Getting Started with UNIHIKER

UNIHIKER is a single-board computer that brings you brand new experience.

It features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is equipped with light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and microphone. With built-in co-processor, it is able to communicate with various analog/digital/I2C/UART/SPI sensors and acuators.

UNIHIKER brings a whole new experience for developers with its pre-installed software, allowing for an incredibly fast and easy start. Featuring a built-in Jupyter Notebook (a browser-based programming environment), developers can program the single board computer using a smartphone or tablet. Of course, just like other single board computers, UNIHIKER also supports VS Code, VIM, and Thonny. The integrated PinPong control library allows developers to directly control UNIHIKER's built-in sensors and hundreds of connected sensors and actuators using Python. The built-in SIoT service on UNIHIKER allows users to store data through the MQTT protocol and provides real-time web data access. The best part is that all data is stored within the device itself.

Compact, feature-rich, and user-friendly, UNIHIKER offers an innovative development experience for learning, coding, and creating.

Unleash your imagination and embark on a new journey with UNIHIKER.

1. Quick Start Tutorial

• This tutorial will help you quickly get started on controlling the UNIHIKER with Python code through a few simple steps.

• If you encounter any issues during use, please feel free to contact us through either of the methods listed below:

• Join our UNIHIKER channel by scanning the QR code below or clicking the link https://discord.gg/rvvfNCvBKv.

• Send emails to our mailbox: unihiker@dfrobot.com

2. Preparation

• UNIHIKER * 1
• Type-C to USB cable * 1
• PC * 1

3. Starting up

Connect the UNIHIKER to your computer via the Type-C to USB cable. Once connected and powered on, the UNIHIKER logo will appear on the screen. At this time, the computer will automatically recognize the UNIHIKER as an network device, and you can access it directly through the fixed IP address 10.1.2.3.

Note: Please ensure that you plug the USB cable directly into the computer's USB port without using an extension cord or dock. If you experience any issues with the connection, please refer to the FAQ for a solution.

Note: After reading through this text, please refer to the ADVANCED FEATURES section for additional connection methods and explanations.

4. Programming Methods Explanation

As a single-board computer, the UNIHIKER can directly run Python code. It also has SSH and SMB file sharing services enabled by default, allowing you to use any text editor to write code and transfer it to the board for execution.

This document provides simple instructions for several commonly used software tools. Feel free to jump to the corresponding sections based on your preferences or follow the order as presented.

• Jupyter Notebook:
  The UNIHIKER comes with built-in Jupyter Notebook, which allows you to do Python programming on a web page using your computer or mobile device's browser. You can also use the web terminal to control the UNIHIKER.

• VSCode:
  VSCode is a powerful code editor. If you are familiar with it, you can use VSCode to program and control the UNIHIKER.

• SSH Connection:
  The UNIHIKER has SSH service enabled by default. If you are accustomed to using SSH terminals to control Linux devices, it will be convenient to do so on the UNIHIKER as well.

• MindPlus:
  MindPlus is a software that supports graphical programming and code programming. It provides easy connection and file management, making it very user-friendly for beginners.

4.1. Programming on Jupyter

The UNIHIKER features built-in Jupyter service but it is disabled by default. Enable it and then you can directly program UNIHIKER on a web page.

• 1- Open a browser (not IE), and enter the website address 10.1.2.3 to access the local web page menu on the UNIHIKER.

  Note: If there is a connection error, check if the USB cable is connected correctly or refer to FAQ for a solution. If the issue still exists, join our UNIHIKER official channel for assistance.]
  Note: You can also directly enter the Jupyter page by inputting 10.1.2.3:8888 (require enabling Jupyter service first).
  

• 2-Select the Service Toggle, and check the status of the Jupyter. If it is disabled, click Start and wait until the status changes to be Enabled, then click Open Page to access the Jupyter programming page.

• 3- Create a new project. Once Jupyter is enabled, click New > Python 3 (ipykernel) and you can create a Jupyter project.

• 4- Program and run the code. Enter the code, and click Run to see the results displayed on UNIHIKER screen. Click interrupt kernel or Kernel > Restart and you can end the program.

#  -*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
from unihiker import GUI
import time

gui = GUI()
#unihiker library text display
gui.draw_text(text="Hello，UNIHIKER!",origin="center",x=120,y=160,color="#0066CC")

while True:
    #Keep program running
    time.sleep(1)

4.2. SSH

The UNIHIKER has SSH service enabled by default, so you can use SSH tools like PuTTY or MobaXterm to connect to it from another computer.

