my first gyro

[cad321]

I'm looking at purchasing a gyro or two (one for competition bot and one for practice bot) and don't know what to purchase. We have several ones from the KOP in past years but I have read that the drift is terrible at best. We are rather limited in terms of our programming, have a low to moderate budget (saw the navx mxp board and is a little much considering I need two). I read through the thread: best gyro for frc and most of it went right over my head. Basically I need something with drift suitable for field centric control, is not overly expensive (was thinking in the range of $30-$50 but I don't know if this is unreasonable and need to go more) and finally must have lots of documentation/support available. We use java and are looking in the area of close to step by step instructions.

Thanks for any input/help in advance.

[slibert]

Originally Posted by cad321

I'm looking at purchasing a gyro or two (one for competition bot and one for practice bot) and don't know what to purchase. We have several ones from the KOP in past years but I have read that the drift is terrible at best. We are rather limited in terms of our programming, have a low to moderate budget (saw the navx mxp board and is a little much considering I need two). I read through the thread: best gyro for frc and most of it went right over my head. Basically I need something with drift suitable for field centric control, is not overly expensive (was thinking in the range of $30-$50 but I don't know if this is unreasonable and need to go more) and finally must have lots of documentation/support available. We use java and are looking in the area of close to step by step instructions.

Thanks for any input/help in advance.

Since you have limited programming resources, you are wise to look for something with lots of documentation/support. The navX and nav6 are specifically designed for FIRST FRC robots, to help bring field-oriented drive to teams with limited resources. The support is pretty good, and there are folks on Chief Delphi who can help.

If the navX MXP exceeds your budget, please consider the nav6. This has been used successfully by a number of teams for field-oriented drive. It's a little over the budget you mention, but not too much.

The documentation's at https://code.google.com/p/nav6

This includes installation instructions, information on calibration, and also includes java libraries and even sample code showing how to integrate it into your robot.

For teams on a tight budget, the nav6 also includes design files for an enclosure you can print with a 3D printer.

One other thing to consider when looking at budget is what are the additional items you'll need to integrate the gyro into your robot. The nav6 will need a power cable and either a USB-serial adapter or a RS-232 cable. We sell items like these at the KauaiLabs store, so you can check the prices there.

Finally, although the nav6 and navX are easy to integrate, like any new technology you'll need to dedicate some time to learn how it works. If you are limited in programming resources, it's possible that moving to field-oriented drive is something better accomplished as an off-season project.

If you have more questions, please feel free to send me a private message.