[Venkatesh]

Our team has given some thought to the issue of smooth joystick control and the like.

Last year, we did some tests with recording prior pwm values and stepping up or down in small increments to reach a desired speed. However, the robot became very difficult to handle as certain motions of the joystick would take time to become apparent.

We also attempted something interesting. We used an x^3 (i forgot the other terms of the expression, but this was the largest) curve, so that our joysticks were very sensitive (small changes in input value -> precise changes in output) near the center, but relatively insensitive in the end. We added some ramping code to the curve, so that changes wouldn't be abrupt.

We discovered that if drivers need to get used to only one thing (ramping) they get frustrated, but if they have to get used to two things (ramping and non-linear joystick), they are happier.

I also had had the idea to use inductors in between the joysticks and the OI. I did some testing, and the 2004 OI doesnt like it. It sometimes fails to recognize the existance of the joystick. I have not tried capacitors to smooth the output yet.

Our conclusion: train the driver to not jam on the joysticks.