Breadboard and Cypress Wiring help

[LavaEagle]

We are trying to use the cypress on our robot to essentially detect when the ball is the right general area. However we do not know how to wire up the cypress with the breadboard correctly and have it communicate with the sidecar on the robot.

Is there something out there that can help us understand and learn to use the Cypress Firsttouch sensor board with the robot and get feedback on the dashboard? Some form of pdf, ppt or some other thing that guides you through how to use to detect anything or set up at least one sensor.

We have our robot running with a completely customized program, our ball handler is nearly completed but we just don't know how to use the sensors!

Thank you so much!
Team 2660

[imac256]

Why not just interface the sensor with the sidecar directly? The cypress board was designed to be used with the Classmate as part of the drivers station, so interfacing it easily with the cRIO will be impossible since you will have to write your own libraries for it . Any sensor you use with the cypress would also work with the digital sidecar or analog breakout baord via the I/O ports.

-Ian
Programmer, Team 2022

[LavaEagle]

Very good idea, it makes a lot more sense when we look at it that way. Is there any tutorial or pdf that would walk you through hooking it up correctly?

[imac256]

What kind of sensor are you using, and what is it supposed to output? I might be able to help you with that.

One good resource that I can think of is the WPI Roboitcs Library User's guide and other documentation included with Windriver and Labview. Even if you do not use C++ it can provide a simple overview of the overall specifications of the I/O system of the cRIO.

-Ian
Programmer, Team 2022

[EricVanWyk]

The Cypress board itself can be used as a sensor: It can measure capacitance and has an accelerometer.

[LavaEagle]

If I wanted to set up the Cypress board as an accelerometer how would i go about doing or is there some sort of tutorial? We are kind of left out in the dark sensor wise.

[EricVanWyk]

There are two distinct ways to use the Cypress Board, and you need to be sure you do not confuse the two.

1) As part of the driver station.
This is what the majority case. (most) Everything is done for you already. Look up the extended IO options to use its cooler functions.

2) On the robot.
This is the minority case. Nothing is done for you already. You will need to figure out your own method of talking to the device and write your own program for it. I recommend this path only for teams that have extra programmer cycles.

[LavaEagle]

Ahh ok.

It would be alot easier to just use the accelerometer, gyro and encoder chips independently then wouldn't it?

[EricVanWyk]

Probably. The WPI Library already supports each of the three sensors you mentioned, so it will be a lot easier than rolling your own.

BUT, don't let me discourage you. I'm planning on attempting to put the Cypress PSoC on the robot, as soon as I settle down and stop moving states (NH now, RI thursday, NY friday, TX a few weeks later...)

[LavaEagle]

Do you recommend any tutorials in particular that may lead my team to something we didn't think of before?