Programming Team's Role

[techkid86]

Im not sure what has already been said, but this is my input.... ((get it? input?.... nvm))

anyway, as the head of the programing team on my robotics teams, I have plenty of responsibilities in coordinating with other teams, and bringing up ideas.

in the preseason, you have to bring all new programmers up to speed with the language and methods used by the team. teach em the trade!

programers are engineers too, so their ideas for a mechanical contraption are no less serious than a mechanical team's idea. their job in the design process is to come up with ideas, and be able to admit their limitations to the other teams. you always have to be thinking about your limitations, and thinking of new ways to control the robot. say the mechanical teams says.... "We want to make this awesome arm with 14 degrees of rotation." first thing you have to think is..... Can we program it? and is it worth it? if the answer to either is no, it is the programer's responsibility to announce that.

the other thing is, if it is an idea you want to go with, think from the beginning how you want to control it. if you want a feed back control loop, you have to tell the other teams you want a sensor in there from the beginning.

next, in terms of the building the robot, you have to coordinate with the electrical team and mechanical team to find where you need and want sensors. the earlier the better.

next in the actual programing....
1: plan. plan how you are going to program it. any control loops, and any special algorithms you are going to need.
2: make it. program it.... pretty self explanatory.
3: test it. you have to make sure it works. work out all the bugs.
4: modify it. you almost never get something you want to keep all the way through the competition, so you have to be able to change code mid competition.

I hope this helps!