User's Manual

www.irobot.com 11

Open Interface Commands

iRobot Create comes with a serial protocol called the Open Interface (OI) which

consists of a set of commands that you can use to control the robot and read its

sensors. The types of commands available include:

• Demo commands

• Driving commands

• Song commands

• Sensor commands

• Cargo Bay Connector commands

• Scripting commands

A description of all the OI commands can be found in the iRobot

Create

Open Interface (OI) Speciﬁcation found at www.irobot.com/create.

You send these commands to iRobot Create using the included serial cable or

any other serial connection to a PC.

The serial cable plugs into iRobot Create’s Mini-Din connector, which is located

in the rear right side of iRobot Create, beneath a snap-away plastic guard.

Sending OI Commands from a PC

Connect the serial cable between iRobot Create and your PC’s serial

port and start a serial terminal program that is capable of sending data.

iRobot recommends the freeware RealTerm Serial Capture Program, available

at http://realterm.sourceforge.net/.

Conﬁgure the serial settings to 57600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no

ﬂow control. Select the “Send” tab on RealTerm. Enter commands and watch

the robot perform!

Examples:

• To turn on iRobot Create’s Play LED only:

128 132 139 2 0 0

• To read the state of iRobot Create’s left cliff sensor:

128 142 9

See how the robot’s response changes when you lift it up.