Posts made by Ritwik Majumdar

Hello, I work at JPL and need access to the GPU and NPU (VOXL2) for some neural network inference.

Our use case does not process images (the network inputs are vectors) and we would like to run custom docker images that run independently of the VOXL2 SDK. Essentially, we would like to use the VOXL2 as a general single-board computer (like an RPi) and would like some easy access to the GPU/NPU for inference (like .to(device) on CUDA-enabled GPUs). Is this possible?

Thanks

@Vinny How about https://docs.modalai.com/usb2-type-a-breakout-add-on/? Would this work to get a USB-A output from the VOXL2? This would be perfect for my application. I would also need one for the WiFi. It seems that this uses the J3 port, is is possible to get one that uses the J5 port instead? If not, could I use a usb splitter or something else to connect the WiFi dongle?

@Vinny @Alex-Kushleyev This is all really helpful. Thank you! But I want to make clear what I need.

I have a VOXL 2 that I want to connect to a device with the following requirements:

• This device requires 16 GPIO Pins at 3.3V to operate.
• The VOXL2 also needs to have a constant connection to WiFi.
• Minimal time between function call and actuation of the GPIO Pin
• Minimal additional software (drivers, etc) that needs to be written (ideally there is an SDK I can use with the board(s))

The controller code for the device on the VOXL2 makes the following function call: "Pin X to Hi/Lo". For a bit clearer understanding, here is a rough schematic of what I need:

The Developer Test Board will do the entire thing for me without any additional software or B2B connections provided it has enough available GPIO pins at the required voltage. If it cannot acheive this, I need some insight into the following:

• A connector that adapts the proprietary connectors on the VOXL 2 to something more widely used (USB Mini B is an example).
• The correct port (JX) that will allow me to directly command the GPIO board (Like J5 or J3, etc)
• Advice on which boards will play well with the VOXL2 and can be commanded from the VOXL2 like gpio_write(PIN,HI/LO) with minimal additional software. (An example of what I need could be this board.

I understand that this sounds a lot like UART which could be a viable solution. However, I do not know if UART-enabled boards are fast and require no custom software scripts to be setup.

Please let me know if you need anything clarified. Thanks again!

In the VOXL documentation, it states that the gpio pin must already be opened and that libvoxl_io must be preloaded to acheive the 1-2 ms call time.

Does the VOXL 2 library (libqrb5165-io) suffer from this same problem? If so, how do I get to the fast call time?

@Vinny Thanks for the response! So with the board, I can attempt to write to the pins, if they do nothing, they are blocked and unable to be used. If they do something, I am free to safely use the pin for my purpose.

On a second note, is the best way to have wifi and use the gpio pins to just use an arduino connected to J5 and the expansion board connected to J3? If so, how does the software work to send commands to the arduino via UART?

I also need to have access to WiFi. Is it possible to connect the VOXL 2 to the developer test board and the Alfa WiFi module? I noticed that both the usb expansion board and developer test board use the J3 port.

Hello, I have a VOXL2 which I want to use to actuate 8 solenoid valves. I need access to 16 GPIO pins to do this task.

In the user guide
https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-linux-user-guide/#gpios

I found GPIO pins that I could control, but they are already mapped to other functions. Is there a way I can repurpose these pins (or other ones) for my task? Does the developer test board allow this?

Thanks