pic: Game hint

[Graham Donaldson]

Getting away from all the hoax stuff...

ASSUMING this is real, then...

Originally Posted by thattallguy

sounds like a frendly game of robot basketball, seriously, used for launching basketballs into a net from a distance with the IR board reciveing info on how high and far the baskets are from the robot

edit: just a thought

Would that indicate that the GDC has given up on the CMUcam, since it was supposed to be able to calculate how far away the light was, since we had a defined height? Or is it that they want to use both elements??? And something tells me we won't see a game where you're firing balls at something for another couple years- Aim High was only two years ago.

THIS IS MAKING ME GO CRAZY!!! -

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

Just to toss one more against the hoax theory, I just looked at the email headers on the blast, and they're exactly the same as any other, so it's an official blast. So at this point it's either legit, or Joe's one heck of a hacker with lots of inside help, etc. etc. So I think Occam's Razor should really put all the paranoia to bed at this point and let us get on with our rampant speculation.

Although I don't really think this is a hoax (possible, but unlikely), the header doesn't really prove anything. Spoofing email is really easy (especially if Joe has an accomplice who has an email address with FIRST (ie Dave Lavery (also a noted prankster)))

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by robotcanuck1676

And something tells me we won't see a game where you're firing balls at something for another couple years- Aim High was only two years ago.

It doesn't have to be projectile motion--imagine if there were five 2006-esque corner goals with values that fluctuated between 0 (or, even worse, -1!) and 4 points. Knowing which are which would be a huge advantage.

[synth3tk]

Originally Posted by legomaster3945

[...] just giving us some random object (ok so its not compleatly random they must have given it to us for a purpouse) without telling us much more is not much of a game hint
also if you look at the email (i cannot verify at this time whether my teacher has recived it yet (i know i had his cell phone number at one point in time ) so i cant reach him) but it says that this is the season for hints, but "keep your eye out for a December gift from FRC and the game design committee"
gifts aren't clues
they're gifts
so i think there will be at least a riddle coming soon [...]

Well, technically the clue could be the gift, especially since it's from the GDC.

Originally Posted by legomaster3945

[...] also another weird fact is that this email everyone is gettin is not listed here
1 other question
i am not 100% electronically knowledgeable but im not used to seeing red boards [...]

The email was not, indeed, posted in there, and it wasn't posted in the Blast sub-forum here, which perplexes me a bit, but not enough to cry hoax. Question: Did the teams who received the email also get the board, or vice versa? Or did you get one or the other?

Red, orange, green, and (yes) even blue electronic boards are often used by the industry. Though I don't remember the exact reasons for the coloring, I do know it's not a brand-spankin-new idea.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by squirrel

(and it would be a big bonus if the hint inspired some of those people to play around with robot programming and design concepts over their winter break)

I like this line of thinking. It is awesome.

Also, unless I've overlooked something from Joe's posts, there isn't anything that says keep it, don't take it apart (robotics, remember? - that's what you guys do).

Would it be helpful to have hoax thoughts in one thread and hint thoughts in another? Or just keep us all one big happy family?

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

I like this line of thinking. It is awesome.

thanks! I think that any game hints are a great way to get everyone thinking about this stuff, and having a nice highly technical one is that much better.

The big white connector could be used to connect power to the board, or used for programming, or who knows?

If you get the board, you could figure it out pretty easily by tracing the circuitry to the PIC and see what the function of the pins is.

[IndySam]

OK EE guys, what is the white thing labeled PB1?

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by IndySam

OK EE guys, what is the white thing labeled PB1?

Pushbutton 1?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by IndySam

OK EE guys, what is the white thing labeled PB1?

Doesn't need to be an EE--read the manual (which is now up at the site), that's the "learning" button.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by IndySam

OK EE guys, what is the white thing labeled PB1?

Thanks

[Branden Ghena]

Which part actually receives the IR signals, is it the piece labeled S1?

[MrForbes]

The white connector is most likely for programming the PIC. Seems power comes from the 10 pin header connector.

Yes, S1 is the sensor.

[vivek16]

@tawnos23 yeah it is. that big sphere/cube looking thing

[Pavan Dave]

... *sigh* ... Dave, Joe ... pick a night in '09.... I guess I have lost.

[vivek16]

Originally Posted by Pavan

... *sigh* ... Dave, Joe ... pick a night in '09.... I guess I have lost.

lol