sl-android f49e84b8bb feat: Phone-based motor test joystick app (Issue #513 )

Implements terminal-based curses UI for interactive bench testing of SaltyBot motors via Termux.

Features:
- Interactive keyboard-based joystick (W/A/S/D or arrow keys)
- Conservative velocity defaults: 0.1 m/s linear, 0.3 rad/s angular
- Real-time velocity feedback with bar graphs
- Spacebar e-stop (instantly zeros velocity)
- 500ms timeout safety (sends zero velocity if idle)
- Dual backend: ROS2 (/cmd_vel) or WebSocket
- Graceful fallback if ROS2 unavailable

Safety Features:
- Conservative defaults (0.1/0.3 m/s)
- E-stop button (spacebar)
- 500ms timeout (sends zero if idle)
- Input clamping and exponential decay
- Status/warning displays

Files:
- motor_test_joystick.py: Main application
- MOTOR_TEST_JOYSTICK.md: User documentation
- INSTALL_MOTOR_TEST.md: Installation guide

Co-Authored-By: Claude Haiku 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-03-06 11:47:15 -05:00

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Motor Test Joystick Installation (Issue #513)

Quick setup guide for installing motor_test_joystick.py on Termux.

Prerequisites

Android phone with Termux installed
Python 3.9+ (installed via termux-bootstrap.sh)
ROS2 Humble OR Jetson bridge running on networked Jetson Orin

Installation

1. Copy script to phone

# Option A: Via git
cd ~
git clone https://gitea.vayrette.com/seb/saltylab-firmware.git

# Option B: Via adb
adb push phone/motor_test_joystick.py /data/data/com.termux/files/home/

2. Make executable

chmod +x ~/saltylab-firmware/phone/motor_test_joystick.py

Quick Test

1. Start on phone (Termux)

ROS2 mode (requires Jetson ros_core running):

python3 ~/saltylab-firmware/phone/motor_test_joystick.py

WebSocket mode (if Jetson IP is 192.168.1.100):

python3 ~/saltylab-firmware/phone/motor_test_joystick.py \
  --backend websocket \
  --host 192.168.1.100

2. Verify on Jetson

ros2 topic echo /cmd_vel

3. Safety test

Move joystick (W key)
Watch /cmd_vel values change
Press spacebar (E-stop)
Verify velocities go to 0.0
Press Q to quit

Configuration

Adjust velocity limits

# Conservative (default)
python3 motor_test_joystick.py  # 0.1 m/s, 0.3 rad/s

# Moderate
python3 motor_test_joystick.py --linear-max 0.3 --angular-max 0.8

# Aggressive
python3 motor_test_joystick.py --linear-max 0.5 --angular-max 1.5

Change Jetson address

# Static IP
python3 motor_test_joystick.py --backend websocket --host 192.168.1.100

# mDNS hostname
python3 motor_test_joystick.py --backend websocket --host saltybot.local

# Different port
python3 motor_test_joystick.py --backend websocket --host 192.168.1.100 --port 8080

Troubleshooting

"ROS2 module not found"

→ Use WebSocket backend: --backend websocket --host <jetson-ip>

"Connection refused" (WebSocket mode)

→ Check Jetson IP, verify bridge listening on :9090

Motors not responding

Verify e-stop status (should show "Inactive")
Check timeout warning (>500ms = zero velocity)
Monitor Jetson: ros2 topic echo /cmd_vel
Verify network connectivity

Terminal display issues

Try reset or stty sane in Termux
Increase terminal size (pinch-zoom)
Use external keyboard (more reliable)

Safety Checklist

Phone connected to Jetson (WiFi/tether)
Motors disconnected or isolated (bench testing)
E-stop accessible (spacebar)
Terminal window visible
Max velocities appropriate (conservative defaults)
Kill switch ready (Ctrl+C)

Support

Main documentation: MOTOR_TEST_JOYSTICK.md
Issue tracker: #513
Termux wiki: https://wiki.termux.com/

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