![]() |
RoboRio
I was wondering if anyone talk to NI at worlds about the RoboRIO and got any new information. Also did they give a date for when it will be released for teams to buy.
|
Re: RoboRio
It comes in the 2015 kit of parts. They said it should be available for teams to buy fall of this year i'm pretty sure.
|
Re: RoboRio
hopefully we can get it in the fall or earlier. would be stressful to learn everything about the RoboRIO during the build season
|
Re: RoboRio
December was the date given for RoboRIO availability. October for the CTRE components.
|
If you want the new system early, you can sign up to be a beta test team.
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Does anyone have a CAD for the roboRIO?
|
Re: RoboRio
Found this on the NI site: https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-30419
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
As an Alpha test team, I can tell you that the system is pretty straightforward. The libraries are (so far) practically identical to what we're currently using, so programming shouldn't be a problem. As for hooking it all up... I think it's easier to get up and running than the cRio, and shouldn't take any time at all to figure out - It's all just labeled PWM ports, just like we have today with the DSC and the breakout boards. There really shouldn't be all that much for anyone to learn come the build season, and I would imagine just about any team will be able to take it on in stride.
Having been through one transition previously (from IFI to cRio), I can tell you this one is nothing like it. When the cRio was introduced, everything was different. Now, it's the same old stuff with more power in a smaller package and a few new features you don't even need to worry about if you don't want to. |
I wasn't trying to encourage anyone to sign up to be a beta test team just to get the new hardware. I was trying to point out the fact that it's not impossible to get the new hardware before October/December, for the right reasons.
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
In the Q&A at champs they said it would sell for under $500 and be available through AndyMark. They said December for general availability, sadly. There will be no limits on the number of them you can buy. I imagine forecasting how many to make right away will be a challenge,
|
Re: RoboRio
Does anyone remember the beta test signup link that was on the NI flyer given out at champs?
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I have so many more questions but lets start here. |
Re: RoboRio
It has four relay outputs for Spikes but I imagine you could use those to drive 8 Solenoid valves unless the rules prohibit it. There is a new Pneumatic Control Module from Cross The Road Electronics that communicates over CAN and provides support for many more valves and compressor control.
https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-30419 http://uwinfirst.com/Files/roboRIO%2...on%20Flyer.pdf |
Re: RoboRio
As Dale said, you'll probably be controlling your solenoids through the Pneumatics Control Module (PCM). It has specific ports to plug in the compressor and pressure switch, ports for solenoids, and a jumper to let you switch from 12 to 24 volts. It sits on the CAN bus, which lets you add several PCM's if you have enough solenoids to need to (in otherwords, you're no longer limited to the 16 you can currently have with 2 pneumatic modules in the cRio).
New features include native support for CAN on the RoboRio (no more serial to CAN converters), USB host and USB device support, native ports for most outputs (no need for a digital sidecar or breakout boards), and an expansion port to give you as many ports as you'll probably want. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
So, I wonder how robust will be the DSC that is now integrated into the RoboRIO? If the integrated DSC dies, do you also lose the entire RoboRIO? |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Either way, seriously looking forward to the new controller. I doubt it will be worse than cRIO/DSC in terms of reliability and I've heard of so many improvements. I might not be directly involved with a team next year but I'll still have to swing by a tournament (or two) to check out the new controllers. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
What's the spacing on the pins? I guess I'll go about trying to source some sort of adapter to make it harder for my students to destroy. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Quote:
I recommend using the MXP port, if possible, as your adapter for this. For those of us who remember 3.5" floppies, it looks to be the same keyed connector, so if we can source 34-pin ribbon cables.... |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
They did talk to our head Electrical mentor, we are signed up for a full Beta testing this summer/fall. I haven't heard anymore specific details about RoboRIO, but all I know is that we get more mechanical room next year. :D
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I think there was a fear that teams with less resources would struggle using industrial standards and the system was made to be similar to what is currently used. I could tell that NI wanted to introduce FIRST to more professional stuff but there was a reluctance to move to far away from the current model. Its a shame cause I was hoping FIRST would move away from the bare wire connectors like the WAGO but it looks like they are going to stay . I really wish the PD board came different options, I want one with powerpole 45s board mounted. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
One of the first questions asked by the alpha teams was about electrical protection. First and NI are quite aware of what would happen if a controller was fried, and we were assured that it is far more resistant to electrical failure than the old DSC.
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
On the beta testing, is there a frc blog post this year similar to this one: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...c/blog-8-16-12 ? So that we know the due date for application, and can confirm the validity of the survey, https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JLTYSGS?
|
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Anyone else take a close look at the Pneumatics Control Module? The picture showed the compressor directly connected to the PCM. Unfortunately, no one was around to answer questions.
IMHO: I doubt they want to put that much current through the PCM, and the display graphic should probably have shown the Compressor connector going into a Spike Relay, which is then connected to the Compressor (like they show the motors). |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
I also heard that with this new control system, the Java IDE is changing from Netbeans to Eclipse. Can anyone confirm this?
