pic: Game hint

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by bear24rw

Whats the other end of the cable look like?

It's just cut off, nothing attached.

[Doug G]

Originally Posted by bear24rw

Whats the other end of the cable look like?

I just got ours. There is no other end of the cable, just cut wires.

[RyanN]

I also don't think it's a hoax. Here is what I can see from the picture:

• IR Receiver
• 5 LEDs (CMD3, CMD2, CMD1, CMD0, ERROR)
• a Microchip Processor (PIC16LF87)
• Ribbon cable goes to J1

My best guess is that this is a field element. The robots will send an IR signal to this device, and the field element will act accordingly. There are 4 commands. I think the button will clear any errors that come up (reset button).

[bear24rw]

Originally Posted by RyanN

I also don't think it's a hoax. Here is what I can see from the picture:

• IR Receiver
• 5 LEDs (CMD3, CMD2, CMD1, CMD0, ERROR)
• a Microchip Processor (PIC16LF87)
• Ribbon cable goes to J1

My best guess is that this is a field element. The robots will send an IR signal to this device, and the field element will act accordingly. There are 4 commands. I think the button will clear any errors that come up (reset button).

Good guess.. i wasn't in FIRST for 2004 game but i heard that they used IR and it wasnt very reliable.. is this true?

[technoL]

There goes Christmas...

I'm still a little skeptical. Are we sure that this is a hint and not an early delivery of an item in the kit? Perhaps something extra for teams that has nothing to do with the game, like the fuel cell challenge was?

[Doug G]

The board also has a website listed on it...

DSI
www.divsys.com

but it's just a rapid prototyping company that does circuit boards.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by technoL

There goes Christmas...

I'm still a little skeptical. Are we sure that this is a hint and not an early delivery of an item in the kit? Perhaps something extra for teams that has nothing to do with the game, like the fuel cell challenge was?

The envelope had a sticker that says "FRC GAME HINT!"

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by bear24rw

Good guess.. i wasn't in FIRST for 2004 game but i heard that they used IR and it wasnt very reliable.. is this true?

As I remember, IR was not particularly good for navigation beyond a couple of feet away--the light could reflect off the aluminum field barriers and throw everything off. I wouldn't rule it out for other purposes, though.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to purloin some ketchup from the student union. It looks like I'm going to need it.

[Tottanka]

i can see there the number 67 on the right top of the board.
Also some sort of a black signature on the left top of it.
I think we need to see more pictures of boards, there might be a few versions of them.
What's on the other side of the board/ paper?
Why isn't there an email blast about this yet? Last year there was one.

[Cory]

How is it all the California teams got theirs first?

[bear24rw]

Originally Posted by Cory

How is it all the California teams got theirs first?

Shipped out of california?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by bear24rw

Shipped out of california?

Divsys based out of Indianapolis

FIRST based out of NH.

[11Mort11]

is he the only one to get it so far

[Scott L.]

Specs on the PIC microchip on the circuit board

http://www.chipcatalog.com/Microchip/PIC16LF87-I-P.htm

This powerful (200 nanosecond instruction execution) yet easy-to-program (only 35 single word instructions) CMOS Flash-based 8-bit microcontroller packs Microchip’s powerful PIC® architecture into an 18-pin package and is upwards compatible with the PIC16C7x, PIC16C62xA, PIC16C5X and PIC12CXXX devices. The PIC16F87 features 8MHz internal oscillator, 256 bytes of EEPROM data memory, a capture/compare/PWM, an Addressable USART and 2 Comparators that make it ideal for advantage analog / integrated level applications in automotive, industrial, appliances and consumer applications.

[Joe Ross]

shipped from NH.