New lights this year

[Mike Soukup]

Interesting language in the RC documentation:

There are four team color connectors which all output identical signals. Each connector is meant to drive one team color LED unit for identifying which team your robot is on. Team color LED units are included in your kit or are available from Innovation First.

By default, these LED units will display red if you are using the default practice channel of 40. If you use a channel adapter to change to another radio channel, the team color will differ. Channels 4, 22, and 40 will cause a red team color to flash, while channels 13 and 31 cause blue. In general, the user cannot control the team color, because it is set by the Arena Controller during competition.

So we're finally getting rid of the rotating light, but the interesting thing is the LCDs allow the team color to change at any time. Will the game involve changing teams during the match?

[Ryan Albright]

hmmm that would be very interesting. Thank God no more rotation lights maybe the lights will be smaller htis year :0 hopefully

[Joe Johnson]

When your robot goes insane during autonomous mode, the fastest you can ram the LED's into the diamond plate wall is 10 ft/s!!!

;-)

Joe J.

[KenWittlief]

no rotating lights this year?

say it isnt so!

when I grow up, I wanna be a firetruck!

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

no rotating lights this year?

say it isnt so!

when I grow up, I wanna be a firetruck!

If the rules don't change significantly this year, you can always put a rotating light on as a non-functional decoration.

[Rob Colatutto]

But now, if this is actually to put one dual color red/blue LED on each side of the robot as it seems... How would that be easily identifiable from the stands?

[kevin.li.rit]

Well I'm one who will miss the old loud rotating light. Our previous rotating light was smashed into a dozen different pieces at WPI

[Mike Soukup]

Originally Posted by Rob Colatutto

But now, if this is actually to put one dual color red/blue LED on each side of the robot as it seems... How would that be easily identifiable from the stands?

LED's can be very bright so it shouldn't be a problem. It will probably be a bank of LED's much like the stop lights they're now making out of LED's.

[Jessica Boucher]

Originally Posted by Mike Soukup

LED's can be very bright so it shouldn't be a problem. It will probably be a bank of LED's much like the stop lights they're now making out of LED's.

Wasn't there a rule wayyy back about how your alliance color had to be visible from many points on the field? That might bring mounting issues into play, no matter how bright it is.

Either way, LED's are great news!

[Jason Rudolph]

Ahhhhh more LED's. Right now, the entertainment lighting industry is going through an LED revolution, they are popping up everywhere, and let me tell you this, they can be extremely bright, are normally very expensive, but are also extremely robust. Just to get an idea, go check out www.colorkinetics.com or www.pixelpar.com I could see them putting in an RGB array into the same sort of enclosure that has been used in the past, but with a clear lens and the color comes from the LED's, you could theoretically have 16.7 million different colors!!!!!!

[Rickertsen2]

Ok sortof off topic(not that this thread is on topic, but if you have a spare rotating light around short circuit the resistor and it spins like 3x as fast. It just looks odd.

We were messing around last year, and hooked the light up to a speed controller. That was (somewhat) amusing.

[pauluffel]

These LEDs might make the light visibility problem much less, as you could place the LEDs all over your robot, instead of just having one big light (though I hope they are for mid-game alliance shifting, though if it is, I hope the alliances randomly change to prevent total domination by power teams).

[mtaman02]

Originally Posted by Coffeeism

Well I'm one who will miss the old loud rotating light. Our previous rotating light was smashed into a dozen different pieces at WPI

I'm gonna miss changing the cover every match. I find that these new lights may or may not be difficult for spectators to see from the stands. This game will be huge for everyone. Just for the simple fact that all teams have been equipped with a new RC this year. I think its 2 much change just my opinion

[Robert Hafner]

Originally Posted by Mike522

I'm gonna miss changing the cover every match.

Last year I was the driver for our team (among other things), and we managed to break both covers.

I won't miss them.

Of course, I also broke the light itself, so I hope these are a little more robust.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Mike Soukup

Interesting language in the RC documentation:


So we're finally getting rid of the rotating light, but the interesting thing is the LCDs allow the team color to change at any time. Will the game involve changing teams during the match?

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...7&postcount=10