Robot Feedback?

[paulcd2000]

What kinds of robot feedback do people have? we have multiple sets of print statements.

[Danny Diaz]

418 is using LabVIEW that was provided in the kit to create a dashboard that we feel is going to be very useful to us during the competition but we also hope it is going to knock the socks off the Control Award judges at Lone Star Regional. By multiplexing the data in the user bytes and a couple PWM outputs we are able to send back many different types of data to the dashboard from gear tooth sensor values, current sensor values (mainly for the FP motors since they're pretty easy to blow with high current), potentiometers on the robot, and others. We then take that data and create graphical representations of what the robot is doing, what the control systems are telling the robot to do, the current state of the mechanisms of the robot, and many more. We're also integrating the USB DAQ that the team received from National Instruments as part of the NI Pilot Program into the control system so we can take real-time data about our control system and provide additional visualizations to the driver/operator that we never thought possible/practical. We hope here in this last week to integrate a series of lights on our control system (shielded from the view of the field, of course) so the operator can get a visual indication of important events even when he/she is watching the field instead of the dashboard (it happens occasionally!).

If anyone happens to be at Lone Star we welcome people to come to 418's pit and check it out.

-Danny