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I'm sad about Java but welcome the C++ change. Windriver was... well it was special. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Are there CAD models available for the new components in addition to the RoboRio?
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I can not confirm 100% at the moment that WPI plans to ditch netbeans altogether for Java. In 2012, they provided both Eclipse and Netbean plug-ins. But did not provide Eclipse plug-ins for 2013 or 2014. What I can confirm is that for C++: WPI is moving from Windriver to Eclipse (which is free). However, even if WPI only provides the official plugin for Eclipse, it is not impossible to set up Netbeans to develop for the RoboRio Arm processor and deploy on your own. For Java this is easy, because all you need to do is add the WPI Library to your linker in netbeans. Since Java compiles to byte-code it is platform independant and no cross-compilation is necessary. For C++: It is not impossible to set-up netbeans to cross-compile for the Arm Processor. The cross-compiler (g++) used on eclipse can be used in netbeans to provide an Arm Executable. After the binary is built for either language, all you need to do then is transfer the binary to the device, and SSH into the RoboRio to run the program. This is essentially what the "Deploy" Ant script provides, and their is no reason why you just can't reuse the Ant Script to do this for you. Currently for Java, netbeans is the supported IDE, however, I have my entire team setup using eclipse, we don't use netbeans for anything. We have been using Java and Eclipse for the last 3 seasons for FRC. I prefer to set up the build on our own, even if WPI provided us with an eclipse plug-in because I can run my own customizable build script. For example, after my build script creates the Jar File and transfers it to the cRIO, it then runs through my Java Code and generates a HTML version of the Javadoc for the code we wrote for the Robot - which is very handy. This is all functionality anyone can have. I personally like eclipse, but for those that want to still use Netbeans, there will always be a way to make it work with some limitation, even if it is not fully supported by WPI. In the past, I have provided turotials for teams to setup eclipse for Java development on FRC. Before the Fall, I will make sure to provide a video tutorial of how to setup netbeans for the RoboRio development. At the end of the day, you are free to use any IDE you like, as long as you can link to the WPI provided libraries and are comfortable SSH'ing into the linux device on your own. Regards, Kevin |
Re: RoboRio
For the Java alpha testers, can you tell us what version of Java will be used (6, 7 or 8)?
Also, I'd read somewhere that the roboRIO will use "Java SE Embedded". Can anyone comment on the difference between Embedded Java and the Java SE desktop SDK? |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I would imagine that WPI would like to stick with Java 7 for 2015 because that is what will be the most tested by that time. However, sticking with 7 is not written in stone, and if they are comfortable enough, they can upgrade to JavaSE Embedded 8. As for the Differences between JavaSE and JavaSE Embedded. Don't think of it this way because it will be hard to convince yourself you need JavaSEEmbedded. Instead think of it like this: JavaSE Embedded, is the upgrade of Java ME CLDC. Java SE Embedded derives from JDK, but provides specific features and support for the embedded market on a limited set of supported platforms. The embedded-specific features and support include additional platforms, small footprint JREs (optional files removed), headless configurations, and memory optimizations. The reality is Java ME CDC and CLDC technology is Oracle's legacy technology that addresses embedded devices that had more than 1MB RAM and 10MB ROM. "Java SE Embedded is a new generation Java Embedded Platform that addresses devices that have [a little more] resources, but also allows them to access the latest APIs and functionality as is present in JavaSE. Truthfully, Java ME and Java SE Embedded address different segments of the embedded market. The Java ME CLDC and CDC offerings are designed for resource-limited devices including cell phones, handsets and media players. The APIs of CLDC and CDC are more limited than Java SE but enable these ME offerings to support devices with small footprints. Java SE Embedded provides the rich functionality of Java SE and is targeted at higher-end embedded devices - generally, those devices with at least 32MB RAM and 11MB - 20MB of ROM for a Linux/ARM platform." - From Oracle. Hope this helps, Kevin |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Quote:
Alpha testing was just that, Alpha. If FIRST/NI/WPI chooses to move to 8, we still have 7-8 Months of development time with SE 8. Ultimately it doesn't matter if it is 7 or 8. There is no huge shift between Java SE Embedded 7 and Java SE Embedded 8 that is cause for concern, so no need for panic. And as an end user just writing code for the target, you don't really gain or loose much with either 7 or 8. Any upgrade from 7 to 8 will not affect us as the end user for FRC applications. Regards, Kevin |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Now, if only we could get Ruby to run on these things... (I jest, my day job is ruby and I do a ton of development in it, at this point I think in it and have to translate to other languages) |
Re: RoboRio
I am so glad for the upgrade to a modern version of Java (whether it be 7 or 8), because of the many times I have tried to use any of Java's cool features and been unable to (ex. enumerations, generics).
