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FRC 2010 Driver Station

Doug Norman & Stephanie BriertyNational Instruments

January 8, 2010Thanks to Joe Ross – Team 330

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Driver Station (Legacy)

• Handles communication between human drivers and robot

• Ports for joysticks and miscellaneous I/O

• Enable/Disable and Autonomous/Teleop selection

• Robot to Driver feedback

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Why Change Driver Stations?

• Intel Classmate is consumer grade hardware Robust Easier to upgrade

• On-board battery makes demos easier• Additional debugging output• Built in dashboard – no separate laptop needed

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Driver Station Beta Test

• 18 teams beta tested Classmate hardware• All 44 beta teams tested the DS software• 8 teams tested Driver Station at River Rage Off-

Season competition in Manchester

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Classmate PC• Customized Intel Classmate

Windows XP 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1 BG RAM 16 GB solid state hard drive 8.9” screen, 1024x600 resolution 802.11g wireless only No VGA port

• Designed for educational use More rugged than a normal laptop

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Developer/Driver Accounts

• Two Windows XP accounts on Classmate• 1 - Driver Account

Automatically starts Driver Station and Dashboard software Console/Kiosk mode – no access to any other programs

• 2 - Developer Account Administrator account Normal XP interface

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Pre-installed Software

• LabVIEW and Java software loaded by default C++ may be installed via memory stick or USB DVD drive

• AVG Antivirus Get updates from the internet… Or download updates on another computer and transfer

• Open Office• PDF reader

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Joystick Connectivity

• 2 USB ports on Classmate 1 for I/O module 1 for USB hub

• 4 port USB hub supports 3 joysticks + E-Stop button• Joystick support through Windows standard

DirectInput API Should allow a variety of joysticks and other input devices

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E-Stop Button vs. Enable / Disable

• E-Stop connects via USB• Performs E-Stop not disable

Must be connected for robot operation Robot must be rebooted after E-Stop Same as the E-Stop on the field

• Enable / Disable Space bar disables F1 enables

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I/O Module• Cypress First Touch Starter Kit 3• USB powered (500ma limit)• Breadboard provided

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Driver Station I/ODriver Station

Compatibility I/OEnhanced I/O

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I/O Module – Compatibility I/O

• Same I/O as Kwikbyte Driver Station 4 analog inputs – 3.3V reference 8 digital inputs – with pull-up resistors 8 digital outputs

• If you use Compatibility I/O, don’t use Enhanced I/O

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I/O Module – Enhanced I/O

• Set/Get Digital I/O (16)• Set/Get Digital Out HC (2)• Get Analog Input (8)• Set/Get Analog Output (2)• Get Buttons (6)• Set/Get LEDs (8)

• Get Quadrature Encoders• Set/Get PWM Values (4)• Get Accelerometer (X,Y,Z)• Set/Get Digital Config• Get Touch Slider• Get Version Info

Note – don’t mix and match with Compatibility I/O

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I/O Enclosure

• No case or enclosure included Teams may want to customize based on Enhanced I/O

• There is an enclosure and carrier board made by eStop Robotics and available from AndyMark

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Driver Station Software

• The Driver Station software is an executable built with LabVIEW

• Works only on Windows 2000/XP/Vista PC• Communication protocol is compatible with the

Kwikbyte DS, making them interchangeable• Does everything the Kwikbyte DS did and more

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DS Operation Tab

• Same information as Kwikbyte DS• Choose Auto/Teleop/Practice and Enable/Disable• “LCD Text” is displayed in User Messages• Communications, Robot Code, Stop Button LEDs

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DS Diagnostics Tab• Shows communication details with each device in the

control system Useful for debugging

• Shows error output from running robot• Reboot robot remotely

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DS Setup Tab• Set team number – sets Classmate IP address

automatically• Configure Practice Round – simulate matches• Remap Joystick order• Turn on Remote Dashboard

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DS I/O Tab – Compatibility (Default)• Allows you to simulate analog and digital I/O by

pressing buttons and dragging sliders• Shows state of I/O when hardware is connected• Click Configure to choose Compatible or Enhanced

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Enhanced I/O Configuration

• Configure almost any pin just how you like• Trade off digital lines for PWM, encoders, etc.

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DS I/O Tab - Enhanced

• Shows LEDs, Buttons, Analog in, Accelerometers, Quadrature encoders, Touch slider

• Does not show PWM value, PWM Period, Analog out

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Integrated Dashboard

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Dashboard – Design Your Own

• The integrated dashboard may be replaced by an executable and run on the Classmate C:\Program Files\FRC Dashboard\Dashboard.exe

• Dashboard data may be re-routed to another computer On Setup tab of Driver Station, choose Remote Dashboard

and enter the remote Dashboard IP

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Conclusions

• New Driver Station hardware, Classmate, more robust• New Driver Station software

Full featured: error reporting, live feedback, sets IP, etc. Integrated Dashboard is fully customizable

Questions?