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Unread 18-10-2001, 14:40
Dave... Dave... is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: AFL/MHS Melvindale, MI
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Dave... will become famous soon enough
I, too, have to agree with Joe. While PBasic is not the most intuitive programming language, it also has a basic simplicity which can be attributed to some of its power.

Engineers know that problems exist, and we have to find ways to deal with those problems. The programming language of choice is no different. In order to help our programming (this was my first year in PBasic by the way, learning in January), we found it was easier to write down on paper what we wanted the program to look for and the appropriate action (if switch1 is open and switch2 is closed, then turn relay1 to on), and then negate the line as needed. The previous example would "normally" be written as "if switch1 = 0 and switch2 = 1, then relay1 = 1". After negating, the line in PBasic would be "if switch1 = 1 or switch2 = 0, then relay1=1".

A flowchart is a great way to teach the students, and they can understand the concept of negating how we would normally write an instruction line of code. Simply change and's to or's, 1's to 0's, and so forth.

Again, its not the most intuitive way to program, but not impossible.

I've heard from other engineers and at the team forums that FIRST is about learning and motivating the students. What a better way to motivate the studetns than to teach them some programming. Icons and Simulink are great tools, but it also "dumbs" us down. If we make it easier to program, then maybe we should give each team a complete drivetrain, a few pre-built arms and special action mechanisms, and let the teams simply bolt them together?? Let's motivate the mechanical students with motors and gears, and motivate the computer students with the programming. When some of my students fonud out that the control system in front of them (including Victors and Spikes) cost $2000, their jaws dropped. All of a sudden they wanted to know how to use the stuff.

The programming isn't that difficult (especially when a default program is available right out of the box), so long as there is time to write the code. If the team is still assembling and making design changes in mid-February, then I feel sorry for those people who have only two days left to program.

Innovation First has developed a powerful control system for FIRST, and for the number of units they supply to FIRST (only once a year at that), I think it would be a lot to ask them for additional resources to change the programming language so that our lives our that much easier.

Just my humble thoughts.

Dave...
 


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