Upgrades

Arcade Drive

In this example code, we changed our drive function to only be on the left stick!

For clarity, the name of the function has been changed to arcadeDrive. In Blocks, this will automatically update it throughout our code once saved.

You can learn about arcade style of driving in Hello Robot!

Dual Gamepads

There are many ways to split robot control across two gamepads. We recommend testing different combinations with your team to decide what feels the most comfortable to you!

Our example here splits driving onto gamepad1 and all launcher controls to gamepad2. If you decide to split up controls differently, all that needs to be done is the preferred gamepad needs to be chosen from the dropdown menu.

Gamepad controls are found in the manualCoreHexAndServoControl, setFlywheelVelocity, and splitStickArcadeDrive functions. Below is how the launcher controls look once changed for this example.

Remember to make sure the check for the servo is updated to reflect the correct gamepad as well!

Mecanum Drive

Upgrading to a Mecanum Drivetrain (REV-45-2470) allows for new kinds of movement, giving the robot the ability to strafe side-to-side across the field.

For Mecanum Drive each wheel has an individual motor!

Upgrading from the FTC Starter Kit V3.1 to Mecanum Drivetrain V2:

The following additional parts are needed:

• 15mm Plastic Inside Corner Bracket - QTY 2

• UltraPlanetary Gearbox Kit & HD Hex Motor - QTY 2

• Ultra 90 Degree Gearbox - QTY 4

• 75mm Mecanum Wheel Set - QTY 1 (set of 4)

• M3 x 6mm HexCap Screws 50 Pack - QTY 1

• Expansion Hub (QTY 1) OR SPARKmini Motor Controller (QTY 2)

Full build instructions can be found here!

Example Mecanum Drive Program

How a Mecanum Drivetrain is programmed largely depends on the driver's preference for how the gamepad is configured.

In our provided example, the left joystick controls forward/back and strafe then the right joystick controls turning. This code is based on the sample provided by FIRST in Blocks (BasicOmniOpMode).

Mecanum Demo Blocks Code:

Mecanum Configuration - Control Hub and Expansion Hub

When adding an Expansion Hub, you will need to create a new configuration file.