RobotC Programming

Making your robot move

Eric and Christina Grajales

Mentor Exploding Bacon / DITU
FTC Teams 1902 / 5454

FTC Programming

Agenda

What is RobotC
Diagram your Robot
RobotC Setup and Configuration
How to display text
Your first program
Reading the joystick
Moving your robot
Servos
Timing
Sensors
Encoders
Useful Links
Questions

FTC Programming

What is RobotC
Industry Standard C
Programming Language

+
Programming Development
Environment

Complete and Total Solution for

User Program Development

Interactive Run-Time Debugger

+
High Performance Firmware

Language extensions for robotics

Built-in variables for robotics
devices

+
Training and Curriculum Support

RobotC has 100s of already built

functions to make programming your
robot easier

FTC Programming

Diagram your Robot

How many Tetrix Motor Controllers are you using?
How many Tetrix Servo Controllers are you using?
How many NXT motors?
What Sensors are you using?

FTC Programming

Diagram your Robot (cont)

Good time to build an electrical wiring diagram.
All this information is great for your engineering
notebook

FTC Programming

Diagram your Robot (cont)

Draw your configuration on paper
Name each motor, servo, sensor. Use names that
describe each part and what it does:
frontRightMotor
frontLeftMotor,
pincherServoLeft, etc

FTC Programming

Lets Build a Test Platform

1 Hitechnic Motor Controller

1 Hitechnic Servo Controller
2 Tetrix12 V Motors
1 Tetrix Servo
1 Lego Motor
1 Lego Light Sensor
1 Lego NXT with batteries
1 Tetrix Battery and Switch
At least 1 Joystick Controller
Laptop
USB, Bluetooth, Samantha connection
Cables and connectors
FTC Programming

Test Platform Wiring Diagram

FTC Programming

RobotC Setup and Configuration

1st time setup
Install and RobotC
Turn on NXT and connect NXT to computer via USB cable
Download latest firmware (V2.25 - NXT0819.rfw)
Note: If you upgrade from an older version of ROBOTC, make sure you
upgrade your firmware as well.

Link via USB, name the NXT your team number

Disconnect USB Cable

Set RobotC platform type (NXT + Tetrix)

FTC Programming

RobotC Setup
The first time you fire up the ROBOTC IDE, there are a few quick things you will want to
do before you begin programming a FTC robot.
1. Set menu level from basic to Expert.
a. Window, Menu Level, Expert
2. Set platform type to LEGO Mindstorms NXT + TETRIX.
a. Robot, Platform Type, LEGO Mindstorms NXT + TETRIX

FTC Programming

Firmware
Download latest firmware to NXT brick.
* Note that this only needs to be done the first time you setup a new NXT brick with ROBOTC and when you upgrade
your version of ROBOTC.
** Also note that the battery level must be high enough on the NXT before it will allow you to download new firmware.
a. Make sure NXT is connected via USB and turned on.
b. Open Link Setup dialog
i. Robot, NXT Brick, Link Setup
c. Select NXT in top left corner and press F/W Download button.
d. Select .rfw file in default firmware directory in popup and press Open.
i. For ROBOTC v2.03, the firmware file should be: NXT798.rfw.

e. After a few moments, the Link Setup dialog box will display some verbose
information in the Message Log and your NXT should beep several times and
restart. When complete, you should see a series of messages similar to below
in the Message Log:

FTC Programming

Exercise
RobotC Setup and Configuration
Robot C Setup
Link via USB, Bluetooth, or Samantha to NXT

Open the Sample program

C:\Program Files\Robotics Academy\ROBOTC for MINDSTORMS\Sample Programs\NXT\LCD
Examples\NXT Draw Spiral.c

Compile and Download sample program to your NXT.

Run the sample program.
FTC Programming

Tetrix Ranger

FTC Programming

Get to Configuration
Window

FTC Programming

Textrix Controller Setup

FTC Programming

Motor Setup

FTC Programming

Sensor Setup

FTC Programming

RobotC Pragma Setup

#pragma config(Hubs, S1, HTMotor, HTServo, none, none)
#pragma config(Sensor, S1, touch,
sensorI2CMuxController)
#pragma config(Sensor, S2, compass,
sensorVirtualCompass)
#pragma config(Sensor, S3, light,
sensorLightActive)
#pragma config(Sensor, S4, sonar,
sensorSONAR)
#pragma config(Motor, mtr_S1_C1_1, leftMotor, tmotorNormal, openLoop, encoder)
#pragma config(Motor, mtr_S1_C1_2, rightMotor, tmotorNormal, openLoop, reversed, encoder)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_1, servo1,
tServoStandard)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_2, servo2,
tServoNone)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_3, servo3,
tServoNone)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_4, servo4,
tServoNone)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_5, servo5,
tServoNone)
#pragma config(Servo, srvo_S1_C2_6, servo6,
tServoNone)
//*!!Code automatically generated by 'ROBOTC' configuration wizard
!!*//

