Control System Beta Testing and Usage Reporting
October 16, 2024
Each year, FIRST® Robotics Competition partners with a local team to host an official “Week 0” event. This is an opportunity for the FIRST® staff to put the field through a test event prior to the 25 Week 1 events. A huge thanks to Team 166 Chop Shop for hosting this year’s Week 0 event, the 31 teams for a great competition, and the team of staff and volunteers for making the event happen. You can watch match videos from the event via the FIRST Robotics Competition YouTube playlist or via the FRC-Events page for the event. Thank you to all the teams and volunteers for their flexibility as the plan for the event adjusted due to the weather!
Results Sync
We tested two separate methods for syncing results from the event to the FRC-Events page and the API that supplies information to sites like The Blue Alliance. The primary method is an upgraded version of the system used in the past and is designed to eliminate the issues experienced last season. At Week 0, we stress-tested this system by simulating 40 additional events also sending data to the servers at the same time.
We also tested a back-up system that uses a distinct method for posting results. This system will be deployed if issues arise this year.
We appreciate how important having access to this data is for tracking event progress and team scouting, and our intent is to deliver a robust solution.
Team Signs
In addition to the useful information that the team signs display to teams during the match (Section 5.6.1 of the Game Manual), the team signs also display information prior to the match that field volunteers use for diagnostics and which may be of interest to teams.
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Image of Sign |
Additional Information |
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The field is not ready for teams to connect yet |
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The team connected to this station is not configured to be in any station in this match. |
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The team has connected to the wrong station. The message will say what the correct station is for the team. |
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There is nothing connected to the field for this station. |
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The team has connected to the station, but their Driver Station software is not running or something on the computer is preventing the Driver Station software from communicating with the FMS. |
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The FMS is communicating properly with the Driver Station software, but the robot radio is not connected to the field. |
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The robot radio is connected to the field, but the roboRIO is not communicating with the Driver Station software. |
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The team has been bypassed for the match, and the robot will not be enabled during the match. |
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The team is ready to start the match. |
A-Stop Changes
The feedback on the Autonomous Stop, or A-Stop, from last season was very positive and also included some areas for improvement. A use case emerged where teams were using the A-Stop to stop their robot from running any autonomous code. This meant that teams had to press the A-Stop button right at the start of the match, but not too early or the match wouldn’t start. This year, we’ve made it so that the A-Stop can be pressed by the team prior to the start of the match if they don’t want to run any autonomous mode. More details on how this works will be described during the Drivers Meeting at events and can be found in this video.
Streaming
Different regions stream events using different systems, with the primary being on Twitch and YouTube. Direct links to the stream for each event will be posted on each event’s page on FRC-Events. Regional events in North America will be broadcast on Twitch for the 2025 season. We will also post the full stream for each day on YouTube to make it easier for teams to find footage from ceremonies, between matches, and awards.