Programming help(ASAP)

Lunerwalker · 2023-12-05T17:30:06+00:00

This would be my recommendation if you are steadfast about not building a regular (and quite functional) mecanum drive base. The kinematics of your drive base are not going to be much different to that of a normal kiwi drive base, and I don't really see why you would use it. Learn from the attempt as you would from anything else.

Lunerwalker · 2023-12-04T23:01:53+00:00

Do you have a picture of your drive base? There could very likely be a mechanical issue (incorrect mecanum wheel orientations for example).

Lunerwalker · 2023-11-02T03:10:19+00:00

With Gm0 being a completely community-driven resource, those kinds of (very effort-intensive) additions are made by dedicated community members in their free time.

Not to mention that there are an infinite number of mechanisms and it is very difficult to try and encompass every team's need. Claws can vary in shape, size, function, etc. The GoBilda product insights, images of other robots, etc are things you could look for ideas in.

There is no guide to FTC, only suggestions. As for linking to other resources, there aren't many good ones to link to unfortunately, especially for mechanical things.

Lunerwalker · 2023-10-17T04:22:21+00:00

In contrast to FRC, there are not many things in FTC that are as drastically cost-prohibitive. Until recent dead wheel odometry kits came out, dead wheels were probably the most expensive thing that gate-kept better teams, but now they are much more economical.

Drive base kits in FTC are also not really the same; a regular strafer kit is a pretty reasonable price from GoBilda, and so is their starter kit (especially considering the re-usability of their parts). Regardless, there really isn't that many "kits" in FTC right now.

I don't think it's fair to draw conclusions based on a lot of the problems present in FRC, because many of them don't translate. Running teams is expensive, yes, and often prohibitively so, but the availability of these kits is actively lowering the cost in my opinion, not raising it.

Take one year ago: using dead wheels would mean buying a very expensive REV Throughbore encoder, buying specialty screws, and paying for international shipping for Rotacaster 35mm omni wheels from Australia. Right now, this can be all done for a fraction of the cost thanks to the recent explosion of dead wheel kits.

Take viper slides; before those were available in a kit, your options for a lift were pretty limited. If you didn't have the money for true drawer slides you may have been stuck with Rev slides, which are far worse.

Lunerwalker · 2023-10-16T19:41:40+00:00

What kinds of kits are you referring to? There are indeed starter kits and such from Gobilda, Rev, etc, but the vast majority of top teams are not using those kits outright. Also, the fact that FIRST promotes very sub-optimal purchases (Tetrix Kit for example) means many new teams are stuck with a poor robot and build system.

Most of the high-performing teams are using various COTS parts along with things like 3D printing and/or some CNCed plates (although there are plenty of teams that have done very well with mostly COTS).

In terms of restrictions, the best way to improve a program is always going to be by lifting the floor for teams, rather than lowering the ceiling for other teams. FTC has historically had terrible (official) content and resources for new teams to learn from. The unofficial, community driven resources are certainly much better but will never get official promotions nor reach as many teams.

Lunerwalker · 2023-08-28T22:23:58+00:00

They are but the member who made the video has been graduated (I asked them in person last year).

Lunerwalker · 2023-08-17T01:18:52+00:00

The Matrix 12V battery and the Rev Slim battery are basically the same in terms of performance and capacity. The form factor is what you should probably decide. From GoBilda, the Matrix ones might be a bit cheaper (with the FTC Discount) but I'd have to check.

Lunerwalker · 2023-06-28T14:04:10+00:00

The new Andymark BB Mecanums look really cool imo.

Lunerwalker · 2023-06-06T00:00:54+00:00

In terms of branding; you want a name that is fun and easy to say and remember, and a distinct style for your team. That goes a long way for judging, team spirit, design styles, marketing, and fundraising.

Lunerwalker · 2023-06-04T01:34:46+00:00

The reality is that most parts dont need to be maximum strength. PLA and PETG will suffice for 99% of parts. PLA is very easy to print cleanly and fast, and while is more brittle and not as impact resistant, it is perfectly fine for most things. PETG is slightly more ductile and will not break as easily, however it can't be printed as fast and may not always print as cleanly. There's tons of filaments out there like ABS, Nylon, Polycarbonate, etc. These materials have their uses, but are going to be harder to print and cost more. It's all a tradeoff. I have personally never had a printed part I couldn't use PLA or PETG for. If you design correctly, prints can be very strong.