FTC Programming

Exercise
Setup the Ranger Configuration in RobotC

FTC Programming

Task Main

Task main is used to tell the NXT where the beginning of your programs is.
The beginning and end of task main is denoted with curly braces { }
When the program execution reaches the end of the main task, all robot
activity stops.

#include "JoystickDriver.c" // Tells ROBOTC to include the driver file for the joystick.
task main()
// All programs must have this task
{
while(true)
{
motor[rightMotor] = joystick.joy1_y1;
motor[leftMotor] = joystick.joy1_y2;
}
}

FTC Programming

Variables

Variables are the robots way of storing values for later use. They function as
containers or storage for values. Values such as sensor reading can be placed in a
variable and retrieved at a later time for convenient use. A variable is simply a place to
store a value.

Useful types:
Integer, or int values are numbers with no fractional or decimal component.
Floating point (float) numbers are so called because the decimal point floats around
in the value, allowing decimal places to be used.
Strings (string): Text in ROBOTC is always a string. In ROBOTC, the word Hello
is really a collection of letters H, e, l, l, o strung together to form a
single value.
Boolean (bool) values represent truth or logic values, in the form of true or
false.
Use variable names that make sense.
What is more readable?
a = b / c;
Or
speed = distance / time;

FTC Programming

Conditional Statements
If statements are pretty self explanatory. If a, then b.
The syntax (grammar of programming) of an if statement is
If(4 < 100) {
Do stuff;
}

If else statements run if the if statement was false. These are useful
for when there are multiple cases of an instance.
else if (4 == 100) {
Do stuff;
}

Else statements follow the if before it. If the if statement was false
then the else statement will run.
else {
Do stuff;
}
FTC Programming

Boolean Logic

==
<
>
<=
>=
&&
||

equals
less than
greater than
less than or equal to
greater than or equal to
and
or

NO (0 < a < 100)!!!! Use &&!

((0 < a) && (a < 100))
FTC Programming

Loops
For loops run a certain number of times
(in this case, 10).
Be careful of infinite loops (i--)
For (int i = 0; i < 10; i++;)
{
code that will repeat;
}

FTC Programming

Loops (cont.)
While statements are used when you dont know how many times
the code will run.
While (true)
{
do stuffffffffs;
}
Do While statements always run at least once, and then follow the
while loop.
Do
{
more stuffffffssss;
}
While(true)
FTC Programming

Comments
Two ways to comment code:

Comments: // A single line

Comments: /* Section of code */

Comment your code, next year when you read the code youll know what you
did and why.
// Move motor C forward with 100% power
task main()
{
int motorspeed;
/* Motor C forward with 100% power
Do this for 3 seconds */
motorspeed = 100;
motor[motorC] = motorspeed;
wait1Msec(3000);
}

FTC Programming

How to display text

Display text functions:
eraseDisplay() - Erases the complete NXT LCD display
nxtDisplayClearTextLine(nLineNumber)
nxtDisplayCenteredTextLine(nLineNumber, sString)
nxtDisplayCenteredTextLine(nLineNumber, sFormatString, parm1, parm2)
nxtDisplayString(nLineNumber, sFormatString, parm1, parm2, parm3)
nxtDisplayTextLine(nLineNumber, sFormatString, parm1, parm2, parm3)
nxtDisplayTextLine(nLineNumber, sString)
Where nLineNumber is the NXT LCD line number and sFormatString
specifier
Output
Example Code Example Output
%d
Signed decimal integer
"%d"
4246
%f
Decimal floating point
"%f"
3.14159
%s
String of characters
"%s"
ROBOTC

FTC Programming

sFormatString Example
Read raw and normal light sensor data on the NXT
If you want to print Raw: 333 Normal: 96
sFormatString will look like
Raw: %d Normal: %d
Param1 and Param2 are variables, in this case the raw and
normalized light sensor data. Generally, these are constructed
in the beginning of the code with names like rawLightData and
normalLightData.

nxtDisplayTextLine(2, Raw: %d Normal: %d,

rawLightData, normalLightData);
FTC Programming

How to display text (cont)

When using FTC Template the NXT LCD displays Field Management System (FMS)
information used by the Field Technical Advisor during competitions.

