Real-Time Scoring Not Working?

[GaryVoshol]

The "snapshot" is virtual - there are humans that are counting and writing down the number of discs scored in autonomous. All the discs are counted as the goal bins are emptied at the end of the match.

I have seen scores "flickering"; presumably as the sensor picks up a weight that's nearly halfway between the weight of two discs and it's trying to figure out which discrete value to display.

One time the big screen showed a score of 404 until the FTA jostled the goal bin and the sensor went back on.

At Traverse City they had to replace the sensors or re-calibrate them 3 or 4 times today.

I don't believe there is a huge point swing once the manual count has been done. We had one match where the field crew counted correctly, but the numbers were entered into FMS for the wrong alliances - red and blue reversed. When that was pointed out several matches later, the scores were corrected.

It is unfortunate that the automated scoring doesn't work, and it does slow things down a little because it takes longer for field reset and scoring. But to FIRST's credit, they did admit that the system didn't work and came up with the manual backup. They didn't try to claim that "The sensors are always right."