Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik
... programming on the FRC controller isn't going to be the same as programming on the cRIO. ... the second class on FPGA programming will be completely useless to you next year. ... the code that NI, WPI, and FIRST lock us into. If they declare that thou shalt have only one user thread and it shall have the lowest priority... Well then a lot of threading and other things you'll be learning aren't going to be incredibly useful. Finally, the class obviously isn't going to have any info whatsoever on the actual WPI/NI/FRC libraries, which are going to be a large percentage of the actual programming.
... I think several months of hacking on a LEGO NXT are likely to be more useful in the long run than a few hours crammed full of Labview RT details.
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I completely agree with your last two points. NIWeek sessions and training will not cover the robotics libraries for FRC, and boning up on LV-NXT or RobotC-NXT are good ways to gain experience.
On the other hand. NIWeek is several things smashed together.
1. A large tradeshow exhibiition: more than a hundred booths of cool sensors, instruments, and SW tools with knowledgeable people there to answer questions, demo, etc. Some pretty cool robotics stuff will also be on display, I've heard. By the way, some of these companies may already sponsor FIRST teams, but what about those that don't, ... yet.
2. Keynotes: interesting speakers, interesting perspectives, cool demos -- mostly.
3. Tech sessions: presentations covering use of NI products, problem areas, etc. Lots of really technical stuff here, especially in signal processing, and vision.
4. Training: These are different from the sessions in that they are hands-on access to an NI tool with an instructor and something to measure.
5. Engineers from all over the world, gathering together, doing engineering stuff, networking, having fun.
I have been to a number of industry shows, and I still think the mix at NIWeek is the coolest for most anybody not scared by engineering stuff. As Danny pointed out, some of it is free, some of it is inexpensive. I don't think the cRIO training will really give anyone more than a few hours head start on the season. I think the tradeshow and maybe some tech sessions would be worth more.
So, if NIWeek is in the neighborhood, or if your summer vacation would like to include some geek fun with a hill country hike and swim, I'd recommend it.
A brief comment on the cRIO and FRC controller programming differences. I really don't think you have much to worry about. Limits are basically to cover safety issues. If you want to spawn a thousand threads at high priority and turn the brick into -- well -- a brick, it doesn't affect safety, so you will have that ability. And you might even be able to use them for good effect.
Rest assured, the tools aren't being dumbing down by taking lots of stuff out permanently.
Greg McKaskle