Cannot load JSON Respeaker file in led_animation_1.6.3

I have been admonished once prior for using this issue reporting mode, but I have described this in the Forum and have had no response, so please bear with me as I have researched all the dos, Forum(s), have reinstalled, have total restarts from RPi install, and explored the files on git...

What's the issue? A clear and concise description of what the bug is. Also please provide an estimation of its frequency (always, frequently, from time to time, rare)

I am using the generic Relay&Temp&Humidity app...I have an RPi running Raspbian Stretch (not lite) with A SEEED 2-mic hat...my LED_animation does not run, apparently because it cannot load the respective JSON file:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ snips-skill-server -vvv
[09:45:16.635987] DEBUG:snips_common_cli::cli: conf lookup: snips-skill-server.skill_dir -> Ok(None)
[09:45:16.644948] DEBUG:snips_common_cli::cli: conf lookup: snips-common.skill_dir -> Ok(None)
[09:45:16.645069] DEBUG:snips_common_cli::cli: conf lookup: snips-skill-server.skills_root_dir -> Ok(None)
[09:45:16.645155] DEBUG:snips_common_cli::cli: conf lookup: snips-common.skills_root_dir -> Ok(None)
[09:45:16.646922] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: searching dir for actions: /var/lib/snips/skills/snips-skill-respeaker
[09:45:16.648017] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: found action "/var/lib/snips/skills/snips-skill-respeaker/action-led_animation_1.6.3"
[09:45:16.648251] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: searching dir for actions: /var/lib/snips/skills/snips-app-voicekit
[09:45:16.648821] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: found action "/var/lib/snips/skills/snips-app-voicekit/action-app_voicekit.py"
[09:45:16.653030] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][out] thread started
[09:45:16.654611] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][err] thread started
[09:45:16.659249] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [app_voicekit][out] thread started
[09:45:16.659765] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [app_voicekit][err] thread started
.json.json 61069] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][err] [16:45:16] [Error] [load_json_file] Can not load ./hardware_specs/./hardware_specs/respeaker_2_mic_hat
[09:45:17.661447] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:16] [Info] [reset_power_pin] Mode has no power pin
[09:45:17.661608] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:16] [Info] [terminate_mqtt_client] Disconnecting mqtt
[09:45:17.661673] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][out] [Error] can't send spi message
[09:45:17.662687] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][err] thread stopped
[09:45:17.662876] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner: [led_animation_1.6][out] thread stopped
[09:45:17.710384] WARN :snips_skill_server_lib::handler::nosandbox: child led_animation_1.6 has stopped with status `exit code: 1`
[09:45:17.710630] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : restarting action led_animation_1.6 (restart_fails: 0)
[09:45:17.714679] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread started
[09:45:17.714679] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread started
.json.json 21536] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] [16:45:17] [Error] [load_json_file] Can not load ./hardware_specs/./hardware_specs/respeaker_2_mic_hat
[09:45:18.721865] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:17] [Info] [reset_power_pin] Mode has no power pin
[09:45:18.722031] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:17] [Info] [terminate_mqtt_client] Disconnecting mqtt
[09:45:18.722103] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [Error] can't send spi message
[09:45:18.723304] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread stopped
[09:45:18.723304] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread stopped
[09:45:18.767022] WARN :snips_skill_server_lib::handler::nosandbox: child led_animation_1.6 has stopped with status `exit code: 1`
[09:45:18.767296] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : restarting action led_animation_1.6 (restart_fails: 1)
[09:45:18.771494] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread started
[09:45:18.771466] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread started
.json.json 79119] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] [16:45:18] [Error] [load_json_file] Can not load ./hardware_specs/./hardware_specs/respeaker_2_mic_hat
[09:45:19.779432] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:18] [Info] [reset_power_pin] Mode has no power pin
[09:45:19.779576] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:18] [Info] [terminate_mqtt_client] Disconnecting mqtt
[09:45:19.779639] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [Error] can't send spi message
[09:45:19.780604] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread stopped
[09:45:19.780605] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread stopped
[09:45:19.823848] WARN :snips_skill_server_lib::handler::nosandbox: child led_animation_1.6 has stopped with status `exit code: 1`
[09:45:19.824096] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : restarting action led_animation_1.6 (restart_fails: 2)
[09:45:19.828813] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread started
[09:45:19.828780] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread started
.json.json 36388] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] [16:45:19] [Error] [load_json_file] Can not load ./hardware_specs/./hardware_specs/respeaker_2_mic_hat
[09:45:20.836720] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:19] [Info] [reset_power_pin] Mode has no power pin
[09:45:20.836892] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [16:45:19] [Info] [terminate_mqtt_client] Disconnecting mqtt
[09:45:20.836954] INFO :snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] [Error] can't send spi message
[09:45:20.838130] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][err] thread stopped
[09:45:20.838130] DEBUG:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : [led_animation_1.6][out] thread stopped
[09:45:20.881080] WARN :snips_skill_server_lib::handler::nosandbox: child led_animation_1.6 has stopped with status `exit code: 1`
[09:45:20.881381] ERROR:snips_skill_server_lib::runner            : action led_animation_1.6 failed 3 times in the last 10 seconds, disabling it

This occurs every time I run the app...

