Question Concerning Operator Interface Inputs

[d.courtney]

So, I don't know to much about custom inputs to the OI, and I thought I would ask you guys before I did something terribly wrong. I want to know how (if its even possible) I would have a rotational sensor, encoder, or gyro, be an input for the OI, there were a few ideas I had this for. just wondering if it was possible given our OI or if I was wasting my time.

Thanks
David Courtney

edit: I realize this is in the programming section, not the control/OI section, thats because the question was mainly from a programming standpoint, ie what special programming would be required.

[Rickertsen2]

you could have a potentiometer and possibly a gyro if it has the proper output but an encoder would be difficult. What exactly are you trying to do?

[Alan Anderson]

The OI is designed to accept two kinds of inputs. One is a variable resistor from ~2K to ~100K ohms; that's what the joysticks are. The other is a contact closure to ground; that's what the buttons are. You can provide a voltage between 0 and +5 volts on the joystick input pin and have it work.

There is absolutely no programming involved in connecting things to the OI. It is what it is, and we can't change how it works.

For a rotation input, a simple potentiometer will work. If the control needs to spin continuously, use a pot without an end stop. There is some programming you can do here, to accommodate the sudden jump from one end of the scale as the potentiometer wraps around. If your rotation rate is slow enough, you might be able to get away with using a quadrature sensor and a pair of digital inputs, but I wouldn't count on it.

[d.courtney]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

The OI is designed to accept two kinds of inputs. One is a variable resistor from ~2K to ~100K ohms; that's what the joysticks are. The other is a contact closure to ground; that's what the buttons are. You can provide a voltage between 0 and +5 volts on the joystick input pin and have it work.

There is absolutely no programming involved in connecting things to the OI. It is what it is, and we can't change how it works.

For a rotation input, a simple potentiometer will work. If the control needs to spin continuously, use a pot without an end stop. There is some programming you can do here, to accommodate the sudden jump from one end of the scale as the potentiometer wraps around. If your rotation rate is slow enough, you might be able to get away with using a quadrature sensor and a pair of digital inputs, but I wouldn't count on it.

The pot switch I did think of and it likely would work, I was just wondering if there was anything out there that is infinite, and just returned a +/- degrees of rotations just add the value to an int, that way I could know say if the switch had been turned 720 degrees and have a different effect then if it was turned 360 degrees.

Originally Posted by Rickertsen2

you could have a potentiometer and possibly a gyro if it has the proper output but an encoder would be difficult. What exactly are you trying to do?

Its purpose would be to aid the driver with controlling an attachment, if we end up going with one of our ideas we are considering.