Line 0 NXT status line (do not touch) Battery Status, Bluetooth enabled, etc
Line 1 FCS Mode (Waiting, Auto, Teleop)
Line 2 BLANK
Line 3 External Battery Voltage (Textrix 12 Volt battery)
Line 4 NXT Battery Voltage
Line 5 FMS Msgs count
Line 6 "Teleop FileName:"
Line 7 NXT Teleop file name

Items in bold are refreshed every 200ms. DO NOT OVERWRITE THESE LINES!

FTC Programming

How to display text (cont)

Sample Program
task main()
{
int int_test = 1234;
float float_test = 3.14159;
eraseDisplay(); // Clear out the NXT LCD Screen
nxtDisplayCenteredTextLine(2, Hello);
nxtDisplayTextLine(3, Data %d %f, int_test, float_test);
wait1Msec(5000); // Wait 5 seconds
}

Compile and Download sample program to your NXT.

Run the sample program.

FTC Programming

Exercise
Using the example on the previous slide,
compile and run the code on the virtual world
robot.

FTC Programming

Joystick Controller

Logitech PS2 type controller

2 Joysticks
10 Buttons
Access Joystick via built in functions:
joystick.joy1_x1
joystick.joy1_y1
joystick.joy1_x2
joystick.joy1_y2
return integer ranges between -127 and 127
joy1Btn(button) // (button 1 thru 10)
returns the a value of 1 (true) if pressed and a value of 0 (false)
if not pressed.

Similar functions for Joystick2.

Must #include "JoystickDriver.c " in your
program

FTC Programming

Joystick Controller (cont)

Sample 1
#include "JoystickDriver.c" // Tells ROBOTC to include the driver file for the joystick.
task main()
{
while(true)
{
if (joy1Btn(1))
// If Joy1-Button1 is pressed:
{
motor[motorA] = 100;
// Turn Motor A On at full power
}
else
// If Joy1-Button1 is NOT pressed:
{
motor[motorA] = 0;
// Turn Motor A Off
}
}
}
Sample 2
#include "JoystickDriver.c" // Tells ROBOTC to include the driver file for the joystick.
task main()
{
while(true)
{
motor[motorC] = joystick.joy1_y1;
motor[motorB] = joystick.joy1_y2;
}
}

FTC Programming

Tank Drive

Forward

Right

FTCBackward
Programming

Move Simple Bot

Tank Mode - uses both left and right joysticks to drive the
robot.
void tank(int y1, int y2)
{
motor[motorC] = y1;
motor[motorB] = y2;
}

Arcade Mode only one joystick as controller

// uses x1 and y1 from joystick1
void arcade(int x, int y)
{
int powY;
int powRightMotor;
int powLeftMotor;

task main()
{
while (true) {
tank(joystick.joy1_y1, joystick.joy1_y2);
}
}

powY = y;
if (x < 0) // if x negative, turning left; otherwise, turning right
{
powLeftMotor = (powY * (128 + (2 * x))/128); // left motor reduced for right turn
powRightMotor = powY;
// right motor not changed
}
else
{
powRightMotor = (powY * (128 - (2 * x))/128); // right motor reduced for left turn
powLeftMotor = powY;
// left motor not changed
}
motor[motorC] = powLeftMotor;
motor[motorB] = powRightMotor;
}
task main()
{
while (true) {
arcade(joystick.joy1_x1, joystick.joy1_y1);
}
}

FTC Programming

Improving Drive Code

While the Tetrix motors accept an output power range of 100 to +100, the analog sticks on the joystick return values between -128 to +127.
This means if the analog stick is in the range under -100 or over +100, the value passed to the motor is simple transformed to -100 or +100.
This is less than ideal because it reduces the usable range of the analog stick by about 20%.
There is another issue related to dead zones within the physical joysticks themselves. Due to inaccuracies and tolerances within the
manufacturing process, the analog sticks on most FTC joysticks will rarely return to a perfect zero when released. This has a tendency to
cause a robot to slowing spin in a circle when no one is touching the analog sticks. A simple code solution is to account for a dead zone at
low values for the analog sticks which can then be treated as zero.

