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https://github.com/erikdebruijn/epsilon-phys-client

Empty Epsilon Physical client
https://github.com/erikdebruijn/epsilon-phys-client

Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Empty Epsilon Physical client

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README 

        
# What is Empty Epsilon?

[Empty Epsilon](http://emptyepsilon.org) is an open source multiplayer space bridge simulation (mostly developed at [Ultimaker](https://ultimaker.com) in the evening hours). The core idea is that all players has to cooperate well in order to survive. The skills of crew and its captain are critical. 



# A physical-client add-on to EmptyEpsilon?

This is an add on that will allow things to happen in the real world while playing the game. When getting hit, you'll see actual flashes from a strobe, when shield are activated a signal light will turn on, when there's signficant damage to the ship's hull, there will be smoke, too.



# What does it look like?

See [this YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR8-D7AkZMs) that I made. It will show the strobe flashes and signal light and you may see some smoke.



# How does it work?

Ruby code to run a client that will interface with the Empty Epsilon server. It controls an Arduino, which has a shield connected to it, with relays. The relays are connected to power outlets which have equipment connected to them, such as a strobe, smoke machine or rotating signal light.

The ruby script will automatically detect the Arduino, even when it gets disconnected or reconnected. It will also scan for a running Empty Epsilon server in common IP ranges, so you don't need to know the IP.



# How to build it?

### Basic architecture

```

___________     ___________   ___________    ___________  

|   signal  |   |   strobe  | | smoke     |  | smoke     | 

|   light   |   |   light   | | trigger   |  | power     | 

 -----------     -----------   -----------    -----------  

     |                |             |              |

 ___________     ___________   ___________    ___________  

| Relay 1   |   | Relay 2   | | Relay 3   |  | Relay 4   | 

 -----------     -----------   -----------    -----------  

     |                |             |              |

  _____________________________________________________

 |                                                     |

 |                 Arduino Mega 2560                   |

 |                                                     |

 |                  (running duino)                    |

  -----------------------------------------------------

          |

          |  serial over USB

          |

  ____________________                       ______________

 | physical-client.rb |       http          | EmptyEpsilon |

 |                    |-----lua-script----->|  http server |

 |        ruby        |<----json response---|   enabled    |

 ---------------------                       --------------

```

### Bill of Materials

I've used the following parts:

 - A signal light with a 12V adapter running on 230V

 - Power outlets from the hardware store

 - An Arduino Mega 2650

 - 1.25 mm^2 wire

 - Relay shield (from [seeedstudio](http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/Relay_Shield_V2.0))



### Steps

Roughly, these were the steps I took to build this project.

 - Get some enclosures to make sure no 230V is exposed.

 - Connect the arduino with the relayshield

 - Figure our which pins to trigger in the relay shield documentation

 - Program an Arduino the "basic" with the IDE, let it respond to serial chars

 - Send those chars manually

 - Write a little client in ruby

 - Figure out that there's a gem called duino which makes reprogramming the arduino everytime obsolete, just work from ruby to develop all functionality.

 - Connect the 4 relays to 3 power outlets. One is used to control a switch of the smoke system.



### Caveats (read BEFORE YOU START)

 - IMPORTANT: You must have knowledge of how to work with 230V and make a safe circuit

 - Probably best to see if you can get the software running before you spend lots of money on hardware

 - Check pin settings in settings.yml to make sure to turn on the correct relay for the functions you want! Your setup may be connected differently

 - Enabled the httpserver for the PC running as EmptyEpsilon server by adding httpserver=80 to the options.ini

 - Upload the duino firmware (of the [duino ruby gem](https://github.com/austinbv/dino), which basically makes the Arduino a slave to be controlled by the ruby code.



### How to upload the duino firmware to the Arduino:



For info about dino: http://tutorials.jumpstartlab.com/projects/arduino/introducing_arduino.html



1. install inotool (found at: http://inotool.org/ )

2. Run in a terminal: 

```sh

cd du

ino build  -m mega2560

ino upload -m mega2560

```

4. ...

5. profit!



### Install software dependencies



1. ```sudo apt-get install ruby-dev```

2. ```sudo gem install bundler```

3. ```bundle```



Ensure your user account has access to the USB port:



4. ```sudo adduser `whoami` dialout``

5. ```sudo reboot```



### Running the physical-client

Starting the client is easy:

```ruby physical-client.rb```



For testing purposes you can use ```fake_server.rb```. It will pretend to be an Empty Epsilon server which pretends to have a ship that is getting hit occasionally, until it is destroyed.



### Dependencies

- You need at least a working ruby binary.

- [inotool](http://inotool.org/)

- Several dependencies that I'm forgetting which I have installed.



### License

This ia **free software**. The code is licensed [GPLv3](https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html). It comes with no warranty and I don't claim fitness for any purpose (other than to have a bit of fun and learn something).