Recent Updates
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Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
LabVIEW Code
The previous articles detailed the theoretical approach to identifying the Vision Targets on the 2014 FRC Field. This article details the implementation in the LabVIEW code that matches this theoretical approach.
Manual Vision Processing -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Stale data and SmartDashboard
SmartDashboard uses NetworkTables for communicating values between the robot and the driver station laptop. Network Tables acts as a distributed table of name and value pairs. If a name/value pair is added to either the client (laptop) or server (robot) it is replicated to the other. If a name/value pair is deleted from, say, the robot but the SmartDashboard or TableViewer are still running, then when the robot is restarted, the old values will still appear in the SmartDashboard and TableViewer because they never stopped running and continue to have those values in their tables. When the robot restarts, those old values will be replicated to the robot.
To ensure that the SmartDashboard and TableViewer are showing exactly the same values, it is necessary to restart all of them at the same time. That way, old values that one is holding won't get replicated to the others.
This usually isn't a problem if the program isn't constantly changing, but if the program is in development and the set of keys being added to NetworkTables is constantly changing, then it might be necessary to do the restart of everything to accurately see what is current.
Manual SmartDashboard -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
SmartDashboard namespace
SmartDashboard uses NetworkTables to send data between the robot and the Dashboard (Driver Station) computer. NetworkTables sends data as name, value pairs, like a distributed hashtable between the robot and the computer. When a value is changed in one place, its value is automatically updated in the other place. This mechanism and a standard set of name (keys) is how data is displayed on the SmartDashboard.
There is a hierarchical structure in the name space creating a set of tables and subtables. SmartDashboard data is in the SmartDashboard subtable and LiveWindow data is in the LiveWindow subtable as shown below.
For informational purposes the names and values can be displayed using the TableViewer application that is installed in the same location as the SmartDashboard. It will display all the NetworkTable keys and values as they are updated.
Manual SmartDashboard -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Getting Started With the Screen Steps Documentation
ScreenStepsLive is a new tool that FRC/WPI are using to create and present documentation. This document is a brief introduction to the ScreenStepsLive site and the documentation contained here.
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Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Identifying and Processing the Targets
Once an image is captured, the next step is to identify Vision Target(s) in the image. This document will walk through one approach to identifying the 2014 targets and distinguishing between targets for Hot and not Hot goals. Note that the images used in this section were taken with the camera intentionally set to underexpose the images, producing very dark images with the exception of the lit targets, see the section on Camera Settings for details.
Manual Vision Processing -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Camera Settings
It is very difficult to achieve good image processing results without good images. With a light mounted near the camera lens, you should be able to use the provided examples, the dashboard or SmartDashboard, NI Vision Assistant or a web browser to view camera images and experiment with camera settings.
Manual Vision Processing -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Target Info and Retroreflection
This document describes the Vision Targets from the 2014 FRC game and the visual properties of the material making up the targets. Note that for official dimensions and drawings of all field components, please see the Official Field Drawings
Manual Vision Processing -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Support Resources
In addition to the documentation here, there are a variety of other resources available to FRC teams to help understand the Control System and software.
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Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
Synchronizing two commands
Commands can be nested inside of command groups to create more complex commands. The simpler commands can be added to the command groups to either run sequentially (each command finishing before the next starts) or in parallel (the command is scheduled, and the next command is immediately scheduled also). Occasionally there are times where you want to make sure that two parallel command complete before moving onto the next command. This article describes how to do that.
Manual Command based programming -
Updated on: Jan 20, 2023
2014 FRC Control System Hardware Overview
The goal of this document is to provide a brief overview of the hardware components that make up the 2014 FRC Control System. Each component will contain a brief description of the component function, a brief listing of critical connections, and a link to more documentation if available. Note that for complete wiring instructions/diagrams, please see the Wiring the 2014 Control System document, and the Power Distribution Diagram and Data Connectivity Diagram.
Note that while many of the system components have been designed to tolerate reverse polarity input or short circuits o n the output, not all components are protected from all conditions. Teams should take caution to check that all wiring is secure and correct before connecting the battery after any wiring changes.
