Communicating with Feeder

[Jogo]

Any ideas for helping the feeder pick a shape? I imagine communication with the analyst across the field would be quite difficult.

How about an indicator on the robot that lights up Red, White, or Blue? Anyone have any experience with some sort of LED indicator (specifically in LabVIEW?)

[nighterfighter]

I had this idea while eating "inspirationBell" (Seriously, whenever I eat Taco Bell I get into philosophical/inventive convos or thoughts...)

2 ideas I got-

3 seperate LED clusters, (in shape of triangle,square,circle) controlled by 3 seperate spikes.

2 LEDs, allowing for 4 different "commands".
(Both off, one on one off, one off one on, both on)

Not sure if they make these, but a LED, where if given regular polarity (Set the Spike forward) one color, and if given reverse polarity, it is a different color. (Set relay reverse.) No color = off, or circle, for example.

[davidthefat]

Originally Posted by Jogo

Any ideas for helping the feeder pick a shape? I imagine communication with the analyst across the field would be quite difficult.

How about an indicator on the robot that lights up Red, White, or Blue? Anyone have any experience with some sort of LED indicator (specifically in LabVIEW?)

I would assume just the driver communicating with the feeder. Seems the lowest tech way to do it.

[nighterfighter]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

I would assume just the driver communicating with the feeder. Seems the lowest tech way to do it.

Hard to do from across the field.

[Bryan Herbst]

I will personally bake cookies for any team that utilizes semaphore to communicate with their feeder.

For those of you unfamiliar with semaphore, I would recommend checking out Monty Python's semaphore Wuthering Heights.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

I would assume just the driver communicating with the feeder. Seems the lowest tech way to do it.

I highly suggest reading the manual thoroughly or you will have a very difficult and ultimately disappointing season.

The feeders for an alliance are located across the field from the drivers.

[Trent B]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

Not sure if they make these, but a LED, where if given regular polarity (Set the Spike forward) one color, and if given reverse polarity, it is a different color. (Set relay reverse.) No color = off, or circle, for example.

Two options, run the circuits off of the digital sidecar if you have low milliamp requirements for your LEDs

Other option (I am not entirely sure if custom circuits on spikes are legal) but they are LEDs aka Light Emitting Diodes with Diodes being the key word

If you run - to anode and + to cathode it doesn't light up, so you have one wire come off the positive side of the spike, branch into two wires, one is connected to an anode of an LED the other to a cathode of another LED, continue connecting LEDs in the same direction (+-anode cathode-anode cathode-anode cathode-) and the opposite direction. Run the spike one way it turns on one set, the other way it turns on the other set.

While you generally have to apply high voltage reverse polarity to damage an LED, some are damaged more easily than others, in which case buy an actual diode that can handle the higher voltage reverse polarity and stuff that in there to avoid burning out your LEDs

[nighterfighter]

Originally Posted by Tanis

I will personally bake cookies for any team that utilizes semaphore to communicate with their feeder.

For those of you unfamiliar with semaphore, I would recommend checking out Monty Python's semaphore Wuthering Heights.

Isn't there a rule prohibiting coaches/human players/drivers from bringing stuff up to the driver station area?

[Dustin Shadbolt]

Well you could use stuff like that. But I would imagine if you get a good feeder they would be able to kind of realize which ones you would need. Just my little thought. (especially as the season progressed)

[Duke461]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

I had this idea while eating "inspirationBell" (Seriously, whenever I eat Taco Bell I get into philosophical/inventive convos or thoughts...)

roughly 20 members of 461 went to Taco Bell to discuss the game tonight. I know what you mean, dude

Also I'm not too familiar with driver station rules, but would a drive coach be able to hold up a sign signifying red white or blue to the human player across the field?

[nighterfighter]

Originally Posted by Trent B

(I cannot remember if LEDs can be damaged by reverse current)

I believe they can.

EDIT: After looking it up, it seems they can only be hurt if passed with a large enough voltage...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_circuit#Polarity

And dShad- A good human player MIGHT know what it looks like you need, but they won't be up to date with the coaches needs/other human player.

[Bryan Herbst]

Originally Posted by dShad

Well you could use stuff like that. But I would imagine if you get a good feeder they would be able to kind of realize which ones you would need. Just my little thought. (especially as the season progressed)

This was my original thought as well. If you can get your feeder to know the game and your team's strategy as well as your coach (or analyst), then you should be good for the most part.

There will still be times that you want to stray slightly from the plan though, so it would be good to have some sort of system set up. LEDs might be a little overkill though.

[Bryan Herbst]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

I believe they can.

EDIT: After looking it up, it seems they can only be hurt if passed with a large enough voltage...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_circuit#Polarity

And dShad- A good human player MIGHT know what it looks like you need, but they won't be up to date with the coaches needs/other human player.

Not easily. LEDs are diodes, which are designed to control the direction of the flow of electricity. More specifically, they only allow current to flow in one direction.

EDIT: Oops, double post. My apologies.

[Trent B]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

I believe they can.

EDIT: After looking it up, it seems they can only be hurt if passed with a large enough voltage...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_circuit#Polarity

And dShad- A good human player MIGHT know what it looks like you need, but they won't be up to date with the coaches needs/other human player.

A little more looking into it it appears as long as you don't exceed the breakdown voltage (which is the voltage you have to reach before you can start to conduct in reverse), it shouldn't get damaged. Something to dig out the spec sheets for.

Originally Posted by Tanis

Not easily. LEDs are diodes, which are designed to control the direction of the flow of electricity. More specifically, they only allow current to flow in one direction.

There is a point called the breakdown voltage where you can conduct backwards. It will vary from LED to LED

[davidthefat]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

Hard to do from across the field.

Thank you for telling me that... IDK my idea goes down the tube

Big LCD screens on the robot that display a color