FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

At the moment we have the following sensors / inputs included in the Fable system:

Fable Blockly:

Camera – You can use an inbuilt laptop webcam or a USB camera. Used to stream video, snap pictures, detect motion and color.

Keyboard – The Fable system can use any keyboard. The keyboard use ranges from regular typing to using specific keys to trigger a specific behavior. For example, one can use the arrow keys to drive the spin module

Microphone – Fable can use inbuilt or peripheral microphone devices that are plugged into your computer. Currently the microphone senses the noise levels around the computer.

Time – The time that has passed since the program was started can be read and used, for example in mathematical formulas that control the robot.

Fable Joint:

Motor Angle – The joint module can measure the angle of both its motors. This is done with a precision of 0.29 degrees and in the range from -90 to +90 degrees.

Motor Speed ​​– The joint module can measure the speed at which its motors move. Works both when the module is moved manually and when it is programmed to move itself.

Motor Torque – The joint module can measure the force with which its motors turn.

Fable Spin:

Motor Angle – The spin module can measure the angle of both its motors. This is done in the range from -32,768 to +32,767 degrees, marking a complete revolution every 360 degrees in each direction.

Motor Speed ​​– The spin module can measure and/or change the speed at which its motors move.

Headlights – The spin module has headlights, just like a car, but smaller.

Ambient / Directed light detection – The spin module can detect light sources. The current version allows a user to point the spin sensor array to a lightbulb and detect the intensity. Similarly the spin can detect the intensity of ambient light.

Proximity detection – The spin module can perceive objects within a small range in front of its sensor array.

Color detection – The spin module can also identify predefined colors. This feature is best used together with the Spin module headlights. More light means better detection.

Infrared communication – The spin module can use its inbuilt IR components to send and receive messages in the infrared wave spectrum. For example, one spin module can send a specific letter to another module as a simple implementation of robot to robot communication.

Fable Face / Fable Blockly (on iPad and Chromebook):

Accelerometer – You can use this feature to visualize gravitational acceleration or the phone’s acceleration in three axes in real time.

Touchscreen – smartphones, iPads and select Chromebooks (those that have a touchscreen) can utilize this powerful feature and read the number of fingers touching the screen or the location of the finger on the screen (ranging between -100 to 100 on both the X and Y axis).

Geolocation – You can use this feature to visualize the geographical coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the phone, tablet or computer in real time.

General:

Battery level – All active modules in the Fable system allow the user to check battery levels.

The following platforms can run Fable Blockly:

• Windows 7, 8, 8.1 – 64-bit systems only. Additionally, you need to download and install the drivers for Fable Hub. Check the “What are the requirements to run Fable Blockly on my device?” for more information.
• Windows 10
• Mac OS X – Yosemite and newer.
• iPad – requires iOS 10.0 and newer.
• Chromebook – requires the device to be Android-compatible. Check the “What are the requirements to run Fable Blockly on my device?” for more information.

The following platforms can run Fable Face:

• Android – requires Android 4.4 or newer.
• iOS – requires iOS 8.0 or newer.

Depending on your platform, the requirements may vary.

Windows 7, 8 or 8.1:

You need to download and install the drivers for Fable Hub. Check the “How do I install the Fable Hub driver? (Windows 7 & 8)” topic in the Troubleshooting section of this FAQ.

Chromebook:

Requires the Play Store to be enabled on the device. Please check here to see if your Chromebook is compatible with Fable Blockly.

Chromebook / iPad:

Most probably, you will need to run a critical one-time update to every single one of your Fable Hubs before you can use any Fable modules on these two platforms. If your device cannot find a Fable Hub, this means you should update that Hub. Once updated, the Fable Hub should be discovered by your device. Please contact support@shaperobotics.com for assistance on how to update or if you still cannot discover the Hub even after updating.

The majority of features in Fable Blockly are supported across all platforms. The following is a list of feature differences:

Connecting a Fable Hub – through a USB cable on Windows/Mac, through Bluetooth on Chromebook/iPad. Bluetooth is slightly slower, so expect a small delay if you’re attempting to execute something extremely time-sensitive.

Camera – not available on Chromebook/iPad.

