US First Kickoff 2013 Software Programming (And Control System) Daniel Kohn University of Memphis.
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Transcript of US First Kickoff 2013 Software Programming (And Control System) Daniel Kohn University of Memphis.
What will be presented……
Veteran Teams• Changes from Last
year
Rookie Teams• General intro
programming options
For Everyone• Classmate Updates / Install
This is NOT intended to TEACH you how to program, just give you an overview of the control system and programming changes from last year and to show the various programming options teams have.
Classmate PC• Rookie Teams
There will probably be NO Software loaded on the Classmate when you get it.
• Veteran Teams Classmates (driver station NetBook) will be re-
imaged. – BACKUP FIRST!
Classmate PC (Rookie Teams)• See handout, but start at the section
“Applying the Image” on page 9 for how to load up the software from the USB Thumb Drive provided in the KOP.
Classmate PC (Veteran Teams)• You will have to follow the Handout from Page 1. It
steps you though: Downloading 7zip and RMprepUSB (software
you need to create the image) Selecting and downloading the image Creating the USB Thumb drive to install from The installation process
• you need a 8Gbyte USB Thumb Drive or larger
LabVIEW• Still LabVIEW 2011• New Features
More options when starting a new robot project– Arcade drive, Mecanum Drive, Arcade Drive with Arm– Simulation Available (BUT….)– [DEMO]
Easier to add information to Driver Station Dashboard– New “Dashboard” Library
LabVIEW• New Features
Debugging– Project Performance Measure
> TOOLS | Profiles | Profile Performance and Memory
– Log Viewer Installed to startup menu (hidden last year)
– Elapsed Times VI (help debug timing issues)> Place anywhere to measure time to run code.> Use control space shortcut then look for “Elapsed Times.VI”
NOT “Elapsed Time”
– Drive Safety can be disabled (and also adjust timeout)
LabVIEW Seminar• NI is sending out trainers to Quick Builds to
do LabVIEW for FRC Training• NI is coming to the Memphis Quick Build
next week (Jan 12). All teams are welcome to attend the seminar.
Java and C++• Biggest change is Robot BUILDER (Java or C)
Wizard that lets you define robot systems and builds system code for you.
http://wpilib.screenstepslive.com/s/3120/m/7882/l/88538-overview-of-robotbuilder
Generates I/O Wiring table for you Will keep your code intact even if changes are made via
Robot Builder – so long is code is placed outside of comments “Begin Autogenerated Code” and
“End Audogenerated Code”
Smart Dashboard – lets you test sub systems (great for in PIT testing)
C/C++Install• Unlike Java who’s install is straight forward,
C/C++ has issues Make sure to read the instructions carefully
when installing. 2 Disk install – if you answer questions
incorrectly during the install of the first disk, C will not function properly and you will have to uninstall and start again!
Hardware• Radio
All teams getting a D-Link DAP 1522 Rev B WARNING – This looks very similar to the old radio used
last year, but you MUST USE THIS RADIO
12v to 5v Power Converter STILL NEEDED
LabVIEW - Advantages• Made By National Instruments (NI)
Makers of the cRIO Control system• Graphical Programming Language• Lots of support on line in forums and from NI
NI is a huge supporter of FRC and FIRST• Lots of built in documentation (help on every VI,
examples for every sensor/system)• Now includes a robot simulation tool for off robot
testing
LabVIEW - Disadvantages• Many windows need to be opened to do
anything (hard to do on the Classmate)• Hard to find things the first time you need
them.• Programmers (those who know standard
programming languages) have a hard time with the graphical nature of LabVIEW
C/C++ Advantages• Common programming language
Mentors and students might be more comfortable with C/C++ if they programmed in C before
• Many books on C/C++ (but NOT the specifics for FRC teams)
• Mentors and students who know C/C++ will have a shorter learning curve
C/C++ Disadvantages• Licensing issues!• Installation issues (discussed previously)• Rumor has it C/C++ support might end in
2015
Java Advantages• Uses NetBeans (commonly used by
programmers)• Mentors and students who know Java
already will have a very short learning curve.• All public domain – no licensing issues in off
season and no registration required.
Robot Builder• With the introduction of Robot Builder, Java
and C/C++ will be easier to use for teams who have programming mentors who know those languages (in the past many mentors could not get over the issues of defining robot hardware, this is now done in Robot Builder)
Where to Start• Basic code
Each language has basic robot code or templates available
Don’t be afraid to search the internet, some teams post code from previous years!
• HINT: the basic code usually uses the standard wiring (don’t deviate from the standard wiring or code will not work)
Keep Current• A common rookie mistake is not to keep the
software up to date.• Check the 2013 software update website
often.
Other Comments• If you are NOT using LabVIEW, you will need some
of the files included with the LabVIEW Install
• You will probably want to do your programming on a computer with a bigger screen (laptop)
• If you plan to use the Robot Simulator in LabVIEW, you will need a Laptop with higher specifications
Thanks to…..• FRC Blog
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog
• FRC Website http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc
• National Instruments https://decibel.ni.com/content/community/first
• WPI http://wpilib.screenstepslive.com/s/3120
Presentation• This presentation will be posted at:
http://memphisfirstteams.org/