177 Bobcat Robotics Reveal

[M. Lillis]

We had an awesome 20th build season. We cannot wait to compete this week at Granite State and Hartford Districts.

https://vimeo.com/87430089

[Joe195]

That intake is one of the fastest I have seen yet, great job guys!

[Justin2648]

Great bot guys! See you at GSD!

[Nathan Streeter]

Looks excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing it up close and competing with/against you guys at GSD! :-)

[Damiaen_Florian]

Looking good! Can't wait to see you play up at Granite state next week, also I loved the teaser at the end of the video, correct me if I'm wrong but are those hard stops to prevent you from being moved while you shoot?

[orangemoore]

Those are some really old school controllers you are using. We have one similar in our robotics case at school from team 1055 in 2003.

[DampRobot]

Originally Posted by orangemoore

Those are some really old school controllers you are using. We have one similar in our robotics case at school from team 1055 in 2003.

They're called flight sticks, and they are amazing. Our ex-254 driver persuaded us to start using them last year over our old Logitech Attack 3s, and we've never gone back. They might look old, but they're really one of the best driving joysticks out there.

[GarrettF2395]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

They're called flight sticks, and they are amazing. Our ex-254 driver persuaded us to start using them last year over our old Logitech Attack 3s, and we've never gone back. They might look old, but they're really one of the best driving joysticks out there.

Really? I always just assumed older teams used them because retro things are awesome.
What advantages do they have over a normal joystick, and are they still available for purchase somewhere?

[DampRobot]

Originally Posted by GarrettF2395

Really? I always just assumed older teams used them because retro things are awesome.
What advantages do they have over a normal joystick, and are they still available for purchase somewhere?

True. As I don't think they're all that uncommon, they should be available through Amazon (although I don't know exactly where we got ours).

The advantages are they seem to present a more precision and sensitive feel to the drivers. This is completely subjective, but they seem to be much easier to push off of center, and position finely around the center of their travel (where most precision maneuvering is done).

They also feel like they have a slight but distinct break between their x and y axis of travel, that is, they have a slight tendency to want to stay perfectly along the x or y axis. As we drive with split arcade (faux "Chessy Drive") the semi discreet x and y axis feel of the joysticks might help the driver somehow more accurately channel his hand motions into the data fed to the robot: the x axis value for the right joystick and the y axis value for the left. But that's just me guessing.

Our ex-254 (now alum) driver also modified the positions of some of their buttons on the FSPs so he could position his hands where they would give him more precise control of the joysticks. He could have also modified other parts of the joysticks to create a different feel while he was at it (but I don't believe he did). Again, I'll credit him and 254 for putting us onto these sticks.

Of course, this stuff about the Flight Stick Pros being better could be just me talking out of my behind. They just happen to feel like a better driving joystick to me personally, and our drivers seem to like them too. Your mileage may vary.

Oh, yeah, and it's possible I misjudged the identity of the joysticks from the video. They look a lot like the ones we use, but they could something similar looking that 177 happens to use.

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

Oh, yeah, and it's possible I misjudged the identity of the joysticks from the video. They look a lot like the ones we use, but they could something similar looking that 177 happens to use.

They are the USB version of the CH Flightsticks.
We had to switch over from the original flightsticks we used to get in the kit a few years ago.

Our drivers have always preferred them for the reasons listed above.

[GarrettF2395]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

They are the USB version of the CH Flightsticks.
We had to switch over from the original flightsticks we used to get in the kit a few years ago.

Our drivers have always preferred them for the reasons listed above.

Would it be possible for me to get an item number or vendor?
I'd like to look into getting one.

Sorry to derail the thread for a bit.

Awesome robot guys, I love the way you intake up the front rollers. That's a brilliant way of giving yourself variable shooting power.
I'm always really impressed with what your team comes up with.

[Trey178]

Looks like you've got good support for your intake. I'll see you field-side in Hartford!

[M. Lillis]

Originally Posted by Damiaen_Florian

correct me if I'm wrong but are those hard stops to prevent you from being moved while you shoot?

It's a secret