pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Here are some more photos.
http://flickr.com/photos/ehaskinsdot...7611086062585/

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Here's the obligatory "Your wheels are backwards" post. :)

Seriously, the way you have your Mecanum wheels configured, it looks like the robot will have a hard time spinning itself, while being very easy for someone else to spin it by pushing.

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

I know. The new students assembled the chassis this year, and no body noticed until it was assembled. That's on the list for this Saturday's meeting.

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

aah, the newbies... gotta love 'em!

also... great job! I'm really exited to see what people end up doing with this much power under the hood!

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Awesome job!
Was it difficult to program the cRIO to work with the mecanums?
How did the controller layout work?
Were you happy with the performance of the controller and what logictech model did you use?
Are you satisfied with the cRIO so far?

I don't mean to overwhelm you with questions, there is just so much I wanna know about the new system! :D

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

The code to get the Macanums running is relativity simple and the default and example code isn't bad, so porting that functionality was easy. I spent more time getting WindRiver to communicate with the cRio.

The game controller we used was the cheapest one the local WalMart had as I was going to the meeting. Now that I look it appears to be a Logitech Dual Action. It was $18 at WalMart.

One of the sticks mapped to X and Y, and i believe the other mapped to Z and twist. I haven't checked how the buttons are mapped.

Overall I'm happy with the new system, but the increased size and weight may be a problem.

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Cool, is your driver happy with how the controller is working?
My team has been looking into using a game controller for next years game.

The heavier control system will just make "weight budgeting" a bigger priority.:p

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

Our driver likes that controller, but he has some other controllers which he wants to try before making a final decision.

I've tried some other game controllers, and the DS recognizes most of them without any issues. My suggestion is that if you want to try other controllers have your team members bring in some of theirs and test them.

Overall the system is responsive, and seems to perform well.

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that the C programming is doable. I was so worried programming teams would have to learn threading, callbacks, etc. making Lab View the only plausable choice to get anything competitive out the door.

Thanks so much for testing the C functionality.

Look forward to hearing how well the interface works for doing the vision and stuff.

-q

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

The WPILib for C++ is designed so that if you're familiar with the EasyC style of methods, then you'll be able to make the transition fairly easily.

The only thing you really need to learn to make the move is the way C++ implements object-oriented features, but once the C wrappers are finished that won't even be needed.

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

what wire #????:ahh:

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

I see that you are using the Jaguars for the main drive wheels. Someone pointed out that the Jaguar's overcurrent protection kicks in at 100 Amps whereas the stall current for the CIM motors is 115 Amps. Have you had any problems with the protection kicking in? I'm guessing that is would be somewhat of a non-problem, but the person who told me about this issue did a lot of the documentation work for FIRST and suggested using the Victors for the CIM motors, although our team has burnt out about 10 Victors over three years with overcurrent (i.e. pushing the robot on the floor while disabled/off instead of picking it up to move it)

Re: pic: 1103's control system test robot
 

No we haven't had any issues.