Python Roomba

Python 2.7 scripts to control the Roomba via serial cable. This work is based on the script from this course. I adjusted it a bit to get access to the light bump in the Create 2 and my Roomba 770.

Dependencies

You need pyserial to run this script.

pip install pyserial

or

easy_install pyserial

Tester

I added a file to control the roomba with the wasd-keys. For that you also need pygame installed. Just run

python game.py

and a window with some information about the current sensor values like the one below:

Move the Roomba around with w/a/s/d.

Use as library

The main class is create.py which contains everything to talk to the Roomba. To use it write sth like:

import create
import time
robot = create.Create(ROOMBA_PORT)
robot.printSensors() # debug output
wall_fun = robot.senseFunc(create.WALL_SIGNAL) # get a callback for a sensor.
print (wall_fun()) # print a sensor value.
robot.toSafeMode()
robot.go(0,100) # spin
time.sleep(2.0)
robot.close()

For more information read the original tutorial. The list of all available sensors is here.

My setup

I tested these scripts using this cable and a Roomba 770. I tested the code on a Mac and on a RaspberryPi with debian (you need to change the PORT to tty.USB0 on the Pi) If the Roomba does not connect properly, check the cable first, then check if the port is correct, and then check if the baud rate in create.py is correct.

Known issues

The odometer data is nonsense. I assume that there are bugs in the computation because its off way too much to count it as cumulative error.