The best fitness I was able to achieve in v0.68 and v0.69 at any grid size was 0.4. Most attempts were less then .1. I assumed this was mostly due to the trouble I was having with the BR cable at waypoint 3.
v0.69.1 did not have the same issue at waypoint 3 and the initial fitness scores prove it. But the longer the calibration ran the worse the score. The loosest cable at the end was always BR.
Below is a summary table of my 5 calibration attempts with v0.69.1
| Retraction |
Center point deviation | 0-8 Fitness | 9-24 Fitness | 25-48 Fitness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 | TL: 0.144 TR: 0.219 BL: -4.910 BR: -16.488 | 1.52 | 0.53 | 0.46 |
| 1300 | TL: 0.215 TR: 0.206 BL: -5.363 BR: -13.518 | 2.05 | 0.62 | 0.41 |
| 1800 | TL: 0.263 TR: 0.332 BL: -7.160 BR: -11.768 | 1.31 | 0.494 | fitness too low |
| 1800 | TL: 0.268 TR: 0.292 BL: -2.795 BR: -8.976 | 1.1 | 0.54 | lost connection |
| 1300 | TL: 0.222 TR: 0.187 BL: -4.479 BR: -8.861 | 1.43 | 0.46 | fitness too low |
Observations from the first phase of calibration:
The center point was measured first and then only the perimeter of the 3x3 grid was measured in a clockwise outward spiral. There was no duplicate measurement of waypoint 0 or waypoint 1 that we used to get. As before during vertical calibration the top 2 cables were used for travel, they were never slack. The bottom 2 cables would decompress and then both would comply as they traveled. Then both bottom cables would take turns tightening before measurement. Cables would tighten right then left for waypoints 0,1,5-8 and right then left for points 3-4. During the left travel compliance was needed for the BR cable as it was moving away. Unfortunately the BL cable was also getting fed out (maybe because the subtle jostling of the sled triggered movement in the encoder?) This resulted in a lot more slack than needed at all of the bottom left waypoints. I also noticed the worst center point deviation was consistently the BR cable. Maybe an issue with my frame?
Observations from the later phases of calibration:
Waypoints continued the outward spiral in a 5x5 then 7x7 grid perimeter. I sometimes noticed a bit of decompression from the bottom 2 cables before traveling. It was much less then the first phase. The bottom cables were not compliant and often had tension during travel. They moved in/out instead of relying on slack. Despite this sometimes the bottom cables would accumulate a bit of slack, particularly the BR. Like the prior phase bottom cables would tighten for measurements. I noticed the amount of slack in the bottom cables would increase as the sled was near the top. The most snug the cables were during movement was the first few travels on the bottom to the left (immediately after the successful first 3x3 calibration).
Observations about my Maslow:
I noticed sometimes (more than a few) waypoints the bottom right cable would remain slack during measurement. Some other times when I felt the tension during retraction the BR cable would not be as tight as the others. Most of the other times it was plenty tight. To mitigate this I changed the Maslow_Calibration_Current_Threshold from 1300 to 1800. This solved the tension issues but did not have an impact on the fitness scores.
Suggestions:
- For initial vertical calibration make both cables compliant for upward travel, neither compliant for downward travel and only one compliant for left or right travel. I was looking through the v0.68 code and I think I know where this can be changed.
- Maybe have an option for a counter-clockwise spiral. Vertical orientation breaks one axis of symmetry and clockwise order breaks the other axis. I don’t know if there is an issue with my particular BR arm or if there is a general issue with the bottom opposite-of-spiral arm. I need another data point (BL).
- With multiple phases it would be good to insert timestamps between each phase. I would like to know where my time is spent. How long for each phase and how long for taking measurements vs calculation.