What does your team use to control your robot during competitions? We use pretty standard xbox360 controllers but I think it would be cool if we used something that is functional and adds flair to our drive station. Something like a gamecube controller would be sweet.
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We usually use an Xbox 360 and a Logitech Extreme 3D. This year we are considering making our own button board using a TI Launchpad chip.
We’ve been building custom button boards for several years and highly recommend it. Last year we built our own joystick, too.
When we’re designing the control layout on the button board, we consider what the operator will be doing the most, and put these controls somewhere comfortable, usually the left and right sides of the board, with the expectation that the operator will have hands on these controls for most of a match. Things we don’t want hit accidentally (e.g., one-shot climb) go near the top of the board and have some sort of cover. “We hope you don’t need these controls in a match, but we’re giving them to you in case something goes wildly wrong (and oh, by the way, we want these controls available for testing too)” controls go in the middle of the board.
We use one model helecopter controller similar to the image below for the driver:
. It has many switches and buttons that can be used for fail-safe incase an arm doesn’t drop in the beginning of a match or something needs to be calibrated.
For the operator, we use a Logitech gamepad,
. Both are read well by the Driver Station.
I really want to make this work now, lol. Driver maybe not but could be a fun operator control.
I’m interested in where you found a wired RC helicopter controller. Do you mind sharing the link?
We tried to use one of those at one point, the FS-16S specifically. While it had lots of good buttons and had a nice grip for the driver, it kept randomly disconnecting from the driver station and turn itself off. We also found that since it has an integrated battery, it got confusing to know whether it was connected to the driver station (since with an Xbox, it turns off when it gets disconnected.) Also it would beep really loudly at us when we weren’t using it which didn’t make for such a pleasant experience.
Also, for your driver’s controller, if you are using a Logitech or Xbox controller, I would recommend using a thumb grip as it gives you additional grip and control during the match.
1405 used one for the operator in 2016… it was mentioned in one of the Einstein interviews that year.
Effective? Dunno, since I only saw them playing hardcore defense on Einstein that year. But it was unique.
I know quite a few teams who use gas pedals and steering wheels for driving. We don’t we use two Xbox one controllers
We used the guitar hero controller for our hanger that year. The buttons would rotate our scissors, actuate the scissor lifted hooks, and engage the winch to lift us up. Sadly some parts of our hanger broke while we were playing on Einstein and we didn’t get a true hang during those last few matches.
Do you know which version of controller they used? I was thinking about trying to do this and I was wondering if PS2 with the adapter would be best or PS3 or some other choice.