It appears to me that there is some path issue, but I cannot seem to find where the specific call is made to load the file...._/hardware_specs/./hardware_specs/respeaker_2_michat

Can you please take a look at the log and see if you see something?

Thanks, Frank

Hi,

Yes sure, I can make an exception this time ;)

Part of this skill is written in C and compiled when you install it.

The file the binary is looking for are the hw description files of the different flavours of piHAT

a little grep in the repo pointed me to this file

The code seems to look for a relative path ./hardware_specs/%s.json and replace %s by the parameter model in the config.ini of your skill (should be model=respeaker_2_mic_hat)

So, my piece of advice are:

Check the config.ini of the led application
the brute force way, erase the led skill folder and re install it by following the instructions provided here

By the way, make sure to launch the snips-skill-server using the user _snips-skills, otherwise you could obtain some permission issues.

sudo -u _snips-skills snips-skill-server -v

I'm closing this one, see you on the forum.

@cpoisson Thanks le pote!

I appreciate your insight - looks like both of my recent issues relate to permissions, so I will bone-up a bit there (not yet a Linux guy) and hopefully figure out a resolution...

I checked the config.ini file and the "model=" is correct (2-mic hat)...I am fairly familiar with C and had already followed the path you cited to the _loadhw.c file, and so then looked at the config.ini file to confirm, but checked again just now to be sure...so, it must be a permission issue as you suggest...I will follow this lead...

Curious though: it appears to me that during the snips install, and subsequent "sam setup audio" section, that if I state that I am using a Respeaker device, that Sam then goes ahead and installs the Respeaker audio scripts, AND, sets up an automatic install of the _ledanimation app that then runs without prompting - i.e., I do not install it as a separate app when I use Sam to install any assistant - even if I delete the snips-skill-respeaker folder from the /var/lib/snips/skills directory, it automatically re-installs when I load a new assistant - my point is, that if there are permissions to deal with that I am missing to run that JSON file, the snips/Sam install should take care of it/them just as it does when installing the app and assistants code - right??

Anyway, I do really appreciate the clues/solutions help...Frank

Hello @cpoisson

OK, so here's my latest on this issue...

I uninstalled the snips-skill-respeaker folder from the /var/lib/snips/skills directory and did a Sam-based re-install - no change, it still could not read the JSON file...

I uninstalled the folder again and did a manual install per the site you referenced using this:

Firstly, add your current user to the snips-skills-admin group: sudo usermod -a -G snips-skills-admin $USER Secondly, add _snips-skills user to the spi, gpio, audio groups: _sudo usermod -a -G spi,gpio,audio snips-skills Finally, clone the repository and manually run setup.sh: git clone https://github.com/snipsco/snips-skill-respeaker.git cp -r snips-skill-respeaker /var/lib/snips/skills/ cd /var/lib/snips/skills/snips-skill-respeaker ./setup.sh

After the manual install, whenever I went to re-install the assistant, I got the attached in the Node.js window on my PC re the inability to create the virtual envirnment... Node js Log 2019-07-05 01

and, when I re-booted the RPi, I got wild LEDs on the hat and the trigger-word and intent recognition phases did not work for snips...I did not get the can't read the JSON file error when running the snips-skill-server...

So, I again re-installed the LED app via Sam and got back to where I was originally, i.e., can't read the JSON file, but my assistant runs OK...

So, it seems that again I have some sort of user/permission issue but not sure what's going on - do these new clues offer you any suggestion? Maybe I should re-install snips? I hate to go back to a re-install of ROS because I always wind up fighting issues with getting the Respeaker hat to work properly...

Thoughts?

Regards, Frank [BTW, I retract what I said earlier about a forced installation by snips of the led_animation app - that was happening because I never removed it from the directory on the RPi...]

@cpoisson - Howdy!

OK, so I started from scratch and used a new RPi 3 A+ and a new image of Raspbian Stretch...

Installed the OS first, then the 2-mic-hat and both were working...

Then installed snips and allowed the snips install to also install the 2-mic-hat...when it finished, it appeared that the hat was working - the LEDs initialized and it was "breathing" at idle...

I then installed my app...all looked like it was going fine on the PC/ssh side, but then the LEDs quit...I re-booted...the app worked but I was back to the point when running the snips-skill-server, I got the "...can't load the JSON file..." status...

I checked the permissions on the respeaker directories and files and they are set to Anyone...

I do not think it is my app that breaks things - I guess I could do all over again and see what happens when I install the prime Relay&Temp&Humidity app, or maybe I should try installing the upgraded snips version of that app (Voice Interaction Dev Kit (EN)) and see if maybe that's why you guys revised the original app from SEEED - can you check with whoever did that and ask them if anything going on here makes sense?

Thanks, Frank

snipsco / snips-issues

Cannot load JSON Respeaker file in led_animation_1.6.3 #163