[techhelpbb]

(Moved from old topic...)

I think I'd like to see:

1. A good alarm on the robot that traps any voltage drops below a specific threshold and reports it when something bothers to check (I built one so I know this can be done and how handy it is). Mind you, not merely an analog to digital converter, a latched alarm that doesn't depend on being checked.

2. The ability to separate the power for the control logic from the power for the motors (at least for troubleshooting, I can power all the Propellers on my test frame with a pair of D cell batteries if I wanted).

3. The ability to store data on the robot that will survive a complete power down (already built that with flash). Why? Cause when things go nuts you can read that memory and unlike with the WiFi you don't have the overhead of reliable TCP/IP and buffering up.

4. The ability to check the quality of the link from the field control (that's a ghost that's caused enough headaches). Again, probably gonna need the memory for that....cause right now I can't tell you after the robot powers down if you lost the field.

5. I2C, SPI or serial (emulated is fine, but with completely functional examples for the software).

6A. Circuit protection that is consistent. So a 40A breaker that actually trips at 40A and does so over and over...not once at 40A, once at 30A, once at 20A and then maybe will be like that for a while.

or

6B. A latching current monitoring system that can tell you if you trip the breaker from over current.

(I've already built 6B and frankly so can anyone...look at the TI appnote for the current monitor in the black Jaguar.)

7. This is pure programming and controller design:

It must be able to do more than one thing at a time...and not because your a wizard that can hand punch player piano roles (though if you can get your robot to run on player piano roles post it LOL). It is surprising difficult to thread with the cRIO as configured for FIRST...it does work...it took a while to figure it out.

Course the Parallax Propellers eliminate this concern a whole different way...you just keep adding chips and cogs until you have enough and they can all run at the same time (communication between them is a bit more tricky because of it).

8. The connectors have to latch. There's nothing quite like a great robot failing because a poor connector slipped off.

9. Documentation. I know that the reason no one will find the blue prints for human kind's greatest creations is because someone drew them on napkins during lunch and then left the used napkins in the garbage, but we need people to learn this stuff and guidance from the people with the most experience with it is always welcome. Leverage technology and use a Wiki if you must. Also, JavaDocs with notes like "does not work" is not what I mean.

10. It has to be cheap enough to ship to all the teams quickly and safely, and it has to be economical enough to send teams a baseline system within the existing funding constraints (the new cRIO has lowered the bar on the total package price by a fair bit, thanks NI).

11. >NO< undocumented connectors. You too can keep the smoke in my ears and in your electronics. Just make sure people understand what connects to what clearly. Oh and send at least test cables for something like the Jaguar with a bill of materials.