Programming
There are a number of resouces available to teams to help with programing their robot controllers.Some of them are listed below:
- IR Board Training Video as shown at the 2008 FRC Kickoff Event.
- The default Innovation First libraries are the basis for all the other code shown below. By getting this code you are free to completely set the structure of your program as you would like. This is also the most complex starting point, proably not for inexperienced programing teams.
- Kevin Watson from JPL has developed a complete set of code based on the default IFI code (above) to operate all the kit sensors, including the camera, gyros, accelerometers, serial ports, EEPROM, and more. This site is an excellent one-stop-shopping resource for sample code an datasheets for the IFI controllers. It was Kevin's initial work in figuring out the operation of the microprocessor and many of the sensors that made these controllers more approachable for eveyone. All source code is provided for Kevin's projects.
- WPILib was developed as a reusable code library that greatly simplifies the programming model for the IFI controllers. It has "drivers" for all the devices in the FRC kit of parts with a very simple programming interface. Each device has a simple interface that is very simple to understand and use. There is also complete documentation for all of WPILib in the form of a 60 page PDF file with lots of examples and explanations and tips.
- Intelitek easyC is the easiest way to get started programming IFI based robots. It is a drag and drop programming model where blocks are selected from a palette and dropped into your program. As the blocks are added to the program, C code is written in another window that you can view. When you are finished writing the program, just hit the Build and Download button and the integrated Microchip development tool will automatically compile, link and download your program. New in this version include direct C source file editing, graphical display tools, and better robot definition screens. All the 2007 kit sensors are directly supported by easyC.easyC Pro has been included with all the 2007 FRC kits.
- National Instruments has supplied a set of tools for LabVIEW equipped with a Data Aquisition Module to actually simulate robot hardware before it has been built. This gives programmers on a team to get a head start writing software by developing a model of the robot in software that LabVIEW uses to simulate motors, drive trains, chassis, and senors. By connecting the DAQ to the inputs and outputs on the robot controller, the software can run as if it were connected to actual hardware. You can then monitor the operation of the robot through various LabVIEW display panels.
2007
- Camera demonstration programs supplied by Neil Rosenberg, FRC Engineering Manager. This is the program demonstrated by Dave Lavery at the Kickoff Event as well as a video and code showing how the camera can track multiple targets.
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Last modified: January 13, 2008 17:31:25