Steering control without a gyro

[nathanww]

Ou original plan was to use a gyro chip to implement basically a PID loop to make steering on the slippery floor more reliable. However, this was set back when our electrician accidentally let the smoke out of our gyro, and it appears that there is no way we can purchase a new competition-legal gyro.

So, does anyone have any ideas on how we could do this without the gyro?

[Mark McLeod]

Why don't you buy a different gyro?

e.g., http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?c=85

[Jared Russell]

^ this

I've used many different gyro models in the past, and all of them are basically the same.

[BradAMiller]

WPILib will work fine with the Sparkfun parts. Be aware that the max rate parameter is important when selecting a gyro. If it's rated at 80 degrees/sec maximum rate, and your robot turns faster than that, it will lose the heading just like a speedometer being "pinned" going too fast. Choose one that has a rate just slightly larger than the fastest you expect to see your robot rotate.

[oddjob]

Originally Posted by BradAMiller

WPILib will work fine with the Sparkfun parts. Be aware that the max rate parameter is important when selecting a gyro. If it's rated at 80 degrees/sec maximum rate, and your robot turns faster than that, it will lose the heading just like a speedometer being "pinned" going too fast. Choose one that has a rate just slightly larger than the fastest you expect to see your robot rotate.

Just to add to that, if a fast robot clips your robot and makes it spin fast, your robot can lose its heading. If heading is super important for your robot code, consider using a magnetic compass to provide a lower bandwidth correction to "reset" the gyro heading.

(e.g Davantech CMPS03 or Hitechnic NXT)