The basic formula:

motorValue = (joystickValue / Max joystickValue) * max motorOutput

int scaleForMotor(int joyvalue)

{
const int DEADZONE = 5;
const int MAX_MOTOR_VAL = 100;
const float MAX_JOY_VAL = 127.0;

A logarithmic scale to get fine grain control at lower speeds and quickly
scale the power up at the end of the range.
motorValue = (joystickValue^2 / Max joystickValue^2) * max motorOutput

int scaleForMotor(int joyvalue)

{
const int DEADZONE = 5;
const int MAX_MOTOR_VAL = 100;
const float MAX_JOY_VAL = 127.0;

if (abs(joyValue) < DEADZONE) { // Check if joystick value is

return 0;
// less than deadzone
}
// Scale joystick value
float ratio = joyValue / MAX_JOY_VAL;
int scaledVal = ratio * MAX_MOTOR_VAL;

if (abs(joyValue) < DEADZONE) { // Check if joystick value is

return 0;
// less than deadzone
}
// Scale joystick value
int direction = joyValue / abs(joyValue);
float ratio = (joyValue * joyValue) / (MAX_JOY_VAL * MAX_JOY_VAL);
int scaledVal = ratio * MAX_MOTOR_VAL * direction;

// return scaled value

return scaledVal;
}

// return scaled value

return scaledVal;
}

FTC Programming

Motor Control
100
90

Motor Output

80
70
60
Simple
Logarithmic

50
40
30
20
10
0
1

13

25

37

49

61

73

85

Joystick Value

FTC Programming

97 109 121

Move your Robot Sample

#include "JoystickDriver.c"

// Tells ROBOTC to include the driver file for the joystick.

void tank(int y1, int y2)

{
motor[LeftMotor] = y1;
motor[RightMotor] = y2;
}
int scaleForMotor(int joyvalue)
{
const int DEADZONE = 5;
const int MAX_MOTOR_VAL = 100;
const float MAX_JOY_VAL = 127.0;
if (abs(joyValue) < DEADZONE) { // Check if joystick value is
return 0;
// less than deadzone
}
// Scale joystick value
float ratio = joyValue / MAX_JOY_VAL;
int scaledVal = ratio * MAX_MOTOR_VAL;
// return scaled value
return scaledVal;
}
task main()
{
while (true) {
tank(scaleForMotor(joystick.joy1_y1), scaleForMotor(joystick.joy1_y2));
}
}

FTC Programming

Exercise
Move your Robot
Write code to move the 12V tetrix motors with your
joystick.
Compile and download it to your NXT
Run the code and move your joystick to see the motors
turn.

FTC Programming

What is a Servo?
There are two types of servos:
Standard Servos and
Continuous Rotation Servos
(almost like a super low
powered motor).
An example of when to use a
standard servo would be the
balance bridges from the FTC
2010 game. Many teams had a
metal arm that would lower the
bridge so that the robot could
cross it. (Think moving in arcs)
FTC Programming

Servos

servoValue[servo#] - Standard Servo Only

This read-only function is used to read the current position of the servos on a sensor port Servo
controller. Values can range from 0 to 255. Center Point value 127. The value returned in this
variable is the last position that the firmware has told the servo to move to. This may not be the
actual position because the servo may not have finished the movement or the mechanical design
may block the servo from fully reaching this position. To set the position of a servo, use the
"servoTarget" or "servo" functions.

servo[servo#] = position or servoTarget[servo#] = position;

This function is used to set the position of the servos on a sensor port Servo controller. Values
can range from 0 to 255. The firmware will automatically move the servo to this position over the
next few update intervals. (Be sure to give the servo some amount of time to reach the new
position before going on in your code.)

servoChangeRate[servo#] = changeRate;
Specifies the rate at which an individual servo value is changed. A value of zero inidcates servo
will move at maximum speed. The change rate is a useful variable for "smoothing" the movement
of the servos and preventing jerky motion from software calculated rapid and wide changes in the
servo value. The default value is a change rate of 10 positions on every servo update which
occurs. (updates occur every 20 milliseconds)

FTC Programming

Servos Sample
#include "JoystickDriver.c"
task main()
{
while(true)
{
if (joy1Btn(1))
// If Joy1-Button 1 is pressed:
{
servoTarget[1] = 255; // Turn servo clockwise
}
else if (joy1Btn(3))
// If Joy1-Button 3 is pressed:
{
servoTarget [1] = 0; // Turn servo counter clockwise
}
else
{
servoTarget [1] = 127; // Center servo
}
}
}

FTC Programming

Exercise
Move your Servo
Write code to move the servo using a joystick button
joystick.
Compile and download it to your NXT
Run the code and press the joystick to see the servo
turn.