Fable Face – will not be able to connect to Chromebook/iPad.

Plotting – not available on iPad.

Custom sounds – not available on iPad.

Programming language – Python only available on Windows/Mac. JavaScript only available on Chromebook/iPad.

Projects – not available on iPad. Check the “How do I import project files?” for more info.

Across all devices, you can currently use three different frameworks to program:

Blockly – a powerful block-based programming editor. It is extremely versatile and perfect for beginners, since it requires no coding skills to select one of the available blocks and just run it inside the app. An advanced version is also available for more experienced users or older pupils, which supports more advanced features such as math, functions, logic and variables.

Python (Windows and Mac OS only) – a high-level, object-oriented programming language. It has easy to learn syntax and is perfect for both novice and advanced programmers.

JavaScript (Chromebook and iPad only) – a high-level programming language suited for beginners. Has a low barrier of entry due to its simple syntax and ability to ignore small errors (e.g. missing semicolons). It is one of the most used programming languages in the world. Prioritizes functions.

Some of the features on both Fable Blockly and Fable Face require special permissions. The following is a detailed list of those permissions and the reasoning for needing them:

Location – both apps require Bluetooth to connect to a Fable Hub. On Android 6.0 and newer, the Location permission needs to be granted before the device can scan, discover, and communicate with Fable Hubs. More information is available here. Additionally, any user can use the location of the device if their custom Blockly/Python/JavaScript program uses the geolocation sensor. The location can only be reported if the permission is granted.

Storage – Fable Blockly requires this permission in order to save and load projects. It is also needed when playing custom sounds and saving plot images.

Microphone – Fable Blockly requires this permission when the user uses the “sound level” feature of the app. This feature reports back the loudness around the device by using its microphone.

Camera – Fable Blockly requires this permission for all of its camera features – taking pictures, detecting colors and motion, etc.

Step 1:

Install the Fable Face app from the app store (for Android or iPhone).

Step 2:

Connect the Fable Hub to a PC or laptop.

Step 3:

Activate Bluetooth on your phone.

Step 4:

Start the Fable Face app.

Step 5:

The Fable Face app should now find your Hub. Select your Hub by ID and tap connect.

Step 6:

Once the Face App connects to the Fable Hub it will display a set of eyes which can be programmed.

Troubleshooting:

Sometimes there are issues with the Fable Face App, for example the app cannot find any Bluetooth devices or it will not connect to the Fable Hub. If you experience such problems please try the following:

1. Close and restart the app
2. Turn off Bluetooth and turn it back on shortly after
3. Remove power from the Hub by plugging it out, then plug it back in.
4. Make sure you have the newest version of the App
5. (Android only) Go to Settings > Apps > Fable Face > Permissions and make sure the Location permission is granted.

If the problems persist please contact us on support@shaperobotics.com and let us know which Phone model and version of operating system you are using.

Importing projects in Fable Blockly is extremely easy!

On Windows/Mac, just tap the file icon at the top left, then select the open project option. A file selection screen will open and all you have to do is find the project and open it.

On Chromebook, select the Open Project option. Then select the Import Project option. The Storage permission is required after this step, so make sure to grant it when the app asks for it.

On iPad, the feature is not yet supported.

Yes! In most cases, you will not notice any problems when opening projects.

If the project was saved using an old version of Fable Blockly, there is a small chance some of the blocks have changed. Our app will try its best to update the old blocks to their new counterparts.

If the project was saved using the newest version of Fable Blockly and opened on an old version, there is a chance the project doesn’t open at all. This depends on the blocks that were used in the project.

If you save a project on a Windows, you can open it on a Mac without any issues, and vice-versa.

On Chromebooks, there are several features from PCs that are not yet supported. The project will open, but will alert you which sections of the project are not supported. Projects from other Chromebooks will have

On iPads, the ability to open projects from other systems or devices is not yet supported.

In your Documents folder, search for a folder called “Fable”. Inside it, there should be another folder called “My Fable Sounds”. Place your sound files in that folder. After doing so, the sounds should show up as options of the “play custom sound” block.

If one of both of the folders are missing, just create them manually.

At this point, we support WAV and MP3 files.

