Are you using RobotPy? Awesome! We’re always interested in hearing from teams to hear about their experience. If your team is using RobotPy, we’d love for you to add your team number to the list of teams using it: https://robotpy.github.io/community/ .
FRC 4607 has switched to Python in 2018. What other MN teams are using Python? Also, what Python teams are relatively strong (all FRC teams).
We feel like we have a great handle on it (drivetrain w/encoder running) as we have a new mentor that is very strong as he uses it at his job.
We have programmed in Labview, JAVA, and C++ in the past to different degrees.
Just want to gain some support if/when we need it!
'Snow Problem’s robot this year, Metis, was coded with RobotPy-- love what you guys are doing!
Thanks, Nick! We loved Metis - it reminded me of what we attempted to do in 2015, but with real results. Ahhh, what could have been… Nice job to your entire team, that is an incredible robot!
I’ve been using RobotPy for a few years now. The only other MN team I know of using RobotPy is 4480.
I gave a talk at Splash before the 2017 season, but I don’t think I convinced anyone 
I am the lead programmer for Thunderdogs 5613. We are using robotpy this year. Last year there was only one programmer doing the C++ code but he’s graduated and since left. I had a lot of prior experience with Python so I decided to get our team to start using it. I am also teaching the younger programmers how to write python code.
We are trying to develop a virtual field using the robotpy simulator so we can program autonomous. Any tips or advice for a new robotpy team?
Team 3881 has been using robotpy quietly in the background for the last 5 years. It fits well with the programming experience the students are getting outside of robotics.
Thank you very much for all the time you put into this, Dustin.
Rod
Mentor, 3881
Kailua Kona, HI
Team 4256 has been using Python the last twoish years, with a fair amount of experimentation the previous year. We mostly use it for vision stuff, but I use it on my own personal projects exclusively.
Thanks for the Shout Out NickBrickMaster.
4480 is still rocking the Python. This will be our 4th Year using it for FRC. (each year progressively Improving so far!)
This year we have three new student programmers of Python and two Mentors (including Our Alumni programmer from ‘Snow Problem’).
We are looking forward to this year, and plan on improving once more!
Team 6153: The Blue Crew is using Python for the 2018 season. It’s really great! Our programmers love it’s ease of use.
1243 here, still planning on using Robotpy for what will now be the 5th year in a row. I also plan on teaching it to the new recruits, in the hopes that we continue using it in the years to come!
Team 5863 is moving to Robotpy for 2018
Long time python user, first time pyfrc user.
Ctrl-Z 4096 is using Python in 2018, our third year with RobotPy. I’m the main programming mentor and I feel like it’s been a great fit for us. We really appreciate the efforts Dustin and the other devs put into it.
Team 3145, the Teraviks of Coeur d’Alene Idaho have been using robotpy for 4 years now.
Team 3160 - F.R.O.G. is using it this year.
Team 7093 from Austin, TX is glad to join the Robotpy community! (Time to rid ourselves of LabVIEW forever).
Team 5929 from MN also uses Robotpy, and has been since their rookie year in 2016.
No longer associated with the team, but they are still going strong with it.
2018 was my first year as a mentor for 5459. I want to work with students in the offseason but I don’t want to buy a RoboRio.
I have been working with a Raspberry Pi for years (before getting involved with FRC), and love working with it.
I want to create an environment that gets me and students as close to the competition environment, but run lower power motors using a MotorHAT off the Raspberry Pi.
I upgraded my Pi to Python 3.6 and installed RobotPy. It installed without errors, but I haven’t tried running anything with it yet.
I have a couple of questions:
- Is anyone else using a RasPi as the primary robot controller using PyRobot/WPIlib?
- Is it a good assumption that all non hardware specific libraries (such as pynetworktables) will work the same regardless of it being a Pi or a RoboRio?
- Is it possible to integrate a Raspberry Pi MotorHAT for motion using RobotPy? (Note: Adafruit has Python libraries to control the motors using I2C)
Thanks in advance for guidance and input.
If you have further questions on this topic, please create a separate thread (as the current thread has nothing to do with your topic). But, here are some answers:
- No
- Yes
- Yes, but you probably don’t want to do that
RobotPy’s WPILib can run on any platform that a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) exists for. Currently, two exist:
- One for running on the RoboRIO that talks directly to the hardware present on the RoboRIO
- Another for running in simulation that talks directly to a large dictionary that stores the running robot parameters
To do what you want, you would need to create a HAL for a RPi. Creating a new HAL wouldn’t be particularly difficult, but I suspect it would be a lot of effort. The difficult part would be providing an equivalent to the driver station (or writing your own interface that allows the current DS to talk to it).