What kind of joystick or other stick do you use to control your robot?
I like the old flight sticks that FIRST gave us and strongly dislike those new right handed joysticks. That slam up and down when carrying them from the pit to field or back. also the stick moves around alot. I just want to know if anyone has a new idea for controling there robot besides having two sticks instead of one.
Serial mouse? (Hook it up to a microcontroller, which converts it to the Analog and digital signals needed)
We used a Controlbox with pots to control auxillary.
telepathy! 
or if you are unable, just walk round with the robot and “help” it do what it has to do…
or just get any old joystick.
we used 3point switches for controlling everything other than drive.
I didn’t like the flight joy sticks this year but the ones last year were good. Next year i am going to try to use a playstation 2 controller, so i can tell the rookies if they want to drive the robot all they have to do is go home and practice. I think the ps2 controller would make sense, anybody could drive the robot, and sell it as playing a video game. That will get rookies interested.
Hacking should be fun!
Somebody should make a thread: Hacking controllers.
Just the classic CH FlightSticks. I hope at the FIRST forums that people begged for them back.
Or at least a better one!!! Those things had quality issues!
Next year i am going to try to use a playstation 2 controller, so i can tell the rookies if they want to drive the robot all they have to do is go home and practice. I think the ps2 controller would make sense, anybody could drive the robot, and sell it as playing a video game. That will get rookies interested.
Can’t use it unless you replace all of the electronics inside of it. Those controllers rely on serial communication while the IFI system only works with analog resistances. Of course it would be cool for offseason use.
telepathy!
I’d give a cookie to a team that uses biofeedback to control their robot. It’s not exactly telepathy but its close enough. For more information visit www.wilddivine.com
I made a thread about that Here
lol the 200 steal battalian controller for X-box the one with like i think 129 buttons that would be awsome
Yes. That would be cool. But doesn’t it only work on 1 game?!?
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28640&highlight=joystick
I got the idea from this thread that the flightsticks were no longer in production. But we definetly prefer those over the new ones. And heck, you can always make your own controller!
Oh my God it’s true. I have searched until the end of the Internet and the old style FlightSticks are no where to be found. Oh, my precious FlightSticks, what will I do without you?
I used to have at least like 3 sources for them but now they seem to be gone. Rest In Peace CH FlightSticks.
i just bought one ch flightstick the other day for $1 (yes one buck) on ebay, it was funny cause shipping is like $10 but i think it is worth the cost for this flightstick to use for control rather then the new super sensative ones, and oh yeah it is a FIRST style one but in the actual sales box. Oh and FIRST is aware thoughts on the new joysticks now…
I could’ve sworn I saw a link to a site on here a few months ago with the flightsticks for like $15.
Thankfully we’ve been around long enough we have a large supply of them!
Cory
I know, and I could have sworn I was the one that posted the link! I can’t seem to find that darned post.
OK, so I went and did a little bit of looking. Here’s what I found.
That one is similar to the flight stick’s profile, is not hand specific, and has tons of buttons if that’s your thing. It’s USB, but as I remember it from discussions held on here, there’s ways around that.
Here is the flightstick pro, same thing, more buttons.
http://search.ebay.com/CH-Flightstick_W0QQsokeywordredirectZ1QQfromZR8
I don’t know how many teams have $90 to blow on one joystick, but the Pro is here also:
http://air-land-sea-products.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?store_code=ALSP&screen=PROD&product_code=ASA-CH-FLTSTK
I know 254 has used the flightstick pro for quite a few years now, they probably have a source for it, or they’re just using their old ones.
Cory
We actually did the modifications to a playstation 1 controller. Opened it up, scrapped the circuit board inside, and etched our own. It didn’t drive the bot (in the analog sense, we used the joysticks for that), but the custom button placement did control a number of functions, from ball pickup, to 2x grabber control, to arm deployment. It was sort of cool, although after all the mods, it didn’t look too much like a playstation controller (other than the general shape), but it worked well in lieu of a classic black box control system.
IMHO, there’s not much that can top the old style CH joysticks in terms of control- tight enough to get the robot where you want it, when you want it, but loose enough to allow the robot to flow. Very simplistic buttons too, top, trigger. Can’t go wrong 
But that would make a great summer or even preseason project for my electronics team and my programing team. If it did work that would be soo cool, but if not oh well.
here is where i got the idea from
But that would make a great summer or even preseason project for my electronics team and my programing team. If it did work that would be soo cool, but if not oh well.
here is where i got the idea from
Believe it or not I posted this same thing about a year ago. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20947&highlight=playstation+controller