01. Setting Up the Practice Environment

What you'll learn

• 1Install Python · pymodbus · pyserial and verify versions
• 2Understand how each lesson's main.py loads the _shared/ modules via a bootstrap
• 3Explain the practice ports (robot 1502 / gripper 1503 / vision 6000) and why 502 is avoided
• 4Run the environment self-check and confirm "pass"

Introduction

This is a **practice-first, 9-lesson** course based on the HIWIN robot communication manual. With no real robot·PLC·gripper·vision, you can follow the whole thing on **one PC** — the large simulators are provided as PC programs. The audience is automation engineers (with basic programming, new to industrial comms·Modbus).

Key concepts

1) What the simulators replace

2) The _shared/ library & bootstrap

Rather than copying the large simulators per lesson, they live once in lecture/_shared/. Simulators run standalone in a separate terminal (you connect over TCP), while helpers like word_tools·modbus_master are imported. Each lesson file sits deep in the tree, so it walks up looking for _shared/.

import os, sys
_d = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
while _d != os.path.dirname(_d) and not os.path.isdir(os.path.join(_d, "_shared")):
    _d = os.path.dirname(_d)
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(_d, "_shared"))

3) Practice ports and avoiding 502

Core example

Self-check: verify Python version·dependencies·shared-module import and conversion values at once.

from word_tools import split_word, combine_word, ieee754_encode
a = split_word(90000)                 # -> (24464, 1)
assert combine_word(*a) == 90000
assert ieee754_encode(10.5) == 1093140480
print("environment check passed ✅")

# install deps (once)
cd lecture/_shared
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
set PYTHONUTF8=1            # PowerShell: $env:PYTHONUTF8=1 (avoid mojibake)

cd ../01_intro/01_setup
python src/setup_check/main.py   # last line "passed ✅" means you're ready

Common mistakes

Q. ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pymodbus'

A. Dependencies aren't installed, or installed on a different Python. Install on the current Python: python -m pip install -r ../../_shared/requirements.txt.

Q. Korean text shows as ???? or garbled.

A. Windows console default encoding (cp949). Run set PYTHONUTF8=1 (PowerShell: $env:PYTHONUTF8=1) first.

Q. ModuleNotFoundError on from word_tools import ...

A. The _shared/ bootstrap is missing, or the file was moved out of place. Confirm the bootstrap is at the very top of main.py.

Summary

• You're ready to simulate robot·gripper·vision·master on a PC alone
• Shared code lives in _shared/; each lesson loads it via the bootstrap
• Practice ports: 1502 (robot) / 1503 (gripper) / 6000 (vision)
• Protect console Korean with PYTHONUTF8=1

Exercises

1. Run setup_check/main.py and confirm "passed ✅" with exit code 0
2. Explain why split_word(90000) is (24464, 1) using base 65536
3. Verify the ieee754_encode(10.5) and combine_word round-trips by hand