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Web GUI

The damiao gui command provides a web-based interface to connect to the CAN bus, scan for DaMiao motors, run commands, view and edit registers, and plot position, velocity, and torque in real time.

DaMiao Motor Control – full interface

Installation

Install the package; the damiao command will be available in your PATH:

pip install damiao-motor

Starting the GUI

damiao gui

Open http://127.0.0.1:5000 in your browser.

Recommended for control modes

To better understand control modes, use damiao gui to switch between MIT/POS_VEL/VEL/FORCE_POS and observe parameter visibility and live charts.

Command options

Option Description
--host Host (default: 127.0.0.1)
--port Port (default: 5000)
--debug Enable debug mode
--production Use production server (requires pip install waitress)

Examples:

damiao gui --port 8080
damiao gui --host 0.0.0.0
damiao gui --production

Connection Bring-Up Workflow (GUI)

Use this workflow to validate setup and start controlling motors from the GUI.

1. Start the GUI

damiao gui

Open http://127.0.0.1:5000 in your browser.

Interface layout:

  • Top bar: Connection controls (CAN channel, Connect, Disconnect).
  • Left column: Motor Selection, Motor Control, Register Parameters.
  • Right column: Chart Visualizations (Position, Velocity, Torque).

2. Connect to CAN Interface

  • Select Bus Type (socketcan on Linux, gs_usb on macOS with a CANable/candleLight adapter).
  • Select the CAN channel (can0 for socketcan; 0 for the first gs_usb device) and click Connect.
  • For gs_usb, set the Bitrate to match your CAN network (typically 1000000).
  • If your interface is not listed, use the refresh button (↻) and select again.
  • Confirm status log messages show successful connection (for example: Connecting..., then Connected to CAN bus: can0).
  • Use Disconnect to safely reset connection and clear detected motors.

macOS (gs_usb)

On macOS, select Bus Type → gs_usb. The required gs_usb and pyusb libraries are installed automatically with pip install damiao-motor on macOS. The GUI auto-detects your platform and pre-selects the correct bus type and channel on load.

Connection bar – CAN channel, Connect, Disconnect, and status log

3. Scan and Select Motor

  • Click Scan Motors.
  • Select the target motor from the dropdown (Motor ID: 0xXX | Arb ID: 0xYY).
  • Selecting a motor updates control parameters, register parameters, and charts.

Motor Selection – Scan Motors and motor dropdown (Motor ID | Arb ID)

4. Configure Motor and Registers

  • Set Motor type and choose the target Control Mode.
  • Configure mode-specific command fields:
  • MIT: position, velocity, stiffness, damping, torque
  • POS_VEL: position, velocity limit
  • VEL: velocity
  • FORCE_POS: position, velocity limit, torque limit ratio
  • In Register Parameters, editable (RW) rows support Write and Cancel; read-only (RO) rows have no edit action.
  • Feedback ID / Motor ID use hex input; Control mode and CAN baud rate use dropdowns.
  • For persistence after power cycle, use Store Parameters after runtime writes.
  • Changing Feedback ID or Motor ID triggers a rescan so the motor list stays correct.

Motor type dropdown – supported motor models (4310, 4340, 6006, …) Register Parameters – Description, Value, Type, Action; edit flow for RW registers

5. Test Motor Control and Verify Feedback

  • Click Enable.
  • Send commands in Single mode for quick checks, then switch to Continuous mode if needed.
  • Set command frequency for continuous mode and use Stop Command to halt sending.
  • Use Set Zero when you need to redefine current position as zero.
  • Use Clear Error if the motor reports an error state.
  • Verify live feedback: Status, Position, Velocity, Torque, MOS Temp, and Rotor Temp.
  • torque_limit_ratio in FORCE_POS is normalized (0.0-1.0) and applied as tau_lim = torque_limit_ratio * T_max(motor_type).

Motor Control – Control Parameters and Motor Feedback

6. Monitor Charts and Export Data

  • Watch Position / Velocity / Torque charts while testing.
  • Adjust chart controls as needed: Grid, Duration (s), Y Min / Y Max, Reset Limits, and Points.
  • Use Export Data on each chart to download visible data as CSV.
  • Export opens a modal where you enter the filename before download.

Chart Visualizations – Position (rad), Velocity (rad/s), Torque (Nm) Export Chart Data – file name input and CSV save action

Safety notes

Safety First

  • Verify CAN interface and motor wiring before Connect.
  • Ensure the motor is securely mounted and the area is clear before Enable and Continuous commands.
  • Always verify register values before writing; some changes take effect immediately.
  • Changing Motor ID or Feedback ID changes how the motor is identified; the GUI rescans automatically.
  • Test register and command changes in a safe environment before production use.