[FTC]: FCS and autonomous

[NalaTI]

Originally Posted by ssi

You are getting closer..

The program chooser application asks you to select your autonomous program. It then creates a text file on the NXT with that program name.
<snip>
Really, it is exactly the same as in previous years.

Actually, you use the program chooser application to select the teleop... which is put into the file on the NXT...

But, yes, it is the same as previous years.

[ssi]

NalaTI, thanks for the correction. Thats what I get for typing in a hurry when I should be loading robots in the trailer for a demonstration the next day.

[tdressel]

I'm new to FTC and I'm looking for a clear cut set of steps or sequence in regards to autonomous. I'd like to list out what "I THINK" would happen in a competition and if you would, let me know where I'm offbase.

SETUP:
1. Prior to a competition, for simplicity, I have a single Autonoums (AutoX) program and a single Tele program (TeleX). Our NXT will have firmware v1.28 on it with three programs: Program_Chooser, AutoX and TeleX. We have two other VI's (Samostat.vi & Comm_Status.vi) as well but there are not part of the question I have. Lastly, we have a team.gif file to indicate our team logo.

2. Also, prior to a competition, we've setup our Samantha unit to be using the same wireless network as the FCS comptuer mentioned below. Life is good in regards to the Samantha unit.

3. Using Program_Chooser, we select TeleX for our teleoperated program

4. FCS: There is a single computer with four game controllers and it's running FCS. That computer is either directly wired to a router or uses wireless for connecting to the same network. We are just one team of four. The person running the competition correctly assigns the four teams via selecting the corresponding Samantha unit (I assume each team will run SamoStat.vi on the NXT to tell the person our IP address).

5. Our robot is put in place on the competition mat.

6. NOW... this is my question... do I instruct our student to select (on the NXT itself) the AutoX program for our autonomous and hit the orange button to run it? Theoretically, our robot is all setup in regards to the FCS.

My problem is that I don't know how to select a program to run as autonomous without selecting it on the NXT itself. When I do that - it runs (okay, that's expected). But at competition, how is it that I select the autonoumous and yet the FCS kicks it off?

My vision is that there are four team's all with their autonomous program selected and at the count of three - they all press the button on their NXT at the same time. But... I'm thinking that's wrong and that "SOMETHING" on the FCS program will kick off the autonomous program.

Comments/suggestions on how to test this out?


-Ted Dressel, FTC Programming Mentor

[ssi]

So far you have a pretty good handle on this. A couple clarifications...

In Step 4, the computer will have 8 game controllers (2 per team) and the computer is supposed to be wired directly to the router. Also, all the FCS operator needs is your team number, it will then be able to determine the IP address and initiate the connection.

In Step 6, yes your students start execution on the NXT of the autonomous program. The program will run waiting for a packet from the FCS to tell them that they are enabled. When the FCS starts the match, it will send a packet to all the robots enabling the autonomous routines (ie they will exit their wait loop). At the end of autonomous, the FCS will halt the autonomous routine and start the Teleop. The Teleop routine will sit in its wait loop until the FCS sends the enable packet at the begining of the Teleop phase of the match. All throughout the match, the FCS will be sending packets with all the joystick commands.

[pbesen]

Ted,

One other item that may have been missed. Your autonomous program needs to integrated into the autonomous template that is provided (which you can find under sample programs (robotc). You will see that this template has a "wait for start" function.

When you start your autonomous program it will wait at this function until the FCS system starts all the programs.