Need 2014 Driver Station Software

[Qbot2640]

Originally Posted by freaksdesign

Oh sorry I miss read. If you are just trying to run old code/robot you should be able to switch to the old protocols. see below

Could you explain exactly what I need to do to run last year's robot from the new driver station software (I'm not sure what the arrow in your image means)? We tried today and didn't know what we had to change...then we were afraid to update the drivers' station laptop for fear of losing the ability to drive the '14 bot.

[FrankJ]

The switch freak is pointing to lets the 2015 DS interface with the 2014 FMS. My understanding is the 2015 will not talk to the 2014 robots. Apparently the switch that allowed it to run 2014 comms in the Beta testing was dropped. My programmer tells me the 2014 DS will run on the 2015 system. I have not actually seen how he tested this. Maybe somebody more versed in Lab View will comment. (The DS is a labview program regardless of what language your robot is programed in.)

[Greg McKaskle]

The 2014 and 2015 DS have different EXE names. I do not have both installed on my laptop, and I don't control the installers, so I can't say much about what that will do, but the programs can coexist with no problem. Each has its own set of DLLs and a reference to a LV runtime.

The 2015 DS can actually control 4 slot cRIOs that have been updated to 2015 image. Those cRIOs will then speak the 2015 protocol.

The 2015 DS and roboRIO can also speak the old protocol, but this was turned off during the beta in order to avoid misconfiguration.

So in order to better answer your question, do you intend to update last year's robot to this years development tools and image? Is it a 4-slot?

If not, I'd lean towards zipping the old c:\Program Files\FRC Driver Station folder, then installing the new one, then unzipping the old one into a folder something like 2014 FRC Driver Station.

Greg McKaskle

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by Greg McKaskle

The 2015 DS can actually control 4 slot cRIOs that have been updated to 2015 image. Those cRIOs will then speak the 2015 protocol.

Greg McKaskle

Boy that is really going to confuse the Demo drivers. 8 slot, 4 slot 2014, 4 slot 2015. For the hard headed Java programmers, Can you put the 2015 image on the 4 slots? Presumably you would still use the 2014 net-bean plugins? Or we just shouldn't go there?

[Greg McKaskle]

Boy that is really going to confuse the Demo drivers

Sounds like a job for documentation. Or at least a checklist.

As for Java dependencies. I'm not the right person to comment on that. I know that the cRIO will still need Squawk JVM and that the language changed enough that the libraries are not that compatible. I would guess that a new 2015 image on a cRIO 4 slot will still run fine with older Java tools, but I'd wait for a beta team or WPI student to confirm.

Greg McKaskle

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Greg McKaskle

As for Java dependencies. I'm not the right person to comment on that. I know that the cRIO will still need Squawk JVM and that the language changed enough that the libraries are not that compatible. I would guess that a new 2015 image on a cRIO 4 slot will still run fine with older Java tools, but I'd wait for a beta team or WPI student to confirm.

Only LabVIEW supports the v57 image. Java teams should continue using last year's development tools and image.

[jhersh]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Only LabVIEW supports the v57 image. Java teams should continue using last year's development tools and image.

The old Java libraries would have to be updated to support the new Network Communications API to read joysticks and tele-op / auto mode selections and the like (the same way LabVIEW for the cRIO was). Other than that it should work with the Net Beans tools.

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by jhersh

The old Java libraries would have to be updated to support the new Network Communications API to read joysticks and tele-op / auto mode selections and the like (the same way LabVIEW for the cRIO was). Other than that it should work with the Net Beans tools.

I think our team is going to go with use the 2014 image on the Crios. I don't think I am even going to hint the programers that there are other options. (We keep them in a dark place with the mushrooms.)

[Qbot2640]

We program in Labview, and I really don't want to have both 2014 and 2015 driver station software on our DS laptop. What do I need to do?

Do I have to re-deploy my 2014 robot code from the 2015 software?
CAN I re-deploy 2014 from 2015, or would I have to re-write the program in 2015 Labview?
Will I need to re-image first?
Is there anything else?

To me this seems like the kind of ordinary functionality that tons of teams would need to have, to continue demonstrating their old robots this year...if it is so difficult, then why is there not a step by step instruction provided with the title "How to run your old robots from the new driver station software"

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Qbot2640

We program in Labview, and I really don't want to have both 2014 and 2015 driver station software on our DS laptop. What do I need to do?

If you're using a 4-slot cRIO, you can put the proper image on it, program it with this year's LabVIEW, and control it with this year's Driver Station.

The 2014 and 2015 Driver Station programs coexist without conflict (though I think the 2015 installer erases the contents of the folder, so you have to install the 2014 one last).

[RufflesRidge]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

The 2014 and 2015 Driver Station programs coexist without conflict (though I think the 2015 installer erases the contents of the folder, so you have to install the 2014 one last).

And the 2014 installer overwrites the 2015 dashboard so you should rename the 2015 dashboard first if you want to keep it.

[Qbot2640]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

If you're using a 4-slot cRIO, you can put the proper image on it, program it with this year's LabVIEW, and control it with this year's Driver Station.

We are using a 4 slot cRIO....
Can I open and deploy the program that we wrote in 2014 Labview with 2015 Labview, or do we need to re-write last year's program in the new software?

[Greg McKaskle]

You shouldn't need to rewrite all of your code, but you should look at the indices in Begin and update them to be zero based. There may be some other areas such as the compressor that you need to look at.

Work on a copy of the code, and you should find out within a few minutes whether you will have issues or not.

Greg McKaskle