I hope FIRST will still provide support for Netbeans, because I favor it over Eclipse, but the change really isn't that big a deal (its still the same code). |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Lambda Expressions anyone? Also, CAN integration is pretty awesome (even the talons have it now.) Hopefully the roboRIO handles collisions better because when we tried CAN bus, the cRIO would die with a timeout exception (of course that could have been a wiring issue, I suppose.) Another important thing they mentioned was that the terminating resistor is in the Power Distribution Panel, meaning you have to (well, you don't HAVE to, but its the easiest solution) daisy-chain all the breakout boards between the roboRIO and the PDP. At least, this is what I've heard. I'm sorry if this is already common knowledge, I just thought it was important. Also, netbeans support is not being dropped, says Brad Miller. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Will the Talons really have support for CAN next year? The current hardware doesn't support it AFAIK so will they release a new version? We were considering buying Talons to replace our Jaguars, but since I knew CAN would be easier to implement on the robotRIO end next year, I wanted to try it. I was reluctant to buy Talons because they don't currently have CAN support, but if they will next year then its a win-win for me (smaller size + more reliability + fancy sensor feedback). Do you know if the Talons will support all the potentiometer and encoder feedback the Jaguar does? Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Talons will definitely have CAN support. A cross the road electronics employee was there speaking for it.
Because it is CAN I would assume there is a way of getting info from the Talon but I'm not sure. I do know that the voltage of each PWM output can be retrieved, if that's any help. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
The roboRIO, certainly, as it runs linux... But I think that the cRIO running VxWorks might be more troublesome... I haven't seen a port of ruby to run on VxWorks.
If you do get ruby working, don't build a climbing bot because Ruby can't scale. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Since the RoboRio runs arm linux, and they finally recently got Hard Float Mono working, I really want to try and see if running robot code with C# would actually be possible. It would be fun.
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Are there any recordings of some of these conferences? I'd love to learn more about the roboRIO.
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
My favorite features
1. Linux: Full linux shell and features are just an ssh away 2. Java 8: No explanation needed 3. Units and Measures: In java pots will directly return an angle and encoders a distance 4. Eclipse: Already my standard IDE gains FRC 5. 5 second launch: The java program is saved on the roboRio as a jar. The jar is uploaded and launched without reboot in under 5 seconds. 6. PCM: Makes compressor control much easier (Quick Note: Because of the linux shell you can run whatever java version you want) |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Does the new power board supply 12 V or 24 V power to the RoboRio? I'm just wondering if the minimum voltage went up or down as compared to FRC-cRIO-II, because the spec sheet Joe uploaded lists 6.8V as the minimum voltage.
The NI page has a spec sheet that says there's a staged brownout from 4.5V-6.8V. Is that new? My understanding is that the current PDB feeds 24V to the cRio, so 4.5V of battery voltage (plus a bit for resistance losses) can meet the 9-30 V power requirement. If that requirement goes up to 6.8 V or down to 3.4 V, that has implications for robot design. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I can't find the post but I read that they made it to allow for teams to mess up and hook it up to 24 volts without destroying it. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I can already see writing a power management VI where I can prioritize and limit the motor setoutput based on current draw. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Side note, from what I've learned at NI Days, the new RIOs have two task schedulers. One is for RT, one is for non-RT. I recommend reading over the Introduction to NI Linux Real-Time. |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
Also somebody was wondering what kind of linux it is: 3.2 kernel (3.2.35-rt52-2.0.0a4 #1 SMP PREEMPT RT armv7l) and its based on OpenEmbeded/Angstrom (it has opkg (dpkg-like) package management). Uses busybox for most things. I would also not recommending running gcc on it, but you can use stock gcc for cross compiling. I've been using g++ 4.6 armel from the ubuntu 12.04 repositories just fine, though the binutils in the repos don't support a flag as they were too old, so I had to upgrade if I cared to see that flag be labled (worked perfectly find though). |
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
I didn't realize in the past that Java didn't have a function that just allowed you to supply a scaling factor when you declare the sensor. That's how LabVIEW has always had it. |
Re: RoboRio
Full Java 8 next year! :yikes: I guess we can just use JavaScript (via Longhorn) as our scripting language. Can't wait until they are ready to order. I think I will save some vacation time to work on some open source. :D
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
You can pre-order a roboRIO now from AndyMark (but it won't ship until December). http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-3000pre.htm
If you don't want to order yet, you can fill out a form indicating how many you want to buy, so to help gauge interest. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eiZ...?usp=send_form |
Re: RoboRio
Anybody have any idea when the supporting parts (PD board, Pneumatics board and Regulator board) will be available? Same time as the roboRIO?
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Has anyone see timing on when we would find out if we are a beta-testing team? My co-mentor applied for it, but I don't think we have found out anything. He is starting a Labview Academy next year at our Career Center and I can't wait for the fun we'll have!
|
Re: RoboRio
Quote:
|
Re: RoboRio
Ahh gotcha, sorry I was thinking it was end of April the application was due, not the end of May. Thanks!
|
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 23:56. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi