GETTING  STARTED

EZ-Robots use ARC software.  This guide will help you install and set up ARC on your PC.  It will cover everything you need to get started with EZ-Robots. 

The ‘Start Here’ guide that is included in every box is also an extremely useful reference tool.  Please note that ARC currently only runs on Windows.  To use ARC on a Mac, you'll need to install a virtual machine (like VMWare or Parallels) first. You can find the guide on how to do this on our Software - MAC page.

At the bottom of the page is also a detailed list of practices that we recommend.  These practices will help to ensure that your robots work the way they're supposed to, and quickly find any issues that you may have.​

PC Installation

Step 1: Go to the EZ-Robot Website

Click on your search bar and enter ez-robot.com, then hit Enter.
​Step 2: Navigate to the Download Page

Hover over the Learn drop down menu and select Software - PC.
Step 3: Download ARC

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Download ARC.
Step 4: Which ARC Program to Install?

You will be taken to the Synthiam website where you will be presented with three options. 

The first option, ARC Free, is what we recommend for most individuals since it is extremely polished and rarely requires updates. It will enable you to do all the basic learning of EZ-Robots before diving into the more advanced features.

The second option is ARC Pro, the subscription variant of the software. It's the version which allows access to more advanced features, such as support for multiple plugins and unlimited skills. As it is primarily designed for Robotics Development, we don’t recommend starting out with ARC Pro. You can always upgrade later if necessary.

Lastly, the third option is called Runtime. Runtime allows you to operate ARC Pro versions of projects without paying for additional ARC Pro licenses. However, you won't be able to modify the projects or add any new features in.

For the purposes of these instructions we will be downloading ARC Free.
Step 5: Open ARC Installer

When you click download on the Free version, it may take you to a webpage showing you how to activate licenses for the Pro version. You can ignore that.

Click on the download icon on your web browser on the top right corner. 
Then click on the ARC Free download to open it.
Step 6: Terms and Conditions

​Click the checkbox labeled 'I agree to the License terms and conditions’, then click the Install button. ARC may ask for admin permission to make changes to your computer; click Yes. 

If your computer does not have the necessary C# or C++ net structure code, ARC will ask whether you would like to install it. You should install the net structure code to ensure best performance.
Step 7: Register ARC Account 

You will be asked if you want to register for an ARC account. You will need this to continue with the installation.

Once the account is created, other ARC installations can be set up by entering in the email and password and clicking Save. This will also only need to be done once for each computer installation. If you already have an account created, the next few steps can then be skipped, all the way to Step 10.

The next few steps will cover creating an account, but this will only need to be completed once.

To register for an account, click Create New Account.
Step 8: Account Registration

You will automatically be taken to the account registration page. Enter in the required fields as necessary. The password should be easy to remember if other computers are going to be set up later.

Click Register when done.
Step 9: Verify Account
​
Go to the email that was used to register for the account. You will have a Welcome email. Open it.

You will have two options to verify. The first one will only activate cloud services, while the second will also allow students to post on the community forums in the Synthiam website. As most basic questions and troubleshooting can be done through the teacher and EZ-Robot itself, we typically recommend that schools click on Activate Only Cloud Services.

Those more familiar with higher level robotics, and those that foresee customizing the robots may elect to allow community access as well. Click on the appropriate link as you deem fit.

Once verified, it will take you back to the Synthiam website to confirm.
Step 10: Log in to ARC.

Go back to the ARC software. Now you can enter in the email and password you just used to register with and click Save.
Step 11: Choose Theme

You will be presented with an option to choose a theme for your software. We recommend choosing the dark theme. Then click the select button.
Step 12: Default Coding Language 

We recommend using Blockly for beginners. However if you are comfortable using Python or JavaScript we encourage you to use those instead. Once you have chosen your programming language of choice proceed to click on the select button to continue.
​Step 13: Access Sync 3D Parts
​
Navigate to the project tab. Which is located between files and options.
Once you are in the product tab proceed to click on the library icon.
Step 14: Sync 3D Parts

Then click on sync now. Let it sync everything as necessary. Then click Close.

​Done!

Your software is now ready to be used.

Robot Assembly and Care

EZ-Robot has a large number of free lessons and tutorials, that can be found here.  It is valuable to view the introductory lessons listed below and follow their instructions, before you begin using EZ-Robots.  This will help ensure a smooth startup and maximize the value you receive from the robot platform.

EZ-Builder and ARC
When watching the videos below, you may notice that they use a software called EZ-Builder instead of ARC. This is because ARC is just a reskin of EZ-Builder. Almost all of the functions are the same. The only major notable difference is that the settings button, previously a gear icon, is now an ellipsis (...) at the top right of each window. This makes it easy and consistent to access the settings for each window. In the videos, if they say to click on the Settings button, or the gear icon, click on the ... instead.

Additional Important Concepts

Learning EZ-Robot can be slightly confusing without knowing important framework and rules. We have detailed a number of important items below.

Software vs Projects
ARC works similar to Microsoft Word. In Word, you first open the software, then you open up a Word Document. You can edit, change, save, delete, etc, that document as much as you want. ARC works similarly, with Projects instead of Documents. Projects are made for a specific type of robot. As long as two robots are built the exact same way, such as two JD Humanoids, a Humanoid project can be used successfully with either of them. As such, once you've begun programming new things into your project, it's important to click Save As at the top left and save your project as its own file. You can reopen your project by clicking File > Open > File System, and selecting your project. Don't forget to save regularly!

​Servo Profiles
Our older servos used to be analog servos, but now they're digital instead. This meant that when analog servos were originally manufactured, they may not be calibrated perfectly. If you open the Humanoid Project, you may be prompted to create a Servo Profile. If you're reading this right now, it's very likely that you have digital servos (as denoted by the 'HDD' on the sticker). If so, you can easily click Skip and bypass this. It's still good to know that even if the hardware receives updates, you won't be left with a non-functional robot! If you are using the old analog servos, you can view the Humanoid Calibration Tutorial here. No other robots will need to be calibrated.