To connect to the UNIHIKER using SSH:

• Use the SSH account: root
• Use the password: dfrobot
• When the UNIHIKER is connected to your PC via USB, the IP address is fixed at 10.1.2.3. You can find the IP address in the "Home" menu of the UNIHIKER.

4.3. Programming on VSCode

In VSCode, there is a Remote plug-in that allows you to connect to a remote host via SSH, enabling you to directly program the UNIHIKER.

• To use this feature, first, install the "Python" extension from the VSCode Extensions marketplace. Then, search for the "remote" extension and install "Remote - SSH".
• Once the installation is complete, you will find the Remote Explorer in VSCode. To add a new connection, enter the SSH account as "root" and the password as "dfrobot". When connected via USB, the IP address is fixed as "10.1.2.3", so enter "root@10.1.2.3" and select "Linux". Enter the password when prompted.

Note: If the connection fails, please retry multiple times.

• Once connected, you can select the UNIHIKER directory to open files and write programs for execution.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.

4.4. Programming on Mind+

1. Download the Mind+ application that supports UNIHIKER (V1.7.2 RC3.0 or above). [Dowload Mind+ from the official website]
2. Follow the instructions to install the Mind+ software. Once installed, launch the Mind+ and select your preferred language in the settings.
   
3. Open Mind+ for the first time, and you must switch to Python Mode to program the UNIHIKER.
   

• Mind+ supports programming by graphical blocks and Coding. You can choose as per your needs.

4.4.1. Graphical Blocks

Switch to Blocks.

1. Load the extension library of UNIHIKER. Click Extensions to load UNIHIKER, then return to the programming page, and you can see the UNIHIKER blocks and the Connect Remote Terminal item.

   

2. Drag blocks to program. The code to be written is shown below:

   

3. Connect to the UNIHIKER. After a successful connection, Mind+ will automatically detect the Python libraries inside the UNIHIKER(such as pinpong, SIoT, etc. If these library versions are outdated, a prompt to upgrade will appear).
   If you click the run button without connecting to UNIHIKER, the code will be executed on your computer's Python environment and the result will be displayed on your computer.
   If you want to see the result displayed on UNIHIKER, you need to open the Connect Remote Terminal menu in Mind+ and select 10.1.2.3 to connect to UNIHIKER. Then click the run button again, and the result will be displayed on the UNIHIKER screen.

   Note: If there is a connection error, check if the USB cable is connected correctly or refer to FAQ for a solution. If the error still exists, join our UNIHIKER channel for assistance.

   

4. Run the code. After connecting to UNIHIKER successfully, click Run to upload the code to the board for execution. You can see the running effect on the UNIHIKER screen.

4.4.2. FAQ

Q	How to run graphical programs on UNIHIKER?
A	Click the button Run, and Mind+ will upload the generated Python code when coding by blocks to the mindplus folder in UNIHIKER. So you can find the corresponding project's .cache_file.py in the folder through the Home menu and run it.

4.4.3. Coding

Switch to the Code (default page).

1. Write the code. Create a new main.py file in the File in the project, double-click to open, and enter the following code:

#  -*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
from unihiker import GUI
import time

gui = GUI()
#unihiker library text display
gui.draw_text(text="Hello，UNIHIKER!",origin="center",x=120,y=160,color="#0066CC")

while True:
    #Keep the program running
    time.sleep(1)

2. Connect to the UNIHIKER. If you click Run directly, the code will run on your PC's Python environment. If you want to run it on the UNIHIKER, you need to connect to it. Click the icon before the Terminal to activate the Connect to Remote Terminal menu, and then click 10.1.2.3 to connect to the UNIHIKER.

   Note: If there is a connection error, check if the USB cable is connected correctly or refer to FAQ for solutions. If the issue still exists, join our UNIHIKER official channel for assistance.

Once UNIHIKER is connected, the File in UNIHIKER will be displayed in the File Catalog, the terminal will switch to the remote terminal of UNIHIKER, and the library management will switch to the library management of UNIHIKER.

3. Run the code. After the UNIHIKER is successfully connected, click Run and Mind+ will upload the code to the board and run it. You can see the running effect on the screen.
   

Note: The code actually exists on the PC here. When you save the project, all the py codes or image resources contained in the project file will be packaged into the .mp file for easy transmission. In the UNIHIKER's Home menu, you can find the .mp package in the mindplus folder in Run Programs. Click it and you can run the code directly without connecting to Mind+.

• If you encounter any problems during use that you cannot resolve, we recommend joining our UNIHIKER channel for help.

  

• After reading through this text, please refer to the ADVANCED FEATURES section for additional connection methods and explanations.

• More tutorials are coming soon. Welcome to our Education community to stay up-to-date with the latest tutorial.