What COTS parts would you like to see?

[nuclearnerd]

Originally Posted by maxnz

A potentiometer that is designed to work with VEX ThunderHex shafts.

How about an absolute encoder that is designed to work on hex shafts? http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh....php?p=1569705

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by FrankJ

A Spike replacement

I remember a few years ago FIRST beta tested some dual relay modules... Obviously it didn't see the light of day, which is a shame.

Sure, it's just a relay... but a lot of things don't require variable control and in the real world relays are used all over the place (automotive, etc.). Now, they've become so forgotten that everybody (to quote a professor I know) "uses a helicopter to cross the street" by using Victors and the like for things that really don't need one.

I did note that spikes are listed as discontinued on VEX's site but that may not be news (not affiliated with a team, so I don't keep up with that much).

Perhaps even solid state relay options? While not exactly a huge benifit it's modern technology and if anything part of the control system goal is exposure to modern technology (adoption of CAN bus comes to mind).

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

Oh I would definitely buy this. The need for a dedicated power supply and controller has kept me from prioritizing blinkinlights in the past. Your board looks like a pretty simple drop-in solution.

I'd be all over this too. I sure hope your market research shows demand, I'd love to see it get built.

[mrnoble]

I think it was a little late last year when I voiced a hope for inverse mounted CIM gearboxes (like http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=140713) as a COTS item; maybe this year the Wizards at WCP will bring one to market. I'd also love to see the Raw Box made more like Joey Milia's original version; my team would probably keep several sets of that box in stock, it seems like one of the better designs I've ever seen.

[hrench]

I want a CAN plug-in vision aiming module

Originally Posted by marshall

Ain't gonna happen anytime soon for a lot of reasons. Unless of course all you want is the PIXY CAM with a CAN interface... you can make that happen without a whole lot of effort... use the HERO board to do it maybe?

All that being said, 900 is actively talking about how to "cheesecake" vision onto other robots in the future... no idea what that means at the moment but we're talking about it.

Yes, I guess I'm talking about 'cheesecake'. Making code and 'teaching' it in the time we have after a running robot has always been the impediment.

I want a module that has the programming built in to actually run the wheels and drive forward/back for the best distance. Or for a turret, to aim azimuth and elevation.

And it would ideally have a 'learning' mode where you'd manually make shots and it would recognize where the aim was to duplicate it.

Originally Posted by marshall

The biggest issue with vision isn't the vision or the detection. It's getting more teams to add encoders to their drivetrains and mechanisms. You need feedback to make use of the vision data.

Our robot has had a camera and encoders on it every year, necessary for any autonomous.

Originally Posted by marshall

I'd love to see more COTS options for encoder integration.

I would also love to see the CIM-Encoder that AM introduced this season improved. It's hollow and the little center spacer plate isn't square. Make it filled in, more robust, and square the center plate.

And I REALLY hope brushless is coming based on what CTRE was showing off. I'd love to see it happen.

Yes this would be great. Also a 'cheesecake' aiming system could have a camera/multiple cameras pointed at the carpet and read speed and distance from that. Maybe I'm getting a little too complicated.

On the flip side, if every team has automated aiming and shooting, it may make amazing robots but less fun of a game.

[Eric Scheuing]

Originally Posted by TehSwegGey

How possible would a combination gear be? Something with a lighter but still strong internal portion and a steel outer? It might be better than holes for the smaller gears? Like this maybe?



I'm new to this stuff...

I think a gear similar to this would be great. I'd make a simple change though to make it easier to manufacture and therefore (hopefully) cheaper. The gear would be entirely steel, and just case-harden the area you have labeled as steel. Keep a small bore through the center for people who want to use small diameter shafts, but by only case hardening around the outside, it leaves the center area machinable. That way you could use whatever profile you wanted in the center without having to worry about sacrificing structural integrity of the gear. Ofc I'd like to see an option for 1/2" hex bore as well for the teams that don't have a broach or a press large enough to accomodate.

