FRC Blog - Behind the Scenes at IRI

[Caleb Sykes]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

The radio in the picture appears to be a Open-Mesh OM5P-AN (possibly an OM2P-HS).

Also, in case anyone was wondering, the goat in the picture appears to be a Little Rocky the Stuffed Mountain Goat Mini Flopsie by Aurora.

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by Caleb Sykes

Also, in case anyone was wondering, the goat in the picture appears to be a Little Rocky the Stuffed Mountain Goat Mini Flopsie by Aurora.

Caleb,

Unfortunately you are incorrect. That would be one of the limited edition AndyMark AM-Goat goats. Since they are no longer for sale, I cannot link to one. But, having worked with every single one of those goats, I would recognize them anywhere.

[page2067]

Great blog post

1 feedback is that current system main point of failure we have seen is at the power input plug to the radio - which 1 reply indicated was the same(?)- this has been successfully mitigated by electrical tape applying sideway pressure for contact even during robot interaction (2014), but a better connector suited for some dynamic loading would be a plus.

Thanks.

[Nemo]

One of these years, the radio will get smaller, right? I know practically nothing about wireless technology, but one of the things I do know is that you can fit it into a phone or a VexNet key.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Nemo

One of these years, the radio will get smaller, right? I know practically nothing about wireless technology, but one of the things I do know is that you can fit it into a phone or a VexNet key.

One of the limits facing any radio equipment is the physics of antennas: These can be made only so small, after which they become ineffective. There is generally little need for a WiFi AP much smaller than, say, a paperback book, and so we're unlikely to see one on 2.4 or 5 GHz.

[Ben Wolsieffer]

Originally Posted by Nemo

One of these years, the radio will get smaller, right? I know practically nothing about wireless technology, but one of the things I do know is that you can fit it into a phone or a VexNet key.

When they were evaluating the new control system, I remember hearing that a USB wifi dongle was tested, but it was not used in the end. I'm assuming it was smaller than the current bridge.

EDIT: This was the thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=129140

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by lopsided98

When they were evaluating the new control system, I remember hearing that a USB wifi dongle was tested, but it was not used in the end. I'm assuming it was smaller than the current bridge.

EDIT: This was the thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=129140

Yes, it was smaller, much smaller. There were technical issues with running it on a field with all 6 robots, so it was dropped.

Honestly, we don't really need anything smaller - our robots are certainly big enough that you can find room for our radios!

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

Yes, it was smaller, much smaller. There were technical issues with running it on a field with all 6 robots, so it was dropped.

Honestly, we don't really need anything smaller - our robots are certainly big enough that you can find room for our radios!

My ideal is a pure mechanical robot, zero volume and weight allocated for electronics and wires.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

My ideal is a pure mechanical robot, zero volume and weight allocated for electronics and wires.

This REALLY deserves a spotlight!

[theawesome1730]

It would be nice for FIRST to be early adopters of 802.11AD since it utilized a 60GHz frequency. Less interruptions and interference, huge bandwidth (why it's called WiGig) and due to the nature of 60GHz antenna modules vs 2.4GHz antenna modules, the same size package can have far more antennas per module on the order of 32 vs 1. Additionally, there are benefits with efficiency and power consumption. Unfortunately 60GHz reflects rather than penetrates most surfaces so this does affect connection, but from previous network setups at competition, I doubt that would be a huge issue.

Source http://www.networkworld.com/article/...i-picture.html

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by theawesome1730

Unfortunately 60GHz reflects rather than penetrates most surfaces so this does affect connection,

This includes plastics too...

The radio shown is very small, about 1/4 the footprint of the current radio. It is available with or without the dual band capability. Currently FRC is using the 5 GHz band for competition. The radios tested at IRI did have a POE marking on the jack although I would expect that feature would not be used if this radio will be used. In watching mounting the radio on the various robots, the current general rules for radio mounting still applies. That is high on the robot, away from surrounding metal objects and local interference devices like open frame motors. It does have a 12 volt input. The antennas are mounted on the sides of the radio so conventional wisdom would be to mount horizontally to maximize coverage and to keep objects away from the sides. Robot rules about keeping the LEDs visible should still apply.

[Nemo]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

The radio shown is very small, about 1/4 the footprint of the current radio.

I didn't realize how small this was when I first saw the picture with the goat. I am pleased.

[Mike Marandola]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

My ideal is a pure mechanical robot, zero volume and weight allocated for electronics and wires.

Introducing the 2016 game, Automata Ascent! Once on the field, you will have 60 seconds for wind up.

[E Dawg]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

My ideal is a pure mechanical robot, zero volume and weight allocated for electronics and wires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1i-dnAH9Y4

Here's a little something to get you started.

[MikeE]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

My ideal is a pure mechanical robot, zero volume and weight allocated for electronics and wires.

That would be ideal for next season's game: http://tinyurl.com/frc2016

Could we re-schedule IRI for June 20th?