"Signaling Device" reciever location?

FIRST General Forum
#1

I just finished reading the rules and then browsing through some of the IR Communication threads. One of the biggest problems that everyone has identified is that it might be difficult to communicate with the robot during the hybrid period with whatever IR signal.

After looking over the rules again, I was wondering if we would be allowed to put the IR receiver on the Operator Interface instead of the robot its self. If we could, it would make it easy to insure you can communicate with the robot for all 15 seconds of the hybrid period.

Thoughts? It seems like this shouldn’t be allowed, but I couldn’t find a rule to quote that says it isn’t… Maybe you all can?

  - Toby
#2

I believe that it must be on the robot, but I’m not 100% sure.

I know at the kick-off they demonstrated the IR receiver worked better while channeling the IR beam through a tube. I also think there are no limits on how powerful the IR beam can be, so you could try messing around with some very powerful TV remotes.

Did they say if it was OK to have IR beam retransmitters? They work wonders on my television and could for the robot.

#3

Maybe you could, but it wouldn’t be useful. You can’t read inputs from the operator interface during autonomous (hybrid) mode.

#4

Daniel, I believe you’re right, because you’ll have nowhere else to connect other than the Joy ports 1-4 which, in “hybrid” mode, would be disabled (to the best of my knowledge)

And Alex, I THINK that the IR extenders use RF waves, which then would make it illegal as it could potentially interfere with the radios used for controlling the robot, among other things. I could be wrong about this, I’m not sure, but to my knowledge they do run on Radio Frequency =S

#5

Ok, thank you for answering my question. =)

#6

they would seem legal to me. (followed the parts flowchart)

a wired IR repeater schematic http://www.cedarnet.org/smartware/Hardware/IR_Repeater/index.htm

and some other cool IR stuff:
http://www.hobbyprojects.com/quick_circuits_reference/infrared_based_schematics.html

hope those help you out

…forest

#7

The OI data is still being updated during autonomous. We’ve used switches to set auto mode config in the past.

However, you would need to make an adapter board to connect the receiver.

#8

those switch inputs as far as i know are read before “hybrid” mode when the robot is disabled. since when the robot is disabled OI input is transmitted but outputs are not enables on the RC. in “hybrid” its the other way around. OI disabled, RC outputs enabled.

this is what i gathered from kevin’s new code that he has been working on for the new compiler.

…forest

#9

Interesting…I knew this was possible, but I didn’t think that it would send varying data…I thought it just took the data that it initially started with and used that for the entire auto mode

and for the adapter board; is that legal (assuming that the OI data is sent during auto mode)?

[EDIT]oops I guess Forest confirmed that before I posted.
Thanks Forest[/EDIT]

#10

I haven’t read the rules throughly enougth to know, but I’d guess not.

#11