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Peter Johnson

We've used standard cut-to-length non-addressable 12V LED strips (Amazon sells lots of these in various colors) and this tiny board from pololu to control them: https://www.pololu.com/product/2802

Basically the polulu board is a simple digital switch (think of it like a spike without the ability to reverse the voltage polarity), controlled by a PWM signal. The linked one above is 3A but they also have higher current ones. The wiring diagram shows how to wire it up. Load is LED strip, source is either 5V or 12V (depending on LED strip voltage) from VRM. The PWM comes from a PWM output on the roborio. You do need 5V in from somewhere too; if you're using 5V LEDs or a PWM from a MXP board you can get 5V from that connection, or you can get it from the VRM or RoboRIO DIO. I think we used the Talon class in software to control the PWM output--set(0) turned the LEDs off, set(1) turned them on. Easy enough to do das blinkenlights from there with software timing.

Thanks for sharing! We just picked up a few of these to experiment with since our 2016 bot would have had at least a few uses for any kind of LED driver feedback, but we couldn't find any spikes in-house at the time.

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

So we built a prototype of a product about a year ago to do simple LED control called the "blinkin Board" ...

Cool! I will keep an eye out just in case something comes out.

[jwfoss]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

So we built a prototype of a product about a year ago to do simple LED control called the "blinkin Board"

A system like this definitely makes LEDs less cumbersome. 558 would be very interested in this set up.

[Chak]

A bigger version of the versaplanetary.

[nuclearnerd]

Some of these are (unmet) repeats from my 2015 wishlist:

1. seconding a larger versa planetary. A stronger output stage (with more than two extremely thin #10 mounting holes), longer output shaft (on two bearings maybe, steel ring gears, aluminum encoder stages, and would actually installing the anti-torque pins at the factory would help. We went through hundreds of dollars of busted stages this year For larger arms, teams shouldn't have to build their own chain stage - a strong final stage could work as a direct drive!
2. A system of hubs and bearings for 1" OD tube axles. 1/2" 7075 hex is not up to the challenge of transmitting large torque, over long distances with little twist. 1" tube would fit in AndyMark and Vex bolt circles, and be a lot stiffer
3. Repeated from up-thread: A pneumatic brake and/or ratchet stage for a versa planetary. This could be small and lightweight to go on the motor side for mechanism holding, or beefy to go on the output side for something like a catapult release
4. A clutch stage for a planetary output (or maybe just something that slips on a hex shaft. This would let teams use air-cooled motors like the 775 pro without worrying about stalling and burning them out
5. Something like Vex's 217-4183 bearing mount, but longer, with set distances between holes to fit standard belt-pulley / chain-sprocket spacings. Teams that don't have machining resources have a heck of a time mounting pulleys at the proper center spacing
6. Longer ribbon cable for talon SRX's, and/or cheaper breakouts

I'll probably come up with more...

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

A clutch stage for a planetary output (or maybe just something that slips on a hex shaft. This would let teams use air-cooled motors like the 775 pro without worrying about stalling and burning them out

Hmm, I generally really like this one...

[Munchskull]

I have mentioned this before but I would love a VP output stage with a female 1/2" hex coupler.

Also more small usable motors would be great. Stuff in the RS-550 size.

Said this earlier but an electric solenoid and coupler for shifting with no pneumatics would be epic.

[Ari423]

Originally Posted by Munchskull

I have mentioned this before but I would love a VP output stage with a female 1/2" hex coupler.

Why not just use the male 1/2" hex output shaft and one of these 217-4008?

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Ari423

Why not just use the male 1/2" hex output shaft and one of these 217-4008?

Its a matter of form factor.

[Munchskull]

Originally Posted by Ari423

Why not just use the male 1/2" hex output shaft and one of these 217-4008?

Because it would be nicer just to take a piece of hex shafts of any length and have that be your output.