On Chromebook, the Storage permission is required to discover and play custom sounds.

On iPad, the feature is not yet supported.

The feature is not yet supported.

We are working hard to minimize the differences between all Fable Blockly apps.

Plugging in the Fable Hub is required in order to provide power to it. Optionally, this can be done to any power outlet in the room.

Connecting the Fable Hub on those two systems, however, requires Bluetooth.

On the iPad, this has to do with Apple’s control over what apps get access to the Lightning port. This is determined on an app to app basis.

On the Chromebook, some system features are not made available to apps. USB connection is one of them. For some features, this is due to the device being different to a smartphone (e.g. making phone calls), but for others, it’s for undisclosed reasons. Here is the list of features that Google doesn’t support on Chromebooks at this point.

You can expand Fable with your own 3D printed parts. We have some ready-to-print STL design files available which can be download and 3D printed as they are, remixed or used for inspiration to design your own parts. The files can be found on our thingiverse page.

Steps of 3D printing for Fable:

Step 1: Design model, here a hand for holding a flag

Step 2: 3D print it and mount it on a 3D Adapter Module (3D Connector)

Step 3: Build and program Fable robot, test the design

Design your own part

To design you own parts we recommend taking a starting point in this template model.

Which 3D design program should I use?

There is a lot of Free/Trial options depending on your experience level and price sensitivity. Make sure you check out these options:

Tinkercad – https://www.tinkercad.com/

Fusion 360 – https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators

Onshape – https://www.onshape.com/

3DBuilder – https://www.microsoft.com/da-dk/store/p/3d-builder

How to mount the 3D printed part with Fable?

The 3D parts are designed to be fastened with screws or glued on an stand-alone Fable connector, such as this one:

In order to mount 3D printed parts on our connector, we recommend using screws for plastic with a diameter of 2mm and with a length of minimum 10mm.

The following link is for the screws that we are using in the version 2x10mm:

https://us.screwerk.com/en/shop/detail/stp/STP330200100S.html (US webpage)

https://de.screwerk.com/en/shop/detail/stp/STP330200100S.html (European webpage)

The screws can be found in the longer versions. These versions can be used in cases where you need greater forces or when the mounting holes have a greater depth. If you can find screws for wood in the recommended dimensions these can probably also be used.

Happy 3D printing!

Step 1: Windows will alert you that the driver is not installed. Once this happens, download the driver from our download page and unzip in a folder.

Step 2: Locate the Hub within Windows’ Device Manager under Other devices, right click and select “Update Device Software”.

Step 3: Browse to the folder containing the driver that you downloaded. Accept if Windows warns you that the driver is unsigned.

Step 4: The Hub driver should now be installed. It can be checked under the “Ports” section in Device Manager. The Hub will automatically be assigned as a COM port.

On those two systems, plugging in the Fable Hub is only the first step to using it. You also need to manually connect to the Hub via Bluetooth. Tap the Fable Hub icon at the top right corner. This will take you to the connection screen where you’ll be able to connect.

You need to run a critical update to your Fable Hubs. Please contact support@shaperobotics.com for assistance on how to update or if you still cannot discover the Hub even after updating.

Symptoms: The module blinks red and stops moving for a period of time.

Possible issues and suggested solutions:

A motor on the module has been overloaded, i.e. commanded to perform a movement which it does not have the strength to perform. To solve: Modify program and/or robot configuration to avoid damaging the motor.

A motor has overheated. To solve: Let motor cool down.

On Chromebook/iPad, ensure that you have at least one voice pack installed, preferably one for every language you intend to use. This can be done from the system settings of the device.

On Windows/Mac, the speak feature requires internet. Please ensure your internet connection is stable.

Generally, the speech module requires some time to activate the first time its asked to say something. If it takes longer than it takes your code to finish execution, you will not hear any speech.

If that happens, try running your code again, or try adding a wait instruction at the end of your program (e.g. “wait for 1 second” in Blockly or “api.wait(1)” in text programming).

Fable Face cannot be used with Fable Blockly on Chromebook and iPad.

The reasoning is that both need Bluetooth to connect to the Fable Hub, however, only one can be connected to it at a time.