pic: Truck Town Thunder 68 Controls

[Michael Auchter]

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[Quatitos]

Nice set of controls and good job winning GLR with 66 and 67. Also, I can't help but notice that someone had recieved a rhino from team 279.

[Chriszuma]

Speaking as the guy who designed and built the controller (except for the welding of course), I can honestly say that this is the best operator interface in FIRST. Self-promotion aside, here are some of the details of how we made it so sleek and portable:

- Extra joystick cable was wound up on the inside of the joystick-- there's plenty of extra room.
- The cable for the first joystick travels through the second one on its say to the controller-- saves need for extra cabling
- extensions for the radio port and power jack are routed to the top of the controller for easy access.
- The handle is welded on for strength and good looks
- Intuitive arm controls: Model of arm for top joint, toggle switch for tilt, rocker for extension, and pot with radio knob for turret
- 68's almost-patented onboard diagnostics controls (the 4 red buttons) used in combination can give the user 15 pieces of data about the robot
- Sweet bolt-action latch mechanism enables quick disassembly
- Incredibly light and easy to carry.

I haven't seen one that I like more (maybe 781, but i don't like their choice in white right-handed joysticks).

[xzvrw2]

awe man that looks so much like a RIP OFF OF 65S MINI-ME!!!!!!! lol just playing. we do the same thing. we got the radioshack award for it so ha ha ha. lol good work on it though they work really good. and evidently it works for you guys because you guys won 2 regionals.

[Michael Auchter]

That is a beautiful arm controller. Do you have any other pictures of it?

[xzvrw2]

Originally Posted by Michael Auchter

That is a beautiful arm controller. Do you have any other pictures of it?

no sorry but if you give me a couple days i can get some pictures on here for you though.

[Chriszuma]

I wanted to do something similar with a fully-functioning arm model, you know linear pot, base swivel, all that crazy jive. But, time and practicality made us settle on our current design. We have added one feature to that though; it now has extension buttons on the side of the arm model for easier control.

[xzvrw2]

well evidently it is working for you guys because you ave won two regionals with it. good job. I'll com by and see it at nationals.

[Collmandoman]

I think Truck Town Thunder and Metal In Motion are the two best names in FIRST.... uh huh

[xzvrw2]

i like truck back when they were called TRUCK TOWN TERROR!!!!!

[Scythe]

You have seen Children of the Swamp's controls haven't you? Those things are sweet...

M.O.R.T.'s are pretty cool too...they glow blue...

[Chriszuma]

Originally Posted by xzvrw2

i like truck back when they were called TRUCK TOWN TERROR!!!!!

Yeah, we had to change that after the whole terrorism thing...

[babbish]

Yeah the white joysticks are simply a pain.
No escalade badges on this year's controller... too bad.

[danield710]

Very nice control board, very clean, and just really nice looking, i love the mini arm.

We went with the "mini-arm" controller this year, just as we did last year (the first year that we did it). Because our arm is telescoping and we have a joint our mini-arm was a litle unique. We made a controller that one of the mentors dubbed "the trackmaster". ITs basically something that u can slide up and down using pots of course, and the position that its slided up or down is the position that the telescoping part of our arm is at, and also we had a mini joint for our joint. Also we made our control board expanding this year, so we could fit it in the passenger seat of a team members car.

But i have to say that i really like ur control board, its really "sleak" and im a big fan of the mini arm