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Re: cRIO, has it 'upped the game'?
With the amount of time it took to setup and the complexity involved due to the number of auxiliary components, it only added to the frustration of knowing so much more. Don't get me wrong - I think the cRio is an awesome product with capabilities way beyond that of the IFI controller. After having used it, I would love to use it if I were to build a complex robot that required a lot of processing power. However, my question is how much of this EXTRA juice can you really use in an FRC Competition? I am sure if you really wanted to add many sensors and write thousands of lines of code, you very well could. A match is only about 2 minutes long and autonomous is only 15 seconds long. Does the processing power and the use of extra sensors really help up the quality of the robot that much?
On team 25, we try to keep things as simple as possible and at a level the students can comprehend. The extra power and complexity has not really helped other than cause a lot of frustration and a huge learning curve. Rather than "upping the game", I think the change over to the new control system has simply caused a lot of frustration. I feel the focus was on adding a lot of extra functionality rather than giving us something that is tested and reliable for its basic purpose (Ex, Jaguars, Driver Station).
Overall, I am pleased with the cRio but not with the implementation. It needs to be more reliable and way simplified for a FRC Competition. While many of us on here are very knowledgable and into "building robots", there are many schools I help out at competitions who barely get around to have a working robot. FIRST is also supposed to help those students get inspired into careers of science and technology. It is certainly not easy when they have a system beyond their comprehension.
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-= Bharat Nain =-
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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