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This course is the hands-on mainline for bindings/python. The goal is to help you master all core APIs following the real motor usage flow. Course file convention:
  • xx-*.py: runnable directly
  • xx-*.md: explanation, parameters, and notes for that lesson

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1. Build a Unified Mental Model First

In real projects, always understand the flow along this chain:
  1. Choose transport (Controller(...) / from_socketcanfd(...) / from_dm_serial(...) / from_dm_device(...))
  2. Add motor (add_*_motor(...))
  3. Enable (enable_all())
  4. Mode (ensure_mode(...))
  5. Send (send_*)
  6. Feedback (request_feedback())
  7. Read state (get_state())
State-fetch version notes:
  • <= v0.1.6: manual poll_feedback_once() recommended
  • v0.1.7+: background polling on by default; get_state() usually suffices

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2. Course Order (by engineering practice)

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00 enable-and-status

Goal:
  • Run the minimal loop: communicate, enable, read state
Key APIs:
  • enable_all
  • request_feedback
  • get_state
  • poll_feedback_once (compat)

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01 scan

Goal:
  • Scan online motors, confirm motor_id / feedback_id / model
Key API/command:
  • motorbridge-cli scan

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02 register-rw

Goal:
  • Read/write register parameters, understand “control params” vs “device params”
Key APIs:
  • get_register_u32/f32
  • write_register_u32/f32
  • store_parameters

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03 mode-switch-method

Goal:
  • Unified mode switching, avoid “command/mode mismatch”
Key API:
  • ensure_mode(Mode.*, timeout_ms)

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04 / 05 / 06 / 07 single-mode lessons

Goal:
  • Master MIT / POS_VEL / VEL / FORCE_POS independently
Key APIs:
  • send_mit
  • send_pos_vel
  • send_vel
  • send_force_pos

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08 mode-mixed-switch

Goal:
  • Safely switch multiple modes within one program
Key APIs:
  • ensure_mode + each send_*

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09 multi-motor

Goal:
  • Same-vendor multi-motor and cross-vendor multi-controller unified query
Key APIs:
  • add_*_motor
  • request_feedback
  • get_state

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3. Full Binding API Cheatsheet (no ambiguity)

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Controller API

Constructors:
  • Controller(channel="can0")
  • Controller.from_socketcanfd(channel="can0")
  • Controller.from_dm_serial(serial_port, baud)
  • Controller.from_dm_device(dm_device_type, dm_channel)
Lifecycle:
  • close()
  • shutdown()
  • close_bus()
Controller-level ops:
  • enable_all()
  • disable_all()
  • poll_feedback_once()
Attach motors:
  • add_damiao_motor(...)
  • add_robstride_motor(...)
  • add_myactuator_motor(...)
  • add_hightorque_motor(...)
  • add_hexfellow_motor(...)

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Motor API

Lifecycle and maintenance:
  • close()
  • enable() / disable()
  • clear_error()
  • set_zero_position()
Mode and control:
  • ensure_mode(mode, timeout_ms=1000)
  • send_mit(pos, vel, kp, kd, tau)
  • send_pos_vel(pos, vlim)
  • send_vel(vel)
  • send_force_pos(pos, vlim, ratio)
Feedback and state:
  • request_feedback()
  • get_state() -> MotorState | None
Generic registers:
  • set_can_timeout_ms(timeout_ms)
  • store_parameters()
  • write_register_u32/f32(...)
  • get_register_u32/f32(...)
RobStride-specific:
  • robstride_ping()
  • robstride_set_device_id(...)
  • robstride_get_param_* / robstride_write_param_*
  1. Scan before you control; do not send blindly.
  2. Keep only one sender process running to avoid os error 105.
  3. Start with a conservative control period: DT_MS=20~50.
  4. enable + status first, then enter a control mode.
  5. On errors, check three things first: ID, baud rate, and transport type (socketcan/socketcanfd/dm-serial).
For the full tutorial + API-reference docs site, see:
  • ../motorbridge-docs
  • Key pages: sdk/python/reference.mdx, zh/sdk/python/reference.mdx
Local preview:
For transport troubleshooting, see docs/zh/can_debugging.md (covers can0 and slcan0 setup).