How to upload/download the code from a robot?

[Team865]

Our team just started running again this year and all our programmers are gone and no one on our team remembers how to upload the code off the robot or even to download it on, if i could get a link to the programs required and maybe a couple steps on how to use it that would be great.

[Roger]

Well, at least you're wondering about this now, instead of during the build period.... :)

There are two major robot compilers, Easy-C and MP-LAB. The disks are provided in the Kit of Parts. Easy-C can be downloaded but is only good for free for one week, then you have to pay. The MP-LAB is free for use with FRC, but they have several versions on-line that may or may not work with FRC. Best bet is look for the disks.

Kevin Watson's website Kevin.org has a whole bunch of code that tweaks the original IFI robot code and is used with MP-LAB.

Assuming you're using Easy-C, it has it's own built-in downloader.

Assuming you're using MP-LAB, you use a separate program called IFI_Loader. MP-LAB you type in the C code and compile it into a .HEX file, then you run IFI_Loader, browse for the .HEX file, then download it to the robot. Connection is made with a serial cable connected between the computer doing the downloading and the robot controller on the robot, at the PROG (or PROGRAM? I forget) connector.

Before downloading the code, press the PROG button on the robot controller until one of the red lights come on. Too long and you get a light show and you have to press the RESET button to get out of it. The robot does nothing until the code gets downloaded.

IMPORTANT! Put the robot up on blocks so it can't drive around, as it goes as soon as the download is completed, especially in Autonomous mode.

I don't know which way "downloading" and "uploading" go between robot and computer. I just assume one "downloads" from computer to robot. But you can't get the code from the robot into your computer. Well, maybe you can, but it's very unreadable. Well, maybe you can read machine code, but it'll take less time to just write the code to begin with!

Hope this gets you started. Good luck!

Roger.

PS: Are you doing this during school hours? Hmmmm.....

________________________________

A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

[Phalanx]

In the event you need to save the executable code running on the robot controller and don't have the source for it you can use IFI Device-Reader to save it to your PC. It will not be readable or editable since it is the "hex" file you would normally upload through IFI-Loader but you can save it in the event you need to reload it.

http://www.ifirobotics.com/docs/device-reader.zip

[EHaskins]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31817