Building your Robot
At the end of the day it's all about engineering and building your Robot with all of its supporting systems. Your Robot is a test of all of your skills from problem solving, design, engineering, and software programming. The information below is key information from FIRST about the 2013 robot and how to bring it to life. Good Luck!
Your Control System
One of the key systems you will need to build is the control system. Your engineering team and mentor will create this system. It is the lifeline between you and your robot. To discover how to bring this to life we have created a list of links to help with your control system.
2015 Control System Hardware 2015 Control System Documentation on ScreenSteps |
Your Driver Station
The driver station is where the action happens. Also a key deliverable of your engineering team, this station is your link to your robot during the game and is critical for making your robot successful during competition. We have created a number of helpful links to help you with your Driver Station.
2015 Driver System Information |
Programming your Robot
Building your control system and driver station is just the beginning. You will need a programming team led by a mentor to create the essential coding using software programs to enable the robot to follow your instructions and function independently. FIRST has a number of great resources for your team to use and below we have brought them together for your team to use.
To get started you need to know the key programming languages Java and C++, and the Graphical LabVIEW. We recommend Java or LabVIEW for beginner teams. Getting Started with C++ Getting Started with Java Getting Started with LabVIEW Below is more important information for your programming team: LabVIEW Utilities Update (required for all Teams) LabVIEW Updates (only for Teams programming in LabVIEW) |
Subsystems your Robot will need
Your Engineering team will need to also knit together a number of other key subsystems to enable your robot to perform well. Below are a number of documents to help your engineering team successfully build your robot.
KOP Drive System Robot Quick Build Instructions Pneumatics 2015 Pneumatics User Guide Rev B Motors Motor Performance Data Electonics CTR Electronics Products (Power Distribution Panel, Pneumatic Control Module, Voltage Regulator Module, Talon SRX) RoboRIO |