Forget the Classmate PC and use any controller you'd like!

Technical Control System
1

Did anyone else notice this little nugget?

<R75>The Driver Station software provided on the FRC website (www.usfirst.org/frc/kitofparts) is the only tool permitted to collate driver/operator inputs and communicate them to the ROBOT. The Driver Station software must be revision 01.05.11.00 or newer.

Teams are permitted to use a portable computing device of their choice (laptop computer, PDAs, etc.) to host the Driver Station software while participating in competition MATCHES.

Does anyone see an iOS app in the future?

  • Bryce
2

Possibly… as long as you aren’t referring to the near future (this season). The referenced driver station application will only run on a Windows machine.

-Joe

3

While it isn’t the exact software, it can control the robot, however it uses wireless communication rather than tapping into the FMS via wired ethernet:

One of my fellow captains is currently working on making an android app

4

Making your own DS is a cool little project, and I don’t mean to discourage it, but …

Please pay careful attention to safety issues. I believe many here on CD can build a safe and effective DS, but be mindful of the consequences.

Also, R75 allows a new device to run the same app. It doesn’t allow a new app to be used in competition.

Greg McKaskle

5

Yeah…I know:) . I just wanted to bring it up. It’s interesting that FIRST has allowed other windows based machines. I wonder if it has anything to do with the malfunctioning Ethernet ports of last year or the fact that XP was SLOW. However, I must admit that moving to Windows 7 has really made the DS seem more like a modern computer rather than a sloth of yesteryear.

  • Bryce
6

Win7 helps with certain items, but there were other changes too. Some of the blame for sluggish DS was due to the DS code. This just serves as another example of how time and quality are often related in product development.

Greg McKaskle

7