FAC1 Controller for Windows

A native Windows WPF application for controlling pan and tilt servos for the FAC1 Camera.

This is a Windows port of the macOS FAC1 Controller, built using C# and WPF with the Feetech Servo SDK for C#.

Features

• Automatic USB-Serial Detection: Automatically finds and connects to USB-serial devices
• Dual Servo Control: Controls pan and tilt servos (hardcoded IDs: pan=6, tilt=4)
• Connection Status: Real-time status indicators for USB and individual servos
• Calibration: Calibrate the center point of the servos with EEPROM persistence
• Axis Inversion: Toggle pan and tilt axis directions (persisted across sessions)
• Always on Top: Optional window mode to keep the controller always visible
• Compact Interface: Minimal 280x400px fixed-width window with dark theme
• Color-Coded Controls: Green pan buttons, blue tilt buttons, orange center button
• Settings Persistence: Saves axis inversions and window preferences
• MSI Installer: Professional installer package with uninstall support

Requirements

• Windows 10 or later
• .NET 8.0 Runtime
• USB-to-serial adapter
• FAC1 Camera with pan/tilt servos

Installation

Option 1: MSI Installer (Recommended)

1. Download FAC1-Controller-Setup.msi from the Releases page
2. Double-click the installer and follow the setup wizard
3. The application will be installed to C:\Program Files\FAC1 Controller\
4. Launch from Start Menu: FAC1 Controller

Option 2: Portable Executable

1. Download the latest release ZIP from the Releases page
2. Extract to your desired location
3. Run FAC1-Controller-Windows.exe

Option 3: Build from Source

1. Clone the repository and dependencies:

   # Clone the main project
   git clone https://github.com/FyrbyAdditive/FAC1-Controller-Windows.git
   cd FAC1-Controller-Windows
   
   # Clone the Feetech SDK dependency in the parent directory
   cd ..
   git clone https://github.com/FyrbyAdditive/feetech-servo-sdk-csharp.git
   cd FAC1-Controller-Windows

2. Build and run:

   dotnet build -c Release
   dotnet run -c Release

   The project expects the Feetech SDK to be in ../feetech-servo-sdk-csharp/ relative to the project directory.

Usage

First Launch

1. Connect your USB-to-serial adapter
2. Power on your servos
3. Launch the application
4. The app will automatically search for and connect to available USB-serial ports
5. Once connected, servo status will be displayed

Controls

• ↑ (Up Arrow): Tilt up
• ↓ (Down Arrow): Tilt down
• ● (Center Button): Center camera
• ← (Left Arrow): Pan left
• → (Right Arrow): Pan right

Configuration

• Always on Top: Check to keep the window always visible above other applications
• Reconnect: Manually reconnect to the USB-serial port

Calibration Menu

• Set Center Position: Disables torque so you can manually position the camera, then saves the current location as the new center point (writes value 128 to torque enable register for STS servo EEPROM calibration)
• Invert Pan Axis: Reverses pan servo direction (setting persisted across sessions)
• Invert Tilt Axis: Reverses tilt servo direction (setting persisted across sessions)

Note: During calibration, servo torque is automatically disabled to allow manual positioning. The torque is re-enabled after calibration is complete. The center position is permanently saved to the servo's EEPROM.

Servo Configuration

The application uses the following servo settings:

• Pan Servo ID: 6 (hardcoded)
• Tilt Servo ID: 4 (hardcoded)
• Baud Rate: 1,000,000
• Protocol: STS series (STS3250)
• Movement Step: 100 units per button press
• Speed: 200
• Acceleration: 50
• Position Range: 0 - 4095 (full 360°)

Servo IDs can be changed in Controllers/ServoController.cs if needed.

Troubleshooting

Application doesn't connect

1. Check that servos are powered on
2. Verify USB-serial adapter is connected and recognized by Windows
3. Check Device Manager for COM port availability
4. Make sure servo IDs match the configured values
5. Click "Reconnect" to retry connection

Servos don't respond

1. Verify servo IDs are correct (default: pan=6, tilt=4)
2. Check power supply to servos
3. Ensure baud rate matches your servo configuration (default: 1,000,000)
4. Try running the Feetech SDK ping example to test basic connectivity
5. Note that servos may ship with the same ID and need to be reprogrammed

COM port access denied

On Windows, make sure:

1. No other applications are using the COM port
2. Your user account has permission to access serial ports
3. The COM port driver is properly installed

Building for Distribution

Build MSI Installer (Recommended)

1. Install WiX Toolset:

   dotnet tool install --global wix

2. Build the application:

   dotnet build -c Release

3. Build the installer:

   .\build-installer.ps1

   Or manually:

   cd Installer
   wix build Product.wxs -arch x64 -ext WixToolset.UI.wixext -out ..\bin\Release\FAC1-Controller-Setup.msi

4. The MSI installer will be created at:

   bin\Release\FAC1-Controller-Setup.msi
   

Build Self-Contained Executable

To create a standalone executable without installer:

# Build self-contained Windows executable
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true

# The executable will be created in:
# bin/Release/net8.0-windows/win-x64/publish/FAC1-Controller-Windows.exe

Development

Dependencies

• .NET 8.0 SDK
• System.IO.Ports NuGet package
• Feetech Servo SDK for C# (project reference)

Architecture

The application follows a clean architecture pattern:

• Services Layer: SerialPortManager handles low-level serial communication
• Controllers Layer: ServoController provides high-level servo control and calibration
• UI Layer: WPF windows with XAML for layout and C# code-behind
• Settings Layer: AppSettings handles JSON-based configuration persistence

Key Features

• Asynchronous Operations: Non-blocking UI during connection attempts
• Event-Driven Architecture: Loose coupling between components via events
• Settings Persistence: JSON configuration stored in %APPDATA%\FAC1-Controller\settings.json
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling with console logging
• Resource Management: Proper disposal of serial port resources via IDisposable
• EEPROM Calibration: Uses STS servo protocol (write 128 to torque enable) for permanent center position storage

Credits

This project uses the Feetech Servo SDK for C#.

Based on the macOS version: FAC1-Controller-macOS

Copyright 2025, Timothy Ellis, Fyrby Additive Manufacturing & Engineering

License

This project is licensed under the same terms as the original macOS version.