WE CAN USE ANY JOYSTICK??? cool.

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Posted by Anton Abaya at 1/26/2001 10:33 AM EST


Coach on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NONE AT THE MOMENT! :(.



Okay with this new update rule (update 5), i got excited with it.

For those of you last year who used joysticks other than the ones they gave us, how were they? Any problems? Were they better ? Or just cooler looking?

Anybody try using a PC gamepad? What about a steering wheel with pedals ?

thanks....

-anton

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Posted by Joe Ross at 1/26/2001 10:48 AM EST


Engineer on team #330, Beach Bot, from Hope Chapel Academy and NASA/JPL , J&F Machine, and Raytheon.


In Reply to: WE CAN USE ANY JOYSTICK??? cool.
Posted by Anton Abaya on 1/26/2001 10:33 AM EST:



This is something that I have been wondering about. What are the chances that I can go down to the computer store and pick up a joystick and have it work out of the box?

I don't particularily want to spend a lot of time with the multimeter, checking to see if a certain joystick is flightstick compatible. Anyone have any suggestions on compatible brands?

Do Tell... :)

Joe Ross
Beach Bot, Team 330

PS our drivers have been asking for a force feedback joystick, looks like it may happen! ;-)

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Posted by colleen - T190 at 1/26/2001 10:51 AM EST


Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and WPI.


In Reply to: How many joysticks are flightstick compatible?
Posted by Joe Ross on 1/26/2001 10:48 AM EST:



hey joe--

most joysticks you can buy for a computer have the same size port.. and if you plug 'em in to saaay, last year's bot, you can check out what mechanisms/pwm/relays the various buttons are controlling..

and what's nice about them... ahhh... no trimming necessary... :):)

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Posted by Nate Smith at 1/26/2001 11:01 AM EST


Other on team #66, GM Powertrain/Willow Run HS, from Eastern Michigan University and GM Powertrain.


In Reply to: How many joysticks are flightstick compatible?
Posted by Joe Ross on 1/26/2001 10:48 AM EST:



: This is something that I have been wondering about. What are the chances that I can go down to the computer store and pick up a joystick and have it work out of the box?

: I don't particularily want to spend a lot of time with the multimeter, checking to see if a certain joystick is flightstick compatible. Anyone have any suggestions on compatible brands?

: Do Tell... :)

: Joe Ross
: Beach Bot, Team 330

: PS our drivers have been asking for a force feedback joystick, looks like it may happen! ;-)

While many of the joysticks out there do have the same Flightstick-compatible PLUG, I would warn about using just any controller with the Operator Interface. Especially on the ports that have the LED driver pins(look at the control system manual for which ones these are), I'd be reluctant to hook any fancy joystick up to them, due to the possible different uses of the various pins. Looking at the one that I have(MS Sidewinder 3D Pro), it actually only has about half the pins in the plug, so it MIGHT be OK(will be looking more at this in the near future). As for force feedback, that requires some special signals to be sent from the OI, so I dunno if you could get it to actually work with the feedback or not...

Just be careful....

Nate

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Posted by control guy at 1/26/2001 11:19 AM EST


Student on team #250 from HVCC.


In Reply to: How many joysticks are flightstick compatible?
Posted by Joe Ross on 1/26/2001 10:48 AM EST:



Any joystick that runs off a standard pc gameport should function adequately. Also, the speed controllers have a calibration function that allows you to reset the speed controllers to a joystick without reprogramming the limits.

As they say: Try it!

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Posted by JVN at 1/26/2001 10:52 AM EST


Student on team #250, GE Dynamos - Capital District Robotics Team, from Shenendehowa High School and General Electric.


In Reply to: WE CAN USE ANY JOYSTICK??? cool.
Posted by Anton Abaya on 1/26/2001 10:33 AM EST:



It's all about the same... we've experimented with several different control type configurations...
last year we settled on building out own...

The different types of joysticks don't really make a difference,
they all are about the same, just look cooler.
I am waiting for someone to get the microsoft "force feedback" one working...
that would be unbearably cool
i would bow to that person.

Advice to rookies: stick with the FIRST supplied sticks, if it's your first year in the competition,
you REALLY don't wanna be debugging a half working control system when you get to the
regional...

~John #250

PS. anton, we are workin on a type of virtual reality...haha think of nintendo's power glove

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Posted by Jessica Boucher at 1/26/2001 3:00 PM EST


Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.


In Reply to: what will 250 bring this year???
Posted by JVN on 1/26/2001 10:52 AM EST:



All I have to say is....

I printed out the pic of your last years OI that went with the post, and I posted it in our HQ, like I do with some important/intriguing posts from here.

My team drooled over it for hours.

-Jessica B, #237

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Posted by Josh at 1/26/2001 9:47 PM EST


Engineer on team #419, Rambots, from Wentworth Institute of Technology.


In Reply to: I dont know, but...
Posted by Jessica Boucher on 1/26/2001 3:00 PM EST:



: All I have to say is....

: I printed out the pic of your last years OI that went with the post, and I posted it in our HQ, like I do with some important/intriguing posts from here.

: My team drooled over it for hours.

: -Jessica B, #237

So did we..:)

Josh
Team 419
"What were you thinking?!" -my mother again

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Posted by JVN at 1/27/2001 1:00 AM EST


Student on team #250, GE Dynamos - Capital District Robotics Team, from Shenendehowa High School and General Electric.


In Reply to: Re: I dont know, but...
Posted by Josh on 1/26/2001 9:47 PM EST:



i still think we should have won control award...who won again?

cmon...we sandcasted it!!!!
very futuristic technology that wheel
someday you might see those on cars!

~John #250

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Posted by Anton Abaya at 1/27/2001 12:32 AM EST


Coach on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NONE AT THE MOMENT! :(.


In Reply to: what will 250 bring this year???
Posted by JVN on 1/26/2001 10:52 AM EST:



: It's all about the same... we've experimented with several different control type configurations...
: last year we settled on building out own...

: The different types of joysticks don't really make a difference,
: they all are about the same, just look cooler.
: I am waiting for someone to get the microsoft "force feedback" one working...
: that would be unbearably cool
: i would bow to that person.

: Advice to rookies: stick with the FIRST supplied sticks, if it's your first year in the competition,
: you REALLY don't wanna be debugging a half working control system when you get to the
: regional...

: ~John #250

: PS. anton, we are workin on a type of virtual reality...haha think of nintendo's power glove


lots of work but with ENOUGH MOUNTAIN dew............

lol. good luck John :) be sure to bring that baby over to our pit at FL !

-anton

ps. we're making controls that attach to your butt and moves based on how u shake ur a$$.