Chief Delphi

Not really needing help (yet!), but I figured I would share a cool project I am currently working on in college.

Well, my University doesn't participate in any FIRST robotics competitions, but the Industrial Education department participates in a relatively small robotics competition designed by ATMAE.

Anyway, the past years, the team didn't have an autonomous period of any sort. They've just been using a remote control vehicle controller to drive the robot for the past few years, and they have been really successful taking home the trophy.

Well, this year, they changed things. They have an autonomous. My Microprocessor instructor let me know about the competition since he knew I was big into robotics. I took up the job. I'm bringing a real robot controller to the team, the 2008 IFI Robot Controller from Team Fusion's dismantled robot.

The competition requires us to drive the robot from a far distance away, so we cannot drive with a line-of-sight. When we reach the center of the field, we have to switch to autonomous control to find a 8" pipe buried in the sand. My plan is to use two laptops and the IFI controller as the control system.

There will be a plain laptop at the driver station (like the classmate) with two USB joysticks attached. There will be a small netbook or nettop PC in the robot with a SSD drive installed due to the extreme vibrations that will be involved on our robot. The PC on the robot will tell the IFI RC what to do using the programming port.

So far, I have the basic communication from the base station to the robot working with a few small bugs that I plan on knocking out this weekend (basically just verification that the RC received the commands that were sent, and to resend the commands if incorrect)

One thing that I have not figured out yet is how to send live video from the robot PC to the base station PC. We’re planning on just getting a USB webcam to connect to LabVIEW with.

Right now, I can use the webcam with LabVIEW on the robot PC just fine. I can do video analysis and track round objects. It’s the part about getting it to the base station PC.

Hello Everyone,

My friend and I were having a bit of debate as to who we thought was better: Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman.

So unless you've been under a rock or building FRC bots for 20 years straight, you know who Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman are.

Just cast your vote and feel free to discuss.

Personally, I find that Denzel Washington plays very diverse roles, and manages to kill (in a good way) every single role he plays. So my vote is for Denzel. What do you guys think?!?!?!?

- Sunny
__________

Another possible hint from Ken on Friday???

http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c...rock-star.html

This may seem like a stupid question.

I am by no means new to computers(I have an AS in Computer Science), however, I can't seem to figure out how this is done. I have Windriver Workbench installed on my Laptop(running Win7) and am in need of freeing some hard drive space. I have searched through Add/Remove Programs and have found NI software(Labview, etc.) and NetBeans IDE, but don't see Windriver anywhere.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you have any other questions, I'll be glad to answer those as well.

Thanks in advance

I am currently working on how to work with the PSoC. It uses a special form of C. I had the idea to create something like a sub computer with it, setting it up with some RAM and an external data source. my only problem is, I don't know how to program the thing in the first place!:(
I have a little experience with C++, but only with windows programming. I don't have a clue on how to do hardware programming in C. Help Please!!!!

Hey, I've ported the base system code that I wrote for the 2008 FRC season to the Vex robot controller. I've built a few different projects with it and it seems to be pretty stable. Before rolling it out to a larger audience, I wanted to share it with the FRC community and hopefully get some feedback and maybe squish a bug or two. Code can be found here:

http://kevin.org/vex

-Kevin

Here's a few of the Mech Warrior's best matches:

The first is the Ann Arbor District Finals match 3, which was quite a nail-biter. 573, 2337, and 66 ended up winning 8-7:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwlHlx-QAIQ


Next is Qualification match 56 at the Michigan State Championship. 573 paired up with 1023 and 910, and we really showed how quickly we could feed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6JtXCcPSi4


Curie match 47 was one of my favorite matches all season. We were with 3234 and 27, a Michigan alliance. We got all the Michigan teams in Curie to cheer along with us, and I guess 33 heard us over in Archimedes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stXE3mPLU1k


Jumping all the way to IRI, qualifier 81 was another of my favorites. It was arguably the most interesting match of IRI 2010. We were paired up with 217 and 1732 verses 469, 1720, and 2081. This match shows just how diverse our robot is; usually we started in back and move balls forward, but we showed that we could be just as effective in the near zone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpohoa91L0E


We have plenty of other videos on our Youtube(including Einstein footage) as well as other webspace(check my signature) for info, highlights, etc.

