README.md

# Automatakit API

aka project 'consistent-sandbox' 

![img software](doc/images/atkapi.png)
![img hardware](doc/images/machine-with-atkapi.jpg)

[Automatakit](http://gitlab.cba.mit.edu/jakeread/automatakit) is a system architecture for robotics where machine controllers are extensible, and organized around the principle of event propagation: things happen because of other things that have happened beforehand. 

We aim to take an event graph architecture down through multiple layers of computing, routing event propagation also through a message passing network between multiple cpus each operating modular hardware endpoints.

This project serves the developement environment / api we use to write and represent programs that are event graphs. [Install and Run.](https://gitlab.cba.mit.edu/jakeread/atkapi/blob/master/installing-node-sp-ws.md)

![img moving](doc/images/mothermother.gif)

## For MW

 - walk program units and change 
  - hardware, and consolidate ? 
 - what program units do we want?
 - try demo machine setup ... want flow control, better planning, this is actually a big thing 
 - jogging, etc ... keydown modules ? 

## Documentation
 - GIFS
  - load a program
  - drag around
  - zoom in and out 
  - add a module
  - hook events up
  - rm events
  - rm modules
  - change settings 

## Questionable Moves
 - test load of dmz.json - unordered list / names / no mdl ? 
 - module deletion seems unclean
 - input / output objects should be able to unhook themselves: 
  - keep references of what-is-attached ? 

## WRT Representations

OK, should write this out properly at some point.

Module have 
 Inputs
 Outputs
 State (initial states are settings)

Also
 Names, IDs
 Paths-to-source 

Modules-that-represent-remote-computing also have
 Ports
 that connect to a
 Link 

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

- once we can plan gcode sequence, work towards more
 - better hardware abstraction, i.e.
   stepper.port = bridge.port('0,1')
   stepper.port.onPacket = function(){ ... } 
   callbacks ? 
 - UI elements, i.e. demonstrating slider for individual axis movements, or just an arrow / keypad capture on mouseover thing 

## Deeply Missing
- delete modules / module context menu 
- load / save program 
- decent page nav 
- title bar / instructions 
- heirarchy zoom 
- 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?

## 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 

## Want
- log() for logs-from-module tagged 
- off-screen divs get pointers-to so that we don't get lost
  - 'h' or something to zoom-to-extents

## 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
- when bridge has two addresses only one sends
 - add watch for identical addresses
 - besides we want a different network representation 
- cannot connect input to output w/o backwards bezier 

# The RPI

 - sudo apt-get update
 - sudo apt-get upgrade
 - install nvm
  -  
 - install git 

- https://cnc.js.org/ 
- https://github.com/cncjs/cncjs/wiki/Setup-Guide:-Raspberry-Pi-%7C-Install-Node.js-via-Node-Version-Manager-(NVM)