URGENT! We need help with the accelerometer

[lkdjm]

WE NEED HELP!
We are using autonomous mode for the first time this year and with only 12 days till the ship date, we havn't been able to figure out the following things:
1. Where (on the robot) the accelerometer is installed. Note: we have the TI
2. How and where to attach the wire to the rc controller (computer on the robot)
3. What the magnets are, how the work, and how they are installed.
4. How to program autonomous mode for the accelerometer. we saw the white paper on simple scripting and read through it SEVERAL TIMES. We do not now how to implement it into kevin's nav code. Is there any other way to use the accelerometer than that?
Any help is GREATLY APPRECIATED
THANK YOU in advance.

[Ammonium]

FIRST released a pdf you probably already have, but if you don't, I hope it helps
http://www2.usfirst.org/2005comp/Spe...elerometer.pdf
And Kevin knows load about it...again you probably have it but if you dont...
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33108&highlight=accelerometer+wir e+color
-Zack

[lkdjm]

Yeah I have both of those documents, but thanks anyway!

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by lkdjm

WE NEED HELP!
We are using autonomous mode for the first time this year and with only 12 days till the ship date, we havn't been able to figure out the following things:
1. Where (on the robot) the accelerometer is installed. Note: we have the TI
2. How and where to attach the wire to the rc controller (computer on the robot)
3. What the magnets are, how the work, and how they are installed.
4. How to program autonomous mode for the accelerometer. we saw the white paper on simple scripting and read through it SEVERAL TIMES. We do not now how to implement it into kevin's nav code. Is there any other way to use the accelerometer than that?
Any help is GREATLY APPRECIATED
THANK YOU in advance.

1) You can mount the accelerometer anywhere on your bot. Follow the mounting direction section in the TI pdf.

2) Connect the wires from the accelerometer just as the RC says. Connect black to BLK/GN, red to RED/+5V, amd white to WHT/SIG.

3) Im guessing by magnets you mean the tooth counters that came in the same box as the acceleromter. These are different sensors and have nothing to do with the accelerometer. You can use them to count passing gear teeth in a gearbox.

4) There is no right or wrong way to program autonomous mode. Sensors dont need to be used, but they can help. First, figure out what you want to do. See if it can be made more accurate with sensing abilities, and then choose the correct sensors for the job. But, its kinda late for that, theres only a week and a half left .

If you are wondering what these sensors are used for, they can be used for pitch or roll rate sensing, or sensing amounts of linear acceleration. That acceleration can then be converted to speed or with the right math, distance travelled.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

2) Connect the wires from the accelerometer just as the RC says. Connect black to BLK/GN, red to RED/+5V, amd white to WHT/SIG.

Not for the accelerometer, as the wiring harness provided has +5 and GND reversed. For the accelerometer ONLY, connect red to black and black to red. This is covered in Kevin's code, and many threads here. It's also obvious if you compare the wiring harness to the drawing on the spec sheet.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Not for the accelerometer, as the wiring harness provided has +5 and GND reversed. For the accelerometer ONLY, connect red to black and black to red. This is covered in Kevin's code, and many threads here. It's also obvious if you compare the wiring harness to the drawing on the spec sheet.

Good catch, Joe. We're not using the accelerometer so I never really took note of that.