2009:Controls Details

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Controls Details

See 2009:DriverStationControls.

The below is the notes from the joint drive/programming/controls meeting to come up with initial controls concepts. The page you are viewing right now is no longer accurate except as a historical record of the original meeting. The above link is the accurate, current information. (pages should likely be merged)

General Controls/Driving thoughts - 1/10 meeting between Strategy, Drive team, Programming, and Electrical Controls team -- 1/10/09 Angry

  • Potential drivers: Shauna (either, Rhand), Theo (drivetrain, rhand), Brenton (either, Rhand), Crystal (upper, Rhand), Tresten
  • Mechanisms:
    • 2 belts - both up, both down, or in opposite directions (depends on how we eject balls)
    • At top of  belts - motor driven chicken plucker for loading or shooting
    • Bottom - chicken plucker is part of belt
    • Trapdoor to switch between loading or shooting or empty


  • No joysticks - so you can all move around in the driver station if needed 
  • Drivetrain - XBOX360 (Theo) Logitech/PS2 (Shauna but she's cool w/Xbox360). 
    • Drivetrain operations - Normal, slow, or turbo - based on the flippers on Xbox360 with left/right are independent turbo control, Toggle button for traction control on/off,


  • Speed control for both belts and for the shooter pinwheel
  • Ball control/upper mechanisms - Not use a gamepad - but custom handheld control
  • On the custom handheld - Dial for shooter speed, Switch between Preload for Scoring, Collect, Dump out the bottom, NO BELT MOVEMENT - 4 position switch or Dial with movable stops.  Push button for shooter wheel Go (only valid in Preload for Scoring mode), 4 Position Dial - Trapdoor - Auto, Pull in, Let out, or Stop.
  • What if instead of ejection out the bottom for an empty cell - shoot it out the top into the refueling station


  • On the main box - dial for the belt speed, BIG FAT RED LED to indicate lack of traction/wheel slippage, BIG GREEN LED to indicate traction control is on, switch on the box that overrides traction control on XBox controls and sets default, Broken Switch for Ball Queue Detect (do nothing in Preload, and scoring then means run both conveyor and shooter at the same time).  Also put two spare analog dials, and as many switches as we can have for "spares", extra LEDS for as many outputs we have.


  • Autonomous mode - selection box on the main driver station- could use the feedback method for indicating which mode we're in as the LAPTOP AND DASHBOARD,
  • Need 3 position Starting Position Switch, Need 1 Mode # Selection Switch (ones and tens digits)


  • Teleop/Auto switch needs to be accessible
  • Enable/Disable switch should be a big fat emergency switch on the main box (not just the switch on the driver station)