Our team normally uses two controllers on the driver station - one for the driver and one for the operator. Our drive team prefers to use Xbox controllers. Last year we used Xbox One controllers for both the driver and the operator. The problem with this is that the driver station software cannot distinguish between the two, so sometimes it would swap the controllers. We were able to manage this ok my double-checking before each match, but we thought it would be a good idea to prevent this by purchasing different controller models so the driver station could distinguish between them and never swap them accidentally. We purchased a different Xbox model this year only to find out that the controller name was exactly the same (Xbox One for Windows) so this did not solve our problem.
Is there a solution for this? Are there Xbox controllers models that show up with different names on the drivers station? Is there an another option?
i just use the A button on the controller that lights up the port number the controller is connected to in DS. it is always good to check your ports before matches
for the record iirc the elite controllers do show up with a different device name, but it really shouldnt be an issue with the features provided in ds. hope this helps!
This here is the answer. Remember to do it prior to every match, as you’re getting set up. On a working xbox controller, all 10 buttons should light up. You can also check your axes as well
Yes, I agree that it is good practice to check your joystick configurations before each match. This has been part of our pre-match process. But it still is a pain to need to switch them if they are wrong, and adding stress before the match is not a good thing. Which is why we were looking to see if there is a way to minimize / prevent this possibility from happening.
What do you mean by “shouldn’t be an issue with the features provided in ds”? From our experience, the ds will only correctly remember which controller is which if they are named differently.
The features in ds i am referring to is to quickly be able to identify the controller being held and swap them on the fly. While i agree that minimizing pre-match stress is a good thing, double checking controller config should be a part of your checklist whether there are issues or not
if this is absolutely something you feel like you need to address however, look into changing the names of the HID devices. Its moderately sketchy and having to do registry editing on a competition device sounds like a bad idea, but it is something that can be done. I absolutely dont recommend it tho
We used two Xbox controllers last year that were identical to DS and didn’t have a single issue with mixing them up. Granted they were different colors, but we also checked the order before every match.
This is a really good idea so the drivers can double check before the match starts.
I only thumb-downed your post because the OP is obviously looking for a solution to help clarify the controllers, and hopefully not need to do the USB dance. We all know that we need to do the verification. It is made harder by having identically named joysticks.
This existing process is fraught with risk of being forgotten or selecting controllers in the wrong order in the rush to set-up. And it will always mess up your match.
We are looking for a way that can permanently bind the correct controllers to the correct functions. Looking forward to hearing about possible solutions too!
I did later offer a (sketchy) solution, but checking your ports and inputs should ALWAYS be a part of your setup. There have been matches where I have dove forward for my controller only to find out that my sticks are controlling arm angle.
I know of one that works, but ONLY if your drivers do NOT switch the USB ports. Doesn’t matter the order of plugging in the controllers, just cannot swap USB ports.
In the driver station, under USB Devices tab, double click the name of the device, until it has an underline. This will lock the controllers, and even if you unplug, the driver station will remember the order. But, you must remember to plug it into the same ports, or you’ll have swapped controls.
Teams that have a “swapped controller” issue usually hard-coded their controllers. I’ve previously read, here on CD, where a team has to push a button to define the driver controller, and then another to define the operator controller. I don’t know where that thread is, but maybe that gives some ideas?
Are you perhaps thinking of FTC with the REV DriverHub? That requires a button combination to register a controller to a specific slot. As far as I know, FRC has no such mechanism
No, I don’t have any experience with FTC or FLL stuff. I’m certain I read in a thread where the drive team had to “tell the code” which controller was to be used by the driver. I cannot recall any unique words nor user which would help narrow down the search. I can say it’s likely that discussion took place during the summer, but I cannot recall if there was any thread-linking or referencing.
My current controller for PC games is from PowerA. The Enhanced and Advantage controllers are different models and are the same price. The differences between them are not things an FRC driver needs on either model.
Edit: It looks like this may or may not create a distinction from the computer’s point of view