Getting Started with FatcatLab EVB

Hardware Requirements

You will need all of the following:

  • FatcatLab EVB
  • BeagleBone Black or Green
  • A 9V power source [1]
  • MicroSDHC memory card [2] [3]
  • Windows, macOS or Linux computer with an Internet connection [4]
  • SD card reader for your computer
[1]The power source can be batteries or an AC/DC adapter.
[2]Look for the SDHC logo on the card. Cards larger than 32GB are not supported and will likely have data corruption issues. Some users with 32GB cards have also reported data corruption issues.
[3]It is not possible to use the built-in eMMC on the BeagleBone because of pin conflicts with the EVB cape.
[4]Administrative privileges are needed for installing software and flashing the microSD card.

Communication Requirements

You will need one of the following to establish communication to the EVB:

  • A USB Wi-Fi dongle attached to the BeagleBone [5]
  • An Ethernet cable
[5]A list of known working Wi-Fi dongles can be found on the wiki

Installing Ev3dev

Ev3dev is distributed as a disk image that is flashed to your microSD card.

  1. Download and install Etcher.

  2. Download the latest ev3dev image for BeagleBone from the ev3dev downloads page.

    Note

    Follow the link on that page for ev3dev-stretch snapshot images.

  3. Run Etcher and flash the image to the microSD card. Click here if you need detailed instructions on using Etcher.

  4. When the flashing is complete, open the EV3DEV_BOOT drive of the SD card on your computer.

    Tip

    You may need to remove the microSD card and plug it back in to the computer before you see the EV3DEV_BOOT drive.

  5. Open the uEnv.txt file and follow the instructions. You will need to edit a line to enable the EVB cape:

    cape=evb

  6. Save the changes to uEnv.txt and close the text editor.

  7. Safely eject the microSD card from your computer.

  8. Put the microSD card in the BeagleBone and turn it on.

Tip

Create a pull tab to make the microSD card easy to remove.

Establishing a Connection

Wi-Fi

Todo

Link to BrickMan docs on how to setup Wi-Fi.

Wired Ethernet

Connect an Ethernet cable from your Raspberry Pi to your router or network switch.

Setting Up a Development Environment

Programming tools are the same no matter which ev3dev device you are using, so continue here.