Topics

Attendance

• Allen Brown (barely) - Scalawags mentor
• Gary Oliver - Scalawags mentor
• Dave Regan - CV mentor
• Jeff Rice - Scalawags student (soon mentor)
• Asumu Takikawa - CV student

Current Documentation

• ElectricalPower20041107.html -- Electrical Power connections
• ElectricalNodes20041107.html -- Electrical Communication Links
• CvsInstructions20041111.html -- How to use CVS
• ProtocolCommandTable20041007.html -- Packet and Commands: Tabular definition
• ProtocolCommandState20041107.html -- Packet and Commands: BNF and State Diagrams
• DirectoryStructure20041022.html -- How the project is organized on disk
• Pictures/CallSequence20041114.gif -- Heirarchy of calls from packet on down.
• Pictures/cn_overview20041213.gif -- How the cn software will look.
    Dia source

Review of 2005 Competition Season

The following list is focussed on software and electronics.

• Use better sensors than in the kit. (Scalawags and CV had trouble with the hall effect sensors.)
• Better communication with hardware folks needed.
• KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) CV Robot too complex and as a result finished too late, compressing the software schedule.
• What does the fix-it window mean? Different interpretations.
• Best robots were ones that didn't break.
  • Simpler in design or else truly engineered.
  • Not overly ambitious. Well implemented.
  • CV had little time for perfecting. Instead time spend making overly ambitious things.
• Scalawags arm was large and got abused.
• Scalawags gear boxes broke twice.
• CV transmission coupling too weak.
• RTFM
• Serial cable and PWM cables unreliable.

Ideas/Plans for 2005 off-Season

In the list below, items with a priority listed are planned. Other items will be prioritized if we have time after completing the top items.

• Co-processor. priority: 1
• Data logging in the co-processor. priority: 2
• Interfacing 5V sensors to the co-processor. priority: 3
• Good diagnostics framework. priority: 4
• PID for servos. priority: 5 [example doc]
• Optical mouse navigation.
• Operator Interface using steering wheel and throttle.
• Dashboard interpreter.
• Head-up display for operators.
• Power sensitivity pot. Acts like a CV transmission.
• Inertial + Gyro navigation.
• CMU Camera.
• USB Camera + algorithms.
• Robot reflexes/macros. Subsumption architecture by Rodney Brooks. and more on Subsumption architecture by Rodney Brooks.
• Waldo/Powerglove O.I.
• Debug display with co-processor.
• Audio output. (USB?)
• Other sensor technologies.
  • Sonar.
  • Optical range finding.
  • Curb feeler and bumper switch.
  • Line follower.
• Camera with conical mirror for 360 degree view.
• Recognizing another robot on a collision course.
• A small robot testbed to play with sensors.

Possible Training during 2005 off-Season

• C (of course)
• Soldering
• How to use Voltmeter effectively
• How to use Oscilloscope
• How to use Logic Probe

Schedule

• April 8 - location: TBA
  • Assuming new members show up, introductions.
  • CV to provide an FRC. (Unfortunately the Scalawags team took the robot when they left the open house.)
  • Connect the FRC to the coprocessor board we have and test/debug existing software.