The CompactRIO Control System for FIRST Robotics

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The CompactRIO Control System for FIRST Robotics

• Rob Heslin
• ritfirst.org

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• The information herein is based on the '08 season
  and released information about the new control
  system. Some information is only a prediction
  based on this information. This seminar does not
  substitute READING the Rules.

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Outline CompactRIO

• Robot Control Systems
• Sensors
• Operator Interface

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General Digital Inputs The Signal

• Digital Signals have two states

Voltage 0V 5V
Switch Closed Open
Electrical Grounded Not Grounded
Programming FALSE TRUE
Binary 0 1
This is a Discrete Input(it is either one or the
other)?
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What is an analog input?

• An analog input is one that has a range of
  acceptable values
• 0 to 255
• 0V to 5V
• It is a continuous input

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Control System

• Rides on the robot
• Contains
• Robot Controller (The cRIO)?
• Bumpers Digital Side Car
• WiFi
• Speed Controllers (The Jaguar)?
• Relays
• Sensors

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Control System Overview
WiFi Bridge
CompactRIO
Pneumatics Bumper
Digital Sensor
Analog Bumper
Solenoid
Digital Side Car
Speed Controller
Analog Sensor
Speed Controller
Spike Relay
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CompactRIO

• Provided by FIRST
• Use is required
• The brain of the robot
• Programmed to take inputs, process them, and
  output to motors, etc.

• Processor is linked to modules via the FPGA
  backplane

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FPGA
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PWM Connectors and Signal

• Commonly used in previous years
• Stock up on PWM wires and connectors
• PWM signal is digital

5V
GND
SIGNAL
Voltage
5 V-
0 V-
Time
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Digital Module Side Car
32 pin D-sub cable

• The digital module connects via a D-sub cable to
  the digital side car

• FPGA back plane connects to the digital module

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Digital Side Car
PWM Outputs (10)?

• All Digital I/O from the cRIO
• Uses PWM style connectors

GPIO (10)?
Relay Output(8)?
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Comparisonnew and old
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Digital Sensors

• Sensors that can be set to either an On or
  Off state
• Examples
• Limit Switch
• Pressure Switch
• Button
• Reed (Magnetic) Switch
• Optical Sensor

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General Digital Inputs Switches

• Can be normally open or normally closed
• A Closed Switch is Shorted to Ground - FALSE
• An Open Switch is Not Grounded - TRUE

SWITCH
NC
Signal Input
NO
COM
Ground
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Analog Module Bumper

• The FPGA backplane connects to the analog module
• The analog module connects directly to the analog
  bumper
• The analog bumper connects via a PWM Connector
  to the analog sensor

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Analog Sensors

• Sensors that can provide a range of output values
• Examples
• Potentiometer
• Rotational Rate Sensor
• Optical/Sonic Range Sensor

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Potentiometer

• Acts as a variable resistor
• The output voltage varies as it is turned

5V
Signal
GND
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Potentiometer States
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Camera
Uses an ethernet cable
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WiFi Bridge

• N type WiFi
• Dual Bandwidth

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-------Break-------
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Operator System Overview
Radio Modem
Old System --gt
Operator Interface
Custom Interface Box
Joystick
Joystick
WiFi
? New System
Drivers Station
Joystick
Joystick
Custom Interface Box
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The Drivers Station (DS)?

• New Part
• Ports
• 4 USB ports
• 2 Ethernet ports
• Power Supply (12 V)?
• 1 competition port
• Pins for custom switches

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2
Images are of prototype Driver's Station
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On Drivers Station switch for testing
autonomous mode
Menu Selection
Note the Lack of robot reset (maybe included in
newer models)?
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USB Ports

• 4 ports
• Can be used with any HID device
• Similar power limitations to previous OI
• Used for updates to firmware
• Each device requires detection by firmware

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User IO

• For custom control boxes
• Unique shapes or designs
• LED feadback
• Can be used with jumpers to change drive
  configuration

Digital Input
Digital Output
Analog Input
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Custom Interface Box

• Made by team
• Can consist of (almost) any number of
• Buttons
• Dials (Potentiometers)?
• LEDs
• Other sensors

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Ethernet Ports

• Self sensing
• Used to communicate with robot
• Tethering
• Practice WiFi
• Dashboard Viewer

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Competition Port

• 9 pin D-sub
• Used by FIRST to manage matches
• Custom circuit can be built to disable robot

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Network Protocol

• Every device needs an address

10.0.1.1
19.18.1.10
10.0.1.2
10.0.0.6
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Wireless Networks

• The router has a name (SSID)?
• N-type is dual band

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Your Networked Robot
WiFi Router
The DS
Computer/ Dashboard
WiFi Bridge
The cRIO
Camera
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The FIRST Field Network
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• This presentation is for educational purposes. As
  such I do not claim ownership over all the
  pictures used, but I do claim fair use.
• This presentation was partially based on a
  presentation by Matt Leese
• Feel free to use the pictures I have taken
• Please share this presentation, but leave me some
  credit -Rob Heslin

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Image Credits

• Page 8 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/cri
  o_with_modules_rdax_600x399.JPG
• Page 9 - http//www.ni.com/pdf/products/us/labview
  _fpga_module.pdf
• Page 11 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/di
  gital_module_rdax_600x564.jpg
• Page 11 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/di
  gital_module_top_view.jpg
• Page 11 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/di
  gital_sidecar_rdax_600x357.jpg
• Page 12 Image by Rob Heslin
• Page 13 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/di
  gital_sidecar_rdax_600x357.jpg
• Page 13 - http//www.ifirobotics.com/images/electr
  onics/rc-350.gif
• Page 16 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/an
  alog_module_with_bumper_rdax_508x656_rdax_508x656.
  jpg
• Page 16 - http//first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/an
  alog_bumper_side_in_case.jpg
• Page 18 - http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co
  mmons/b/b5/Potentiometer.jpg
• Page 20 - http//www.omegacubed.net/axis/axis_206/
  images/axis_206_large.jpg
• Page 20 - Image by Rob Heslin
• Page 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34 - Image by
  Rob Heslin
• Page 36 - http//decibel.ni.com/content/servlet/Ji
  veServlet/showImage/102-1750-4-1487/FRCTopolgoy.j
  pg