Enjoy!

I was thinking about how to implement reverse-voltage protection on a Jaguar or Victor, and I realized that all the polarity sensitive components, with the exception of the electrolytic capacitor, are powered by the 5v or 3.3v regulators.
Couldn't we just put a diode on the supply side of both of those, and thus prevent the motor controller from turning on when voltage is reversed?
(The capacitor, though it would blow hot oil all over everything, can be replaced)

On a similar note, how is providing power to the wrong side different than normal operation? It's still the same to the h-bridge. Why does the motor controller even turn on, if the motor is stopped? The source and drain on a MOSFET can be flipped without issues, correct?

At my school we have a Pre-Engineering class. WE have to pick a project to work on all year and we need some help coming up with Ideas. What do you have? They would like it to help the school in one way or another. Last year they did a wind turbine to put on top of the school. Some ideas this year are like a giant roomba to clean the hallway floors or maybe a t-shirt cannon for sporting events.

I think that all teams should create a oovoo account or something with video conferencing so if any team needs help they could easily access another team to get help through video conferencing. (just my opinion):cool:

Winning alliance receives $6,000 towards registration for the 2011 FRC Season!!!

WHERE?
Francis Lewis High School
58-20 Utopia Parkway
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

WHEN?
Saturday, October 2nd
Doors Open at 7:00 am

All rule for the 2010 FRC Breakaway competition apply.

Registration fee = $200

Please Register at the event website ASAP!!!
http://breakaway.flhsrobotics.com

Email Angela Sherman at amacors@schools.nyc.gov for more information.
Attached Files 2010 Big Apple Breakaway Flier Delphi.pdf (2.10 MB)

http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c...-new-game.html

Hi Everyone,

My question is about using non standard cRIO moduels in the FIRST competition. I work with a few cRIO moduels that are brand new and have not as of yet been added to the labview FPGA auto recognition system. To make these modules work I have written custom FPGA drivers which creates all of the nessecarry connections. I am rather unfamilliar with how the FRC competiton's code handels the FPGA and I wanted to know if it would be possible to use these moduels in the competition with the stardard code set.

Carter Schultz

I've been very quiet on CD recently and on my return, I thought it appropriate to share this picture I stumbled on this morning.






Pavan



.

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JVN's Design Challenge

Want to win a VEX Classroom Lab Kit? -- John V-Neun, Director of Product Development for VEX Robotics, has a challenge for you!

John is looking for a VEX Marvel – a "cool" robot such that inexperienced bystanders would enjoy interacting with it or be impressed by it's awesomeness.

Entries are due by December 1st and winners will get a VEX Classroom Lab kit with Cortex.

Check out full details on John’s blog.

I am captain of Rocket Robotics team 1064 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, we were inactive for 3 years and have lost all old people from our team, BUT we have a sponsor who is willing to buy us almost anything we need as far as parts, so what drills, tools, shelving, carts, laptops, ect.... any and all help would be loved.

Also if u would like to check on our website we should be up and running in a month or so with Pic's of all the new gear we got and logo's and such.

www.rocketrobotics.org

PLEASE RECOGNIZE A WORTHY VOLUNTEER
Mike Wade Duel Master Volunteer Award

The FIRST Community does a terrific job of recognizing volunteers and mentors. The planners of the Duel event would like to continue the tradition with the 6th Annual Duel Master Volunteer Award.

This award is a combination of the FIRST Woodie Flowers Award, FIRST Unsung Hero Award, and the FIRST Volunteer Recognition Award. This award celebrates a FIRST team mentor or volunteer, who demonstrates the spirit and values of what FIRST is all about.

