Which controler for driving mecanum?

[thinker&planner]

Being the driver, and liking tank style, I requested that we control (not drive) our robot with tank-style controls. We used an Xbox controller and had the left-y control the left side forward/backwards and the right-y for the right side. The strafing was controlled by the triggers, which were analog on the controller that we used. If we do it again, I would use two joysticks in a tank formation and modify the triggers to be analog (or use the x-axis of one of them for strafing).

The trick was averaging in the strafing at the same time, which our amazing programmer had a true "Eureka!" moment when she figured it out. Her method provides a more "natural" way (if you naturally like tank-style controls) for mecanum the full mobility of mecanum still retained.

I'll try to find the algorithm and put it here soon.

[rjmah]

Originally Posted by thinker&planner

The trick was averaging in the strafing at the same time, which our amazing programmer had a true "Eureka!" moment when she figured it out. Her method provides a more "natural" way (if you naturally like tank-style controls) for mecanum the full mobility of mecanum still retained.

I'll try to find the algorithm and put it here soon.

I meant to say arcade until the stick gets to 45 degrees. I'm pretty sure our programmer just used a linear proportion to give the driver strafe "steering". As you know, sideways steering is pretty inexact anyway.

[Chadfrom308]

Last year we used an Xbox controller and controlled it call of duty style. I liked that setup a lot and want to do it again, but my team this year wants tobdo a 3 axis joystick because it has more resolution

[Ether]

Originally Posted by thinker&planner

I'll try to find the algorithm and put it here soon.

Here's a common way to do it:

Forward = (Y_left + Y_right) / 2

RotateCW = (Y_left - Y_right) / 2

Then feed the Forward and RotateCW values into the Y and Rotation inputs, respectively, to the MecanumDrive_Cartesian method¹ in WPILib (or LabVIEW). Use a joystick X axis or something else for the X (strafe) input.

¹void RobotDrive::MecanumDrive_Cartesian(float x, float y, float rotation, float gyroAngle)

[nickmcski]

The way our team hypotheses to drive it was to use an x-box controller with the left stick be the forward back left and right and the triggers to rotate left and right.