Robo-Cross B
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
I just added some info to it but i dont know much about this event so thats probably all i can add.
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
That's fine Pleiades every addition is appreciatedPleiades wrote:I just added some info to it but i dont know much about this event so thats probably all i can add.

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
how did u guys get the rules so soon?
Nationals Placements
CTW- 11th
Wright Stuff- 3rd
Road Scholar- 12th
Dyn. Planet- 27th
Bridge- 11th
Robo- 15th
Go Bearden Middle!
CTW- 11th
Wright Stuff- 3rd
Road Scholar- 12th
Dyn. Planet- 27th
Bridge- 11th
Robo- 15th
Go Bearden Middle!
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
LuckyPleiades wrote:I have the draft rule book


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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
Just a question: what are the requirements for wireless control? I only ask because I want to know if they still require you to use the frequencies allocated for radio control ground vehicles. I'm hoping that they'll allow ISM (Industrial/Scientific/Medical) bands at some point, for which equipment is cheaper and on which digital data is allowed.
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
h. Radio control equipment used for this event must be a commercial system intended for remote control vehicle use. For example transmitters whose operational frequencies are in the 75 Mhz band (75.41 through 75.99 Mhz), 27 Mhz band (26.995 Mhz through 27.255 Mhz), 49 Mhz band (49.8302 Mhz through 49.890 Mhz), or the 2.4 GHz band (including bluetooth). Frequencies requiring a license may not be used. Robots using such frequencies will not be allowed to compete.
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
At first, I was like, :D
But then:
It's been changed it to allow more bands... but what's the point of still require it to be designed for RC vehicles? I mean, there are no Bluetooth or Zigbee radios designed for RC vehicles. They're all for general purpose use. :|
The only new equipment that the change allows are the spread spectrum 2.4GHz RC sets (somebody doing Robo Cross might get something like this), really. Those sets are hideously expensive and don't allow digital data. They're basically regular RC sets with joysticks and whatnot, but are practically immune to interference. That's nice, but doesn't really help anyone.
What I was hoping for was that somebody could just pick up a radio module and servo controller for $50-$60 and use them with a laptop to control his/her robot. That would eliminate the need for manually controlling each motor with joysticks (since you can program it all on the laptop).
Teams shouldn't have to shell out $150 or more just for a basic, proprietary RC system that can only broadcast on a single frequency that can be changed only in hardware. By hardware, I mean the crystals that might cost $10-$20 per pair.
(You can tell I really don't like RC sets. :D)
By cutting out the radio set, you could reasonably build a robot competitive at the nationals level for under $100.
But then:
So :\h. Radio control equipment used for this event must be a commercial system intended for remote control vehicle use.
It's been changed it to allow more bands... but what's the point of still require it to be designed for RC vehicles? I mean, there are no Bluetooth or Zigbee radios designed for RC vehicles. They're all for general purpose use. :|
The only new equipment that the change allows are the spread spectrum 2.4GHz RC sets (somebody doing Robo Cross might get something like this), really. Those sets are hideously expensive and don't allow digital data. They're basically regular RC sets with joysticks and whatnot, but are practically immune to interference. That's nice, but doesn't really help anyone.
What I was hoping for was that somebody could just pick up a radio module and servo controller for $50-$60 and use them with a laptop to control his/her robot. That would eliminate the need for manually controlling each motor with joysticks (since you can program it all on the laptop).
Teams shouldn't have to shell out $150 or more just for a basic, proprietary RC system that can only broadcast on a single frequency that can be changed only in hardware. By hardware, I mean the crystals that might cost $10-$20 per pair.
(You can tell I really don't like RC sets. :D)
By cutting out the radio set, you could reasonably build a robot competitive at the nationals level for under $100.
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
By the way, thanks for posting that, Pleiades.
To answer the question, "Why do you need radio control in the first place?"
The answer is a bit complex. To put it simply, it's because of ease of use. You can connect servos, batteries, and motor controllers on the receiving end, turn on the transmitter, and use the joysticks to wirelessly control the motors and servos.
