Custom Driver Station (Not Dashboard)

[Geek 2.0]

So, I'm wondering if anyone has taken a look into how to create a custom Driver Station, from something such as an iPhone or other device. Not for competition use obviously, but it'd be a fun off-season project/challenge.

Anyone know how the data is formatted/sent from the DS to the robot?

[AustinSchuh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KgtI4LSijM

[Geek 2.0]

Originally Posted by AustinSchuh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KgtI4LSijM

That's the idea, but I don't know how the data is formatted/sent. Also, I'm not sure if my method of sending the data via wifi is right (although it works)

[AustinSchuh]

Originally Posted by Geek 2.0

That's the idea, but I don't know how the data is formatted/sent. Also, I'm not sure if my method of sending the data via wifi is right (although it works)

If you look at the username of the person who posted the youtube video, you will find an odd coincidence...

WIFI is the correct way to send data. It's a fixed size structure sent over UDP with bit fields for all the data and a checksum at the end.

As with all of FRC, please also think very carefully about how to deal with safety. By writing your own app, you have an opportunity to limit the effectivity of the safety systems that are in place, which wouldn't be good. If you use the gyro in the ipod to control the bot and the user sets the ipod down, what do you do? How do you make it easy to disable the robot if something goes wrong? What should happen if the ipod gets left alone for a long period of time, or the screen saver kicks in? I'm not saying that these are insurmountable problems, but that that due attention should be paid to them since an out of control robot would be very bad.