In honor of Mike Wade, who made the Duel on the Delaware possible by providing the NASA Goddard playing field field and much assistance since 2001, this award is named the “Michael Wade Duel Master Volunteer Award.” Mike exemplified what we are recognizing with the Duel Master Volunteer Award, so it only fitting that this award acknowledges Mike’s contributions.

Teams attending the Duel on the Delaware will have an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize one of their own for contributions to their team and to FIRST.

Those previously recognized include Ron Karpinski, Dina Campagna, Bob Foell, Lauralynne Cokeley, and Mike Siegel.

If your team is attending the Duel on the Delaware on October 16, please consider nominating a team member for this award. Nominations are e-mail only as described in the following attachment and are due by OCTOBER 4th. All nominations will be posted at the Duel event.

Do the Duel!
Attached Files FORM - Duel Master Volunteer 2010.doc (22.5 KB)

Greetings Teams:

Is it September already?! We hope that everyone had a great summer, and that you are as excited as we are for the upcoming FRC season!

Return of Weekly Email Blasts: Please note that after Labor Day, we will return to a weekly email blast schedule in an effort to keep you well-informed on the latest FRC news. Be sure to check your inbox each Thursday for the FRC email blast, and don’t forget that we always post email blasts to the 2011 FRC Season News and Email Blasts page: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...starchive.aspx. You can even subscribe to an RSS feed to receive alerts when this page is updated!

Opt in to the Email Blast: In the past, the email blast has automatically been sent to only the main and alternate contacts of each FRC team. One of the improvements we made to TIMS over the summer is a new ‘opt in’ feature that allows any team contact listed in the TIMS system (Shipping, Scholarship, Mentor, etc.) to ‘opt in’ to receive the email blast. Additional team contacts may opt in when they accept a team contact invitation, or by checking off the appropriate box when editing their user profile. Main and alternate contacts will continue to automatically receive the email blast—sorry, main and alternate contacts cannot ‘opt out!’ For more information about other improvements made to TIMS, please click here: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/....aspx?id=17759.

Buy Pool Noodles NOW: The Game Design Committee (GDC) has determined that the robots will be required to have bumpers in 2011, and urge you to buy pool noodles now while they are still in season. To learn more about what the GDC is cooking up for the 2011 season, check out Bill’s Blog: http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2010...odles-now.html.

FIRST Senior Mentor (FSM) Call, September 9th @ 7 p.m. EST: The first FSM call of the season, Choosing a Competition, will take place on Thursday, September 9th @ 7 p.m. EST. The call will cover tips and suggestions for successful planning and travel, and will be hosted by FSM Nate Knauss (New Jersey and Philadelphia), with special guest, Frank Merrick (FRC Deputy Director). For call-in information, please visit: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/....aspx?id=17850.

Go Teams!

9/2/10 News- FIRST Senior Mentor Call September 9th

The first FIRST Senior Mentor (FSM) call of the season, Choosing a Competition, will take place on Thursday, September 9th @ 7 p.m. EST. The call will cover tips and suggestions for successful planning and travel, and will be hosted by FSM Nate Knauss (New Jersey and Philadelphia), with special guest, Frank Merrick (FRC Deputy Director). For call-in information, please see below:

Citrix Online HiDef Corporate Conference Calling
Expert/Participant Call-in information
*These calls can hold up to 1000 callers
All calls will be recorded and posted to our site within 1-2 days after the call!
Company name: FIRST
Dial in toll free #: 1-866-951-1151
Dial in toll #: 1-201-590-2255
Conference Room: 7052714


Experts/Participants:
*1- Play a menu of phone commands
*2-Mute/unmute your own line
*5- Hear the number of callers on the conference

Do you have questions you were not able to ask on the call?
Please contact:
mentorcoach@usfirst.org