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2. Calibrating PiDog

Introduction

Calibrating your PiDog is a crucial step to ensure its stable and efficient operation. This process helps correct any imbalance or inaccuracy caused by assembly or structural errors. Follow the steps below carefully to make sure your PiDog walks smoothly and performs as expected.

If the deviation angle is too large, return to Servo Adjust(Important), set the servo angle to 0°, and then reassemble PiDog according to the instructions.

Calibration Video

For a detailed guide, refer to the full calibration tutorial video. It will visually and step by step demonstrate how to accurately calibrate your PiDog.

Note

The PiDog kit includes either a 90° or 60° calibration ruler. The video uses the 90° ruler, but the 60° calibration process is very similar. You can also refer to the illustrated step-by-step guide below.

Steps

Follow these steps:

  1. Place the PiDog on a flat platform.

    ../_images/place-pidog.JPG

  2. Navigate to the PiDog example code directory and run the 0_calibration.py script.

    cd ~/pidog/examples
sudo python3 0_calibration.py

  3. After running the script, an interactive interface will appear in the terminal. Choose the type of calibration ruler you have: select option 1 for 90°, or option 2 for 60°.

    ../_images/CALI.slt.1.png

  4. After making your selection, the following calibration interface will appear:

    ../_images/CALI.slt.2.png

If you are using the 60° calibration ruler

  1. Position the calibration ruler (acrylic C-board) as shown, with the long edge on the horizontal surface. Press 1 in the terminal and use the w and s keys to adjust the alignment.

    ../_images/CALI.60.1.JPG

  2. Reposition the calibration ruler as shown in the figure below. Press 2 in the terminal and fine-tune the alignment using the w and s keys.

    ../_images/CALI.60.2.JPG

  3. Repeat the calibration process for servos 3 to 8 to ensure all four legs of the PiDog are properly calibrated.

If you are using the 90° calibration ruler

  1. Position the calibration ruler (acrylic C-board) as shown. Press 1 in the terminal, then use w and s to align the edges with the illustration.

    ../_images/CALI-1.2.png

  2. Reposition the calibration ruler (acrylic C-board) as shown. Press 2 in the terminal, then adjust again with w and s.

    ../_images/CALI-2.2.png

  3. Repeat the calibration procedure for servos 3 to 8 to ensure all four legs of the PiDog are properly calibrated.

Completing the Calibration

  • Once all servos are calibrated, rerun the PiDog walking or posture example code to check if the movements are smooth.

  • If there is still deviation, return to the calibration program for fine-tuning.

  • It is highly recommended to complete this step after your initial assembly to ensure stable performance during operation.

Tip

To avoid recalibrating in the future, you can record the servo angles or export the configuration file after calibration. This makes it easy to restore settings quickly next time.