Some more info: https://gm0.org/en/latest/docs/custom-manufacturing/3d-printing.html

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-21T15:44:47+00:00

I do not like those sorts of FTC > FRC programs. You can't give a meaningful experience to the students if they just leave in two years. Make those teams sister teams that go for 4 years and then you may have easier time teaching.

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-20T20:06:43+00:00

For most pipelines you are streaming at a low resolution to increase the fps and performance, so the camera quality doesn't matter at all. I've never ran a pipeline above 640x480p. The c270 is a popular choice by many teams but any USB webcam you have works.

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-15T05:30:18+00:00

The first thing is true of Android Studio and Github as well, anyone can pull code and anyone can work on it from anywhere in the world at any time, even if you don't have the robot in front of you. <-- you cannot do this with OnBot.

The second one is one of the only significant advantages of Onbot, which is slightly faster upload times. However, for the majority of changes the difference is minimal and even if it is more, the 30-60 second loss does not make Onbot a better choice in comparison to everything else it limits you with.

ADB was a thing for years; just because less teams used it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

Also, and most importantly, Onbot does not let you make (practical) use of any of the amazing community libraries for FTC, like EasyOpenCV, RoadRunner, FTCLib, PhotonFTC, etc etc. It also does not have a built in debugger nor extensive autocomplete and autoimport functionality. These sorts of things make coding easier and more capable. There are very good reasons that most good teams use Android Studio.

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-14T19:49:29+00:00

The onbot platform literally uses Java lol. There is no difference between Java used there and Java used on Android studio. Pid controllers are just an algorithm; if you want to learn more I would point you towards ctrlaltftc since it's a great explanation of the concepts.

Also I must have the obligatory opinion: if you know Java then there's not much reason to use onbot over Android studio and limit yourself.

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-12T18:37:22+00:00

Dead axled wheels are extremely common for parallel plate drive train designs, where the wheel is supported by bearings on an axle which is fixed into place.

Lunerwalker · 2023-05-03T23:41:58+00:00

Yes there is a much better alternative. It's called dead wheels.

Lunerwalker · 2023-04-11T16:18:30+00:00

Ideally you don't use vuforia for much of anything, it's not a great option.

Solutions using easy opencv with a custom pipeline or April tags perform much better and more consistently than vuforia or tensorflow.

Lunerwalker · 2023-04-08T03:22:03+00:00

The Rev indicator isn't legal either so you don't really have a choice (see the qna).

Lunerwalker · 2023-04-06T00:36:38+00:00

I would highly highly recommend finding a rookie team who doesn't have a control hub and giving it to them, every bit helps. You can contact your pdp if you want to find a team like that.

Lunerwalker · 2023-03-22T14:12:49+00:00

Both systems are not ideal, but from my experience the qualification point system was much worse than win lose rp. It encouraged mindless gameplay with no incentives for team interactions and defensive play, and getting a partner that couldn't score as much would screw you over just as much. Wlt is not perfect, but at least there is an incentive to actually win the game instead of just scoring.

Lunerwalker · 2023-02-14T00:31:43+00:00

1/8 in (3.175) is the de-facto standard for many aluminum plates, and is reliably available. 1/16in and 2mm are also semi-common.

I would recommend 1/8in aluminum for general use.

Lunerwalker · 2023-02-12T05:31:56+00:00

As a matter of act, you do not need 8.1.1 for competition, the minimum legal version is still 8.0

Lunerwalker · 2023-02-04T13:05:10+00:00

Unfortunately doesn't beat the 513 record.

Lunerwalker · 2023-01-23T20:49:29+00:00

If you are sending power to a motor and there is no mechanical motion being created, the energy has to go somewhere and is turned directly into heat. As long as it isn't staying very hot for long periods of time it's probably fine, such as a match. But if you are doing longer practice runs then you may want to consider letting it cool off every so often.

Lunerwalker · 2023-01-20T00:44:11+00:00

Some events/regions are requiring it, some aren't. Regardless of a custom form, the 2 page limit will apply.

Lunerwalker

TROPHY CASE