-One Android device is mounted onto the robot and is called the _Robot Controller_. The Robot Controller acts as the “brains” of the robot. It does all of the thinking for the robot and tells the robot what to do. It consists of an Android device running an FTC Robot Controller app. +One Android device is mounted onto the robot and is called the _Robot Controller_. The Robot Controller acts as the “brains” of the robot. It does all of the thinking for the robot and tells the robot what to do. It consists of an Android device running an FTC Robot Controller app. There are two hardware options currently being used: REV Robotics Expansion Hub or the REV Robotics Control Hub. A second Android device sits with the team drivers and has one or two gamepads connected. This second device is known as the _Driver Station_. The Driver Station is sort of like a remote control that you might use to control your television. The Driver Station allows a team to communicate remotely (using a secure, wireless connection) to the Robot Controller and to issue commands to the Robot Controller. The Driver Station consists of an Android device running an FTC Driver Station app. ### REV Robotics Expansion Hub -The REV Robotics Expansion Hub is the electronic input/output (or “I/O”) module that lets the Robot Controller talk to the robot’s motors, servos, and sensors. The Robot Controller communicates with the Expansion Hub through a serial connection. For the situation where an Android smartphone is used as the Robot Controller, a USB cable is used to establish the serial connection. For the situation where a REV Robotics Control Hub is used (which has a built-in Android controller) an internal serial connection is used to connect the Robot Controller to the Expansion Hub. +The REV Robotics Expansion Hub is the electronic input/output (or “I/O”) module that lets the Robot Controller talk to the robot’s motors, servos, and sensors. The Robot Controller communicates with the Expansion Hub through a serial connection. For the situation where an Android smartphone is used as the Robot Controller, a USB cable is used to establish the serial connection. For the situation where a REV Robotics Control Hub is used, an internal serial connection exists between the built-in Android device and the Expansion Hub. The Expansion Hub is also connected to a 12V battery which is used to power the Expansion Hub, the motors, the servos and sensors. If an Android smartphone is used as the Robot Controller, then the smartphone will have its own independent battery. If a REV Robotics Control Hub is used as the Robot Controller, then the Control Hub will use the main 12V battery to power its internal Android device.
-### What's an Op Mode? - -During a typical FIRST Tech Challenge match, a team’s robot has to perform a variety of tasks in an effort to score points. For example, a team might want their robot to follow a white line on the competition floor and then score a game element (such as a ball) into a goal autonomously during a match. Teams write “op modes” (which stand for “operational modes”) to specify the behavior for their robot. - -_Op modes_ are computer programs that are used to customize the behavior of a competition robot. The Robot Controller can _execute_ a selected op mode to perform certain tasks during a match. - -Teams who are participating in the _FIRST_ Tech Challenge have a variety of programming tools that they can use to create their own op modes. Teams can use a visual ("drag and drop") programming tool called the _FTC Blocks Programming Tool_ to create their op modes. Teams can also use a text-based Java tool known as the _FTC OnBot Java Programming Tool_ or Google's _Android Studio_ integrated development environment (also known as an "IDE") to create their op modes. - ### REV Robotics Control Hub For the 2019-2020 season, teams in select regions will have the option of using the [REV Robotics Control Hub](http://www.revrobotics.com/rev-31-1152/). The Control Hub is an integrated version of the Robot Controller. It combines an Android device built into the same case as a REV Robotics Expansion Hub. @@ -39,3 +31,13 @@ The Control Hub, which has its built-in Android device connected directly to the
+### What's an Op Mode? + +During a typical FIRST Tech Challenge match, a team’s robot has to perform a variety of tasks in an effort to score points. For example, a team might want their robot to follow a white line on the competition floor and then score a game element (such as a ball) into a goal autonomously during a match. Teams write “op modes” (which stand for “operational modes”) to specify the behavior for their robot. + +_Op modes_ are computer programs that are used to customize the behavior of a competition robot. The Robot Controller can _execute_ a selected op mode to perform certain tasks during a match. + +Teams who are participating in the _FIRST_ Tech Challenge have a variety of programming tools that they can use to create their own op modes. Teams can use a visual ("drag and drop") programming tool called the _FTC Blocks Programming Tool_ to create their op modes. Teams can also use a text-based Java tool known as the _FTC OnBot Java Programming Tool_ or Google's _Android Studio_ integrated development environment (also known as an "IDE") to create their op modes. + + +