EROS: Compiling the TSB loader tool
The TSB Loader tool is used to upgrade the firmware of the internal actuators used in Seed Robotics units with the EROS architecture.
TSB Loader is open source and is written in FreeBasic which makes very easy to compile and port to multiple platforms.
To upgrade Seed Robotics actuators you will need a specially modified TSB Loader tool prepared by Seed Robotics.
- A pre compiled TSB Loader tool is readily available for Windows.
- For other OS'es you need to compile it yourself. It's a straightforward process. Please continue reading below.
Pre Requisite: install the FreeBasic Compiler
TSB Loader is written in Freebasic, so you first need to get the FreeBasic compiler (open source)
- For Windows (in case you want to compile yourself) you can get it from the FreeBasic website: https://sourceforge.net/projects/fbc/files/Binaries%20-%20Windows/
- For Linux: Option 1: Get the compiled packaged from the FreeBasic website https://sourceforge.net/projects/fbc/files/Binaries%20-%20Linux/
Open a console window and extract the files to a local directory.
Next, use the included script to install the compiler into your system folders.
Type sudo ./install.sh -i
Once the script completes you will need to install a few additional packages necessary for compiling under Linux.
A typical command would be:
sudo apt install gcc make lib{ncurses5,gpm,x11,xext,xpm,xrandr,xrender,gl1-mesa,ffi}-dev
(the actual command may need to be adapted depending on your Linux distribution; consult the Freebasic Wiki for more information)
- For Linux and other OS'es: Option 2 (very advanced users, if all else fails): Get the tarball from the FreeBasic website https://sourceforge.net/projects/fbc/files/Source%20Code/ and compile it locally. (there are some helpful instructions here). Whenever possible, we recommend going with Option 1.
Further information on Installing the FreeBasic Compiler Pre Requisite
If you need further information on installing the FreeBasic compiler, please check the FreeBasic Wiki where you will find a comprehensive explanation on how to install it in various OS'es http://freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=CompilerInstalling
Compiling the TSB Loader tool
Now that you have FreeBasic Compiler installed on your computer:
- Download the |TSB Loader source code (tsb.bas) (version modified by Seed Robotics)
- Open a Terminal/Command line window, navigate to the folder where you saved
tsb.bas
and enter the following command:
fbc -v tsb.bas
In order for the command to run successfully, you may need to specify the full path to the fbc
tool in your system:
In Linux it is usually /usr/local/bin/fbc
but depending on distribution it may vary.
In Windows it is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\FreeBasic\fbc
or C:\Program Files\FreeBasic\fbc
You should now be all done.
Type ./tsb
or just tsb
and you should see a list of options being printed.
Troubleshooting
Compiling with FreeBasic is usually pretty straightforward.
When compiling the TSB loader tool, we recommend that you don't use any compilation switches, except the -v
(verbose). For example, if you use the -e/-ex/-exx
switches when compiling, the resulting TSB Loader will not work properly.
Apart from this, if you are still running into issues, just send us an email to support@seedrobotics.com
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