Easy-c

[MC_FALCON_842]

I'm currently trying to learn programing and I guess that I'm not really getting easy-c language. where can I obtain a copy of it so that I can look at it more closely? Thanx to anyone who responds.

[EHaskins]

Your team should have received the software key in an e-mail earlier this year. The software itself is downloadable from www.intelitekdownloads.com/FRC2006 you will need to contact your coach to get the software key, but you can run it in evaluation mode for 30 days.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Please use the regular font color/size.

[artdutra04]

If you would like to have a full-license copy, you will have to purchase and download it from http://shop.intelitek.com/catalog/. The minimum purchase of EasyC for FRC is 2 licenses for $150, and the minimum upgrade of EasyC 2.0 for Vex is $50. I would contact your team coach to see if your team already has downloaded their license of EasyC; else you will need to purchase it from Intelitek.

[chris31]

Your team should have a copy. Btw, the big blue text isnt needed.

[Qbranch]

Easy C is very limited... i'd suggest making the jump to light speed... eh ... i mean Microchip C...

If you need any help just hit me up.

-Q

[EHaskins]

I have to agree with QBranch. I use Microchip and think I can code anything faster and more easily in MPLab than you can do it in EasyC. also you can get MPLab IDE and a "Student Version" of the C18 compilier free from www.Microchip.com.

MPLab IDE Download
I believe you can only use C18 v2.4 so you'll need to find an archived version.

[Francis-134]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

Easy C is very limited... i'd suggest making the jump to light speed... eh ... i mean Microchip C...

If you need any help just hit me up.

-Q

I would have to disagree with you on your point. EasyC is not limited in what it can do, in my opinion. Team 40's robot uses a mecanum drivetrain with a PID loop to lock on to the target light and shoot automaticaly, all of this with EasyC and without having to resort to using the custom code blocks. The user code blocks makes it easy for anyone with a lot of experience (which it seems the original poster does not have) to add the code that they want.

Indeed, it does become cumbersome for an experienced programmer to insert his/her custom code, but in reality EasyC was not designed with the experienced programmer in mind. It was meant to be used as a way to quickly make a program for your robot and to help teach those with less experience how to program. I know for a fact that a number of young FIRST'ers who had no experience in programming were able to make very complex autonomous programs using a number of sensors within a few days at a day camp. I also know of several teams who were able to get their FRC robots to track the green light and shoot into the goal in autonomous with only one day of training with EasyC.

FIRST put EasyC in the kit for one reason, and MPLAB for another. I guess what I'm trying to say is that one should not look at the picture as black and white (MPLAB or EasyC), but should instead look at the merits of both systems and use them to their strengths. Not everyone can go from zero to Ludicrous speed in one step.

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

Easy C is very limited... i'd suggest making the jump to light speed... eh ... i mean Microchip C...

If you need any help just hit me up.

-Q

First let me state that I use MPLAB and/or Eclipse for all of my robot programming. However I also must state that you are quite wrong. I believed the same thing for quite a while until we played against team 40 and until I talked to them. I would have to guess that there were very few robots that were more complex programming wise than team 40's I am sure there were some but between Mecanum drive and shooting in auto the code for that bot was far from simple. For any one who didn't see them compete in the majority of there matches no matter what problems the had, the always functioned extremely well in autonomous.

I have since last season had some time to play with easy-c and went to the programming workshop that team 40 held. I must say I was surprised at how quickly people picked up easy c. By the end of an 8 or so hour day all the teams had recreated their user code and were working on camera code, something that many of them managed to make work. Some things are inconvenient to do in easy-c (like declaring variables) but nothing is more difficult in easy c. Once you have your basic stuff together, like variables declared it is incredibly easy to get every thing else working. As a bonus there are rumors that easy c may see some improvements this year possibly leading to being able to edit code created in easy c(again just rumors but don't be surprised).

OK I will admit that while I am incredibly impressed by easy c I will not be using it next season (unless some big changes happen like being able to edit the .c and .h files using real code rather than the programs). This however is only because I am a little bit stubborn and because I can write my own code in c with out a problem, I have been doing it for a couple of years and am quite satisfied with my abilities. However there is absolutely no reason not to learn to use easy c especially if you are not already pretty good at programming in c. Easy c is not a limiting factor and should certainly not be looked at that way. I highly recommend easy c to any one new to programming regardless of what team you are on. Don't be surprised to see some of the more accomplished teams use easy c, among the teams at Team 40's work shop were 1276(2006 Manchester regional winners) 1100(they had a working turret, camera controlled this year) and a little team you might have heard of, 126(come on its Gael Force there has only been 1 year since '96 they didn't bring home awards).

Any way please don't say that easy c is limited, it isn't.

James

[MC_FALCON_842]

Thank you guys for the help, and I got it. I was messing around with the settings and I couldn't get the font back. Thanks again. This really helped

[Cuog]

With the EASYC vs MPLAB there are a number of things to take into account.
1- Do you want to learn how to hard code in any language and become accustomed to the scarryness of hard code? If yes go with MPLAB

2- Do you want a nice GUI that will hide what you dont need and help you through a number of advanced functions? If yes Easy C

3- As said above EasyC is not for programmers, most of us will find it somewhat constraining after using standard code all the time. it is for someone new to programming that wants a chance to get fairly advanced features done quickly without having to learn code so that they can focus on algorithms and program design


Choose well, and get the one which works best for you.

[Gdeaver]

One aspect of Easy-C GUI type programming that hasn't been mentioned is the very fast prototyping that is possible. 2006 was a rough year for team 104. We shipped a robot that wasn't completed and only drove around on a basic Easy-C program. On Thursday during the practice rounds, we finished the robot construction and it became very apparent that our encoders would not work and our revolver ball feeding mechanism was jamming all the time. Between rounds we tried many mechanical and code changes trying to get things working. Easy-C showed it's value in the ability to rapidly prototype. I remember one 45 minute session between matches where at least 6 different programs where tried with several parameter changes for each program. Easy-C also allowed the non-programmer team members to follow the code and make suggestions for code changes. By the end of the day we had thing working good enough to feel that we could actually be competitive. We went on to make it to the finals. How could such a rough and dismal build season end with such a fantastic result at the regional? Easy-C had allot to do with it.

[Qbranch]

To everybody that disagrees with me: I see your point, and I stand corrected.

Hadn't herd of any robots running camera and all with easy c, so yes if it can run the camera definitely not limited.

I never saw easy-c until long after i had started programming C, so I guess its kind of like an assembly programmer trying to use labview. I just find easy c... restrictive. But as you all said it was not written for experienced programmers.

OK, i guess the better thing is to say: both systems have their merits.

-Q