We are the rookie team from Copiague and we were wondering if someone can help us wire up the Operator Interface. Like how or where to hook it up. If possible give us the basics of how to make it work.
No problem. In your kit of parts you should have gotten a wall adapter in a white box. Plug the adapter into the wall and the small socket in the board labeled “POWER” then you plug your controllers into the “PORT1”, “PORT2”, PORT3", or “PORT4” sockets. Using one of the black cables, hook the “OPERATOR INTERFACE CONTROLLER” radio transmitter to the socket labeled “RADIO”. The last thing you need to do (although it does not have an effect on the controlling) is the small dipswitch board labeled “TEAM NUMBER” fiddle around with the switches using a paperclip or something to turn the switches on and off (the LCD screen should change numbers with each ON/OFF dipswitch). And in case your radio doesn’t work You can tether the robot to the OI using the orange cable and plugging both ends into the robot “TETHER” and OI “TETHER” sockets.
There that should help you.
You also need controls, what we did last year was to cut off the cables from the KOP joysticks, and then wire up our own controls to them. You need to use an ohm meter to firgure out which pin goes to which color wire, then you can use the wiring information from IFI to figure out which pins need to be connected to what things.
usually you will be connecting potentiometers and switches to the wires, you need at least a negative and a signal connection, and you can use negative and positive on the ends of a pot and the signal wire to the center terminal
Or you can just use the joysticks the way they are, and just plug them into the OI module. They’re really bulky though! but this is a good way to get the robot running, then think about how you want to make your operator console so it is smaller and more convenient to carry. You can cut the guts out of the joysticks and put them in a box, for example.
After changing the team number dip switches you will **HAVE **to tether it with the red cable. This sets the team number also in the robot controller.
After this point you can run using the radios.
Ok we are going to try those once the mentor gets here.
But if you have other ideas/suggestion for us Rookies. Then just reply to this.
I would download the OI Manual from the IFI website as well as the manuals for the RC, modems, Victors and Spikes. All you will need are contained in those documents. IFI also maintains a good forum for questions and the FAQ is also very helpful.
also, using the information from IFI that everyone else has mentioned, make yourself a disable/ autonomous run switch box to plug in to the competition port. bonus points if you can also hook up a switch for practice mode that unlocks the channels other than 40 which you can then set with the seemingly useless channel dip switches. my competition port box has safety covers on the switches so if the robot is doing something unintended, you can with one quick motion disable all the functions and the spring loaded covers also will prevent accidental enabling of the robot which frequently results in bulldozing desks, chairs, and bystanders if you don’t have it up on blocks.