Problem with eStop CCI HID board

[sanddrag]

In one of oursemifinal matches at Los Angeles, we had a big problem with our eStop Robotics CCI HID board and USB driver. We tested via tether immediately adjacent to the playing field, every robot function works, just like it had every time before. We go to the field 30 seconds later and play the match, nothing works, completely dead. Turned out in that short amount of time, the Windows driver for the CCI board had crashed. Unplugging and replugging the USB "fixed" it, but by then it was too late. Field personnel had already rebooted the cRio, twice. We're using the Classmate E12 with the standard image.

It's extremely frustrating to have your robot sit motionless for an entire match, due to third-party hardware and software we have no control over. I can't blame it on a field fault, our design, our software, my students, anything. It was a pure bad luck glitch, which is the most frustrating part, because I have no fix other than "use a different HID device."

Since the Cypress PSoC has been discontinued (and it wasn't great either), the eStop board is virtually the only product to my knowledge that is geared for doing custom switch and analog inputs on an FRC control board. I really like the product, and I'm not here to bad-mouth it, but this one experience is one of those things I just can't have happen ever again.

FIRST has the "Innovation in Control" award, yet since the switch to a Windows PC as the driver station, and the discontinuation (and non-inclusion in the kit) of the Cypress board, we don't have a lot of options for innovation in control, on the operator side.

[Kevin Phan]

I'm sorry about what happened to your CCI. This is quite the strange behavior. I will look into this with the mentors on the team (Owners of eStop robotics). It would be really helpful to describe what happened before it started to glitch out.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Since the Cypress PSoC has been discontinued (and it wasn't great either), the eStop board is virtually the only product to my knowledge that is geared for doing custom switch and analog inputs on an FRC control board.

It's easy to program a Teensy (a small Arduino-like device) to act as a completely standard generic HID joystick/gamepad. It doesn't have the convenient connection terminals of the CCI, but it's half the cost.

http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_joystick.html

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

It's easy to program a Teensy (a small Arduino-like device) to act as a completely standard generic HID joystick/gamepad. It doesn't have the convenient connection terminals of the CCI, but it's half the cost.

http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_joystick.html

Having won the Inspiration in Control Award twice this year (CVR and SAC), you can imagine we are always looking for "better" ways to control our robots.
Our Cypress board never worked this year, so we are currently looking for a reliable alternative as well.
The Teensy as a HID has been posted here on CD a few times. The emphasis is always on the "I" part of "HID". In other words, an Input device to the DS.

A quick overview of the site linked supports the Input option(s), but the question remains, can it also handle "Output"? Even something as simple as driving an LED or two?

[EDIT]
On a deeper dive into the Teensy link, I believe I found the answer. YES!!
[/EDIT]

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Since the Cypress PSoC has been discontinued (and it wasn't great either), the eStop board is virtually the only product to my knowledge that is geared for doing custom switch and analog inputs on an FRC control board. I really like the product, and I'm not here to bad-mouth it, but this one experience is one of those things I just can't have happen ever again.

FIRST has the "Innovation in Control" award, yet since the switch to a Windows PC as the driver station, and the discontinuation (and non-inclusion in the kit) of the Cypress board, we don't have a lot of options for innovation in control, on the operator side.

The TI Launchpad: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=122587

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

The TI Launchpad: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=122587

This was the last thing I saw about it:

Originally Posted by dyanoshak

We are close to releasing the software on our website, however it may still be a couple of days. PM me and I may be able to send you a beta release.

It didn't seem like a well-documented viable alternative at the time.

[sparkytwd]

This is the type of madness people are getting up to with the Teensy: http://hackaday.com/2014/02/14/the-1...ck-controller/