DMBot Settings Guide

Updated 5 days ago · 3 min readIntermediate

This reference covers every configurable setting in the DMBot software. Access settings from the sidebar menu in the app.

Connectivity

Robot Connection

  • Port selection -- Choose the USB serial port for each connected DexArm
  • Connection status -- Monitor connected/disconnected state per robot
  • Connectivity logger -- Enable detailed connection logging for diagnostics

Robot Roles

Each connected DexArm can be assigned a role:

  • Drawing -- Performs pen drawing on paper
  • Pump (Swap) -- Handles automatic paper replacement via vacuum suction

Multi-Robot Setup

  • Add multiple DexArm units and assign each a role
  • Drawing bots can work in parallel on different jobs
  • Pump bot manages paper for one or both sides (left/right tray)

Drawing Settings

Art Style (Photo Processing Type)

  • FMX -- Receives photos from the FMX iPad app for processing
  • Portrait -- Standalone realistic sketch generation (Monet style)
  • Caricature -- Standalone expressive sketch generation (Davinci style)

Drawing Size

  • Paper size -- 4x6, 6x8, or A4
  • Custom drawing size -- Override default drawing area dimensions (width x height in mm)
  • Offsets -- X and Y offset adjustments for centering the drawing on the paper

Working Speed

  • G-code feed rates -- Control how fast the robot moves during drawing
  • Balance between drawing quality (slower) and guest throughput (faster)

External Display

Display Configuration

  • Enable external display -- Turn on/off the secondary screen output
  • Screen index -- Select which connected display to use (default: second screen)

Drawing Progress

  • Show drawing progress -- Display the robot's live drawing on the external screen
  • Progress mode:
    • Always while drawing -- Show progress for entire drawing duration
    • Timed interval -- Show for a set number of seconds
  • Progress duration -- Seconds to display progress (when using timed mode)

Slideshow

  • Enable slideshow -- Cycle through completed drawings on the external display
  • Grid layout -- Rows x columns (e.g., 2x3 = 6 images on screen)
  • Interval -- Seconds between full grid refreshes
  • Cell interval -- Seconds between individual cell rotations (3-120s)
  • Display mode: Show only on idle, or always
  • Content: Include drawings, raw photos, and/or videos
  • Image fit: Fill or fit content within cells

Ads

  • Enable ads -- Display branded images during idle time
  • Ad display mode: Show for a fixed interval, or continuously
  • Show only on idle -- Only display ads when no drawing is in progress
  • Ad interval -- Seconds to display each ad

Automation

Auto Robot Availability

  • Enable -- Automatically mark robots as "available" after completing a drawing
  • Delay -- Seconds to wait before auto-availability (1-300, default: 30)
  • Scope:
    • All Drawing Bots -- Apply to every drawing robot
    • Pump-Assigned Only -- Only auto-ready robots assigned to the pump bot

Auto Paper Replacement

  • Enable -- Turn on the automatic paper swap cycle using the pump bot
  • Magazine pages -- Current paper count in the magazine (max 220)
  • Page thickness -- Paper thickness in mm (default: 0.32, used for Z-position calculation)
  • Tray calibration -- Per-side (left/right) X, Y, Z adjustments and rotation angle
  • Pause automation -- Temporarily halt the auto-swap cycle without disabling it

Idle Timeout

  • Seconds -- How long a robot waits idle before status changes (default: 10)

Cloud & Sync

Cloud Connection

  • Base URL -- Cloud API endpoint (default: https://fmc-backend.cloud.fotomaster.com)
  • Online mode -- Enable/disable Cloud connectivity

Media Sync

  • Sync PNG files -- Automatically sync processed sketch PNGs with Cloud/iPad
  • Cloud media monitoring -- Poll Cloud for new photos to draw from selected events

Event Selection

  • Cloud events -- Select from synchronized Cloud events
  • Local events -- Create and manage events locally on the Mac

Dance in Sync

  • Enable -- Turn on multipeer connectivity for coordinated multi-robot performances
  • Uses Apple's MultipeerConnectivity framework to synchronize multiple DMBot instances

Diagnostics

  • Connectivity logger -- Log USB communication for debugging
  • Diagnostic file logging -- Write detailed logs to file for support
  • Advanced console -- Direct G-code command line for manual robot control
  • Connection diagnostic tool -- Test and troubleshoot USB serial connectivity

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