Originally Posted by Maxpower57 (Post 722721)

also you're forgetting that all usb things need drivers.
and its hard enough going through that mess with operating systems,

Originally Posted by thefro526 (Post 722728)

I understand that USB things need drivers, I was just saying If you wanted to do it there is a way. Next year will be a learning year for almost every team and you will see a lot of people sharing their experiences on how to interface with the robot, so I wouldn't worry about too much of anything yet. Also I highly doubt FIRST will give us this new control system without some technical documents to help us out. In the past almost anything you could ever want to know about the current control system has been published and in time it will be the same in time, just you watch.;)

Originally Posted by AndyB (Post 723221)

If IFI is really leaving (i hope not),

What will happen with the Kit Frame?

Originally Posted by AndyB (Post 723221)

If IFI is really leaving (i hope not),

What will happen with the Kit Frame?

Originally Posted by GBIT (Post 723229)

It might just not come in the kit. I don't believe the company is disbanding. i would think you could still buy parts from them. I hope you can anyway....:ahh:

Originally Posted by 3dude_2231 (Post 723249)

really really hoping IFI won't be leaving next year

but for whatever change comes, I hope it wont be for the worse
(for me worse means a more 'Easy C' approach, rather than digging into low-level code)


<dream>
I think the best addition that could be added would be the ability to debug and act like an ICD2:
I imagine 'freezing' the RC, changing values at 'mid-air' and so..
</dream>
I hope someone's hearing

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur (Post 723259)

I'm actually hopeing for a bit of both worlds.

I'd love to see an OS where things were abstracted a bit so newer teams wouldn't feel so innundated, but I'd also like to see the ability to go 'underneath the hood', so to speak, and be able to get into the bits and bytes.

If things are done right teams that want to streamline the code or create specialized interfaces to the RC should be able to while those that just want to 'plug and play' will be able to do so, but only with the generic instruction sets.

Originally Posted by 3dude_2231 (Post 723266)

agreed

but, agree with me that you don't want to see a Lego Mindstorm as next year's controller =]

FIRST got me into learning PICs and uCs, things I had absolutely no experience with,
and now, in my second year, I actually help college students with PICs,
[now..after bragging] what I mean to say is, that with a little bit of effort and will (and with just the right guidance) , any team can achieve anything,
[and the bottom line], don't go crazy simplifying the control system
It's great as it is now.