View Full Version : pic: Our new 25 IPads
kdehaan42
21-09-2012, 16:12
[cdm-description=photo]38136[/cdm-description]
MARS_James
21-09-2012, 16:13
I have to ask why do you have 25 IPads and where did they come from?
Astrokid248
21-09-2012, 17:21
I have to ask why do you have 25 IPads and where did they come from?
My bet is scouting. Scouting apps are so much easier to use than traditional pen/paper.
BrendanB
21-09-2012, 18:26
Looks like a huge investment but considering such a high volume I'd assume they are using them for more than just scouting.
akoscielski3
21-09-2012, 18:57
You can get "Classroom sets" From apple. They are used for educational purposes. I'm guessing thats what these are for. I'm also guessing that these are owned by the school or school board, not the team?
As cool as iPads are, our team:
designs our robot in SolidWorks
sets toolpaths for our CNC Router in VisualMill
programs in NetBeans
images the cRIO with the FRC Utilities
drives our robot with the Driver Station
monitors our live telemetry with the SmartDashboard
compiles and analyzes our scouting data in Excel
writes our Chairman's materials in Word
produces our marketing materials in Photoshop and Illustrator
Unfortunately for us, the iPad runs a grand total of 0 of our critical applications.
Every year someone brings up the idea of getting a few, and every year I try and convince them the money is better spent on far less sexy laptops and workstations.
Of course, this will be the year where the robot is controlled by finishing progressively harder levels of Angry Birds...
As cool as iPads are, our team:
designs our robot in SolidWorks
sets toolpaths for our CNC Router in VisualMill
programs in NetBeans
images the cRIO with the FRC Utilities
drives our robot with the Driver Station
monitors our live telemetry with the SmartDashboard
compiles and analyzes our scouting data in Excel
writes our Chairman's materials in Word
produces our marketing materials in Photoshop and Illustrator
Unfortunately for us, the iPad runs a grand total of 0 of our critical applications.
Every year someone brings up the idea of getting a few, and every year I try and convince them the money is better spent on far less sexy laptops and workstations.
Of course, this will be the year where the robot is controlled by finishing progressively harder levels of Angry Birds...
Solution turn your classmate into a tablet.
Brandon Zalinsky
21-09-2012, 23:33
Solution turn your classmate into a tablet.
No, not at all. The classmate does not run CAD, or word, or any other applications for the most part. Also, "turn"? We're engineers, not magicians. It's not like you can just chop off the keyboard and call it a tablet. Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
Obviously via wireless electricity.
MrTechCenter
21-09-2012, 23:44
No, not at all. The classmate does not run CAD, or word, or any other applications for the most part. Also, "turn"? We're engineers, not magicians. It's not like you can just chop off the keyboard and call it a tablet. Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
You might be able to use the Microsoft Surface when it comes out.
No, not at all. The classmate does not run CAD, or word, or any other applications for the most part. Also, "turn"? We're engineers, not magicians. It's not like you can just chop off the keyboard and call it a tablet. Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
Why wouldnt someone go with an android tablet that has easy access to a usb port? (and less expensive)
No, not at all. The classmate does not run CAD, or word, or any other applications for the most part. Also, "turn"? We're engineers, not magicians. It's not like you can just chop off the keyboard and call it a tablet. Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
sigh http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2012-04/turn-your-old-notebook-touchscreen-tablet
PAR_WIG1350
22-09-2012, 00:24
sigh http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2012-04/turn-your-old-notebook-touchscreen-tablet
I was going to post this , but I was too slow. I wanted to do this to my parent's old 17" Acer, but they don't sell overlays that large.
kdehaan42
22-09-2012, 00:37
We received them as part of a large grant we got that included the IPads 25 new desktops and 6 laptops. We use them for scouting, making designs and just fun:)
steelerborn
22-09-2012, 01:53
Solidworks has an edrawings app, I could see how this would be super beneficial to the manufacturing side. They can pull up the bot on the ipad and be able to move it around to see areas that a drawing may conceal.
Brandon Zalinsky
22-09-2012, 02:13
sigh http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2012-04/turn-your-old-notebook-touchscreen-tablet
This is cool! Didn't even know that existed.
Obviously via wireless electricity.
Why not? http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/wec.shtml
MARS_James
22-09-2012, 08:15
We received them as part of a large grant we got that included the IPads 25 new desktops and 6 laptops. We use them for scouting, making designs and just fun:)
Now when you say "we" do you mean the team, the school, or something else cause if it is the team I would love to know what group was that generous
No, not at all. The classmate does not run CAD, or word, or any other applications for the most part. Also, "turn"? We're engineers, not magicians. It's not like you can just chop off the keyboard and call it a tablet. Not to mention that most tablets, including iPads, don't have USB ports! Where will you plug in joysticks?
Also I have gotten our teams class mate to run open office. for the most part it can run programming software and you should think of the us be ports to be a benefit.
Brandon Zalinsky
22-09-2012, 11:16
Also I have gotten our teams class mate to run open office. for the most part it can run programming software and you should think of the us be ports to be a benefit.
Ours crashes whenever we try to do stuff like that. Also, I can't even understand your last clause. I should think "us be" ports are a benefit? I'm assuming that's USB, and yes, that's what I said. Most tablets lack USB ports, rendering them useless with any joystick or gamepad using USB.
kdehaan42
22-09-2012, 20:50
They where given to the robotics team and our project lead the way program.
mplanchard
29-09-2012, 10:26
This summer, I saw the SolidWorks edrawing app on an ipad incorporated into a college robot competition presentation board. The students cut out a hole in the back of the board. You could see the edrawings showing different parts of the assembly and cross sections. They used three ipads and positioned them at the top of the boards - so you could see in a crowd. Then one of the students talked to the judges one-on-one with an ipad in hand. It was a new form of communication - especially between the judges and the students. Marie
Michael Hill
30-09-2012, 22:33
Now...if FIRST would just lighten up the restrictions on wifi so they could be useful for live scouting...
Sure, you could sync them up when you go home for the evening, but not having live data really hampers the point of scouting.
Now...if FIRST would just lighten up the restrictions on wifi so they could be useful for live scouting...
Sure, you could sync them up when you go home for the evening, but not having live data really hampers the point of scouting.
Whats the problem with bluetooth?
Not to hate on iPads...but we resorted to including a "no iPad" clause in our Handbook (which extends to no off-task use of computers or any electronic devices) at meetings because they don't really lend themselves well to any task that we need to accomplish (with the exception of scouting, which just happens twice a year). Our school has had a convertible tablet PC program for a while, but recently decided to switch to a hybrid laptop/iPad program which I believe to be a mistake.
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