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Originally posted by Lloyd Burns
Get a backlit LCD screen and a PIC - then hand code the pic machine language. (I used the MPLAB to do that, but if you want fun ... ;-)) It makes a less expensive package to drop, or have jolted off the shelf, than a laptop.
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Was that really legal this year? I think it should be, but we decided to avoid anything like that because the rules were a little vague on the issue:
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Teams are permitted to connect a portable computing device (Laptop computer, PDAs, etc.) to the RS232 Output of the Dashboard Port...
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Does "portable computing device" include homemade portable devices? They really should clarify that because as it stands my guess is it's up to the referee/inspector/FIRST person on location and that there isn't really an official stance on it.
I know last year there was a team that had a really nifty WinCE device displaying dashboard stuff at MMR which they were told they couldn't use (even though the rule clearly allowed that). In an effort to avoid hassle they simply removed it rather than arguing about it.
I'd love to see FIRST open the rules up on the OI side a little bit similar to what they did on the RC side with the custom circuit. I mean, a lot of teams already have custom controls - the team with the pirate boat to control their wings comes to mind. Would it really be that big of a jump to allow custom circuits to be connected to the OI?