Basically, you need to get human input, convert it into something you can send through a wire or through the air, and then convert that into something that servos and motor controllers can understand. That conversion is where your money goes when you buy a RC set. In a modern digital RC set, the process might go something like this:
Human moves joystick ->
Joystick's voltage or resistance is converted into digital data with an ADC ->
Digital data is converted into PWM pulses (what servos can understand) ->
Pulses for every channel is combined into a "pulse train" ->
Pulse train is modulated and sent over the air ->
Receiver module demuxes the pulse train (splits the train back into individual PWM pulses) ->
Servo or motor controller get PWM pulse
My envisioned laptop system with a Bluetooth radio and a servo controller works like this:
Human presses key/moves mouse or Computer program executes (either way, it's already digital data, since it's a laptop here) ->
Sends data to Bluetooth adapter ->
Bluetooth adapter does some magic and data ends up coming out of the radio's Bluetooth radio module (seriously, I have no idea how the Bluetooth stack works... I just use it) ->
Data goes into serial servo controller (basically, a PWM pulse generator that takes in serial data) ->
Servo or motor controller get PWM pulse
Now, this is actually a lot more complex, but most of the stuff that needs to be done have been done by other people in this case (laptop + Bluetooth adapter). The receiving end is all that you need to buy stuff for (unless your computer doesn't have a Bluetooth adapter).
To answer the question, "Why do you need radio control in the first place?"
The answer is a bit complex. To put it simply, it's because of ease of use. You can connect servos, batteries, and motor controllers on the receiving end, turn on the transmitter, and use the joysticks to wirelessly control the motors and servos.
Basically, you need to get human input, convert it into something you can send through a wire or through the air, and then convert that into something that servos and motor controllers can understand. That conversion is where your money goes when you buy a RC set. In a modern digital RC set, the process might go something like this:
Human moves joystick ->
Joystick's voltage or resistance is converted into digital data with an ADC ->
Digital data is converted into PWM pulses (what servos can understand) ->
Pulses for every channel is combined into a "pulse train" ->
Pulse train is modulated and sent over the air ->
Receiver module demuxes the pulse train (splits the train back into individual PWM pulses) ->
Servo or motor controller get PWM pulse
My envisioned laptop system with a Bluetooth radio and a servo controller works like this:
Human presses key/moves mouse or Computer program executes (either way, it's already digital data, since it's a laptop here) ->
Sends data to Bluetooth adapter ->
Bluetooth adapter does some magic and data ends up coming out of the radio's Bluetooth radio module (seriously, I have no idea how the Bluetooth stack works... I just use it) ->
Data goes into serial servo controller (basically, a PWM pulse generator that takes in serial data) ->
Servo or motor controller get PWM pulse
Now, this is actually a lot more complex, but most of the stuff that needs to be done have been done by other people in this case (laptop + Bluetooth adapter). The receiving end is all that you need to buy stuff for (unless your computer doesn't have a Bluetooth adapter).
“Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” —Sophocles
If you are looking to give help or get help:
[wiki][/wiki] > Forum post > > PM > Email
Don't forget the Image Gallery, the , and the list of Exalted User medals.
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Re: Robo-Cross (B)
man. is that for division B or C? cuz if its B or robot from lat year wont work. i mean coins? wowThere are some changes this year. First, there are two goals, one big and one small. The goals are boxes rested on their sides not cans facing upwards. It also seems like the divider between zone D and C will be round and not a half circle. It also sounds like there will be two dividers but i'm not quite sure since the rules are vague. The items for this year are as follows:
4 golf balls
4 c-cell batteries
2 yellow lego blocks
2 blue lego blocks
$0.40 in coins
i dunno what to write. oh i know! wait never mind. hmm. ive got it! i shall meh a lot. no that doesnt seem like much fun hmm oh ive got it. if youve read this ive just wasted about 16 seconds of your life

