objects should be able to unhook themselves: 
    
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     - keep references of what-is-attached ? 
    
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    ## WRT Representations
    
    
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    OK, should write this out properly at some point.
    
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    Module have 
     Inputs
     Outputs
     State (initial states are settings)
    
    
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    Hardware Modules have
     routes
     connected to 
     links 
    
    
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    Also
     Names, IDs
     Paths-to-source 
    
    To assemble a representation of these, we want to have a kind of 'netlist' that, for convenience, we'll treat like a JSON object. We want heirarchy, so consider the representation having 'top-level' outputs / inputs / state as well ? 
    
    
    ## Programming Notes
    
    ### 15 Minute Tasks 
     - @ views.js, uiRequestModuleMenu and uiRequestProgramMenu don't properly build trees from folder structure. similarly, reciprical fn's in client.js do the same 
     - @ these load / save functions could also reach into the modules' source to retrieve their proper names, as spec'd in description ... 
     - 's' for save program uses hack-asf DOM alert to ask for path
    
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    ## Desires 
    
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    - heirarchy zoom 
    
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     - architectural clarity betwixt UI and Heap 
    
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    - states / uis / etc - one off / one-at-a-time for updates 
     - i.e. all f'n update calls are to single module-global state update
     - ! 
    - states / getters / setters not applicable to sub-elements in an object within state
     - i.e. array access 
    - consistent dereferencing, type checking implementation?
    
    
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    ## UI Desires
    - modules have visual ways to throw errors - i.e. flashing red, popping up... 
    - off-screen divs get pointers-to so that we don't get lost
      - 'h' or something to zoom-to-extents
    - better module menu
    - hover for alt descriptions 
    
    
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    ## Planner Bugs
     - trapezoid linking doesn't account for speed changes properly, i.e. doesn't ramp down into next move if next move's cruise speed is less than our exit speed 
    
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     - should have some stronger ideas about flow control, allowable segment size (based on time) 
    
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    ## Want 
    
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    - log() for logs-from-module tagged 
    
    ## Demo Desires 
    - want to show immediacy of hardware: software representation
    - want to show physical reconfigurability and software reconfigurability
     - i.e. mill, add rotary tool, pull normal vector from planner moves and route to r motor 
    - want to have UI elements
     - button, terminal, 
    - live motor torque display, vector from accelerometer 
    
    ## Network Desires
    - c improvements / dma etc, would be very cool
    - flow control probably desired ... what can we model with uart and implement with fpga?
    - proper speed tests
    - DMA not possible / not enough channels for router implementation / not portable enough ... 
    - lights displaying activity
    
    ## Bugs
    - cannot connect input to output w/o backwards bezier 
    
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    - when source has changed, opening programs that have references to that source should be carefully done ... 
    
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    # The RPI
    
    
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    One of the desires here is to run programs headlessly on small embedded computers like the Raspberry Pi. The router has pogo-pins for this, so that when it's mounted beneath a Raspberry Pi the USB and Power lines are automatically hooked up - the 2A Buck Converter on the Router can also be used to power the RPI, so it can all run on one DC power bus. Nice! 
    
    ![ATKRouter](https://gitlab.cba.mit.edu/jakeread/atkrouter/raw/master/images/atkrouter.jpg)
    
    
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    ### Setup the Raspberry Pi
    
     - [download raspbian](https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md)
     - [flash and boot, setup etc](https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/setup/)
    
    ### Install Node on the Raspberry Pi
    
     - to install node, download the distro you want from nodejs.org 
     - extract the files, and hit these commands
    
    navigate to the distribution
    `` cd <distro> `` 
    copy that to local space on the pi
    `` sudo cp -R * /usr/local/ ``
    
    to check that node is installed, check the version using
    `` node -v ``
    which should return the version number of the distro you installed.
    
    
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    However:
    
    
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    ``` need to figure out how to get the RPI serialport to talk ``` 
    
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    - https://cnc.js.org/ 
    
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    - https://github.com/cncjs/cncjs/wiki/Setup-Guide:-Raspberry-Pi-%7C-Install-Node.js-via-Node-Version-Manager-(NVM)