FTC Programming

Timing
Functions to pause the program for a desired amount time:
wait1Msec(nMSec);
wait10Msec(nTenMSec);

Program execution will wait for the specified number of clock units. Units can be in either 1millisecond or 10-millisecond counts. The maximum interval that can be specified is either 32.767
seconds or 327.67 seconds depending on which function is used.
There are four timers (T1, T2, T3 and T4) the user can program. These four timers can be individually
be reset to zero within a program. Theses timers are useful for measuring elapsed time of events.

ClearTimer(theTimer);

Timers start counting as soon as the NXT is powered on. A user's program should reset a timer
before using it, so use this function to reset the value of the specified timer to zero.
time1[theTimer], time10[theTimer], time100[theTimer]

These three arrays hold the current value of the respective timers. Each of the timer values can be
retrieved in units of 1, 10 and 100 milliseconds depending on which array is used. For example,
time1[T1] retrieves the value of timer T1 in units of 1-msec and time10[T1] retrieves the value
using a 10-msec tick.

FTC Programming

Timing Sample
#include "JoystickDriver.c"

task main()
{
ClearTimer(T1);
// Resets Timer T1 to 0
while(time1[T1] < 5000) // Loop for 5 seconds
{
// do something in loop
wait1Msec(500); // Wait second
}
}

FTC Programming

Types of Sensors
Light Sensor
Detects amount of light (grayscale); two modes: with flashlight
and without

Touch Sensor
Detects if the sensor hit something

Ultrasonic/Sonar Sensor
Detects how far an object is from the sensor

Gyro
Detects angle based off initialized 0

Compass
Detects True North
FTC Programming

Sensors
SensorType[]
The SensorType array is used to specify what type of sensor is connected
to a certain port. Most users should not have to use this functionality and
should use the Motors and Sensor Setup instead.
Example: SensorType[sonarSensor] = sensorSonar;
SensorRaw[]
This array value will return the "raw" (un-normalized) value of a sensor.
Usually this is the raw A-D converted value, which is an analog value
between 0 to 1023.
SensorValue[]
This array value returns the value of the sensor in a normalized fashion.
Rather than returning a raw value of 0 to 1023, ROBOTC will interpret the
data from the "SensorType" and return a more accurate representation of
the sensor's data. An example of this is the Light Sensor, which will return a
percentage value from 0 to 100.

FTC Programming

Sensor Sample
#include "JoystickDriver.c"
task main()
{
wait1Msec(50);

//the program waits 50 millisecond to initialize the light sensor

// 0 black, 100 white

while(SensorValue[lightSensor] > 80) //keep looping while the light sensor's value is greater than 80.
{
motor[leftMotor] = 75;
//leftMotor is run at a 75 power level
motor[rightMotor] = 75;
//rightMotor is run at a 75 power level
}
motor[leftMotor] = 0;
motor[rightMotor] = 0;

//leftMotor is stopped
//rightMotor is stopped

FTC Programming

Exercise

Using the previous Light Sensor sample

Compile and run inside Virtual World
Use the Learning RobotC Tables
In VW, select the Utilities Tab, Light Sensor Table,
Position F to run the example.

FTC Programming

Tetrix Motor Encoders

Enables your robot to move a fixed distance, rotate to a specific position,

or move at a constant speed.
The technique to measure the movement of your robot is called odometry,
it requires an encoder that translates the turns of the wheel into the
corresponding traveled distance.
The Tetrix Encoder measures rotation 1440 ticks per revolution if robot
is geared you will need to compute gear reduction factor and wheel
size to computer distance travelled per encoder tick.

FTC Programming

Tetrix Motor Encoders

Assuming direct drive and 4 inch wheel, 1 rotation of the
motor will move the robot 12.6 inches (Circumference of
wheel is = 2 * pi * radius)
If we want to travel 20 inches, then we need to compute
the number of ticks the encoder must measure =
(1440 ticks/revolution)/(12.6 inches/revolution) * 20
inches is about 2285 ticks.

FTC Programming

Motor Encoders Functions

nMotorEncoderTarget[] - The nMotorEncoderTarget is used
to set a target distance that a motor should move before
system puts motor back in idle or stopped state. A target
value of 0 (zero) means run forever.

nMotorRunState[] - Array containing the internal state of a

NXT motor. Useful in checking when a motor movement
"command" has finished. There are three different states
- runStateRunning, runStateHoldPosition, runStateIdle.
nMotorEncoder[] Array containing the current encoder
value
FTC Programming

Encoder Sample
#include "JoystickDriver.c"
task main()
{
int rotations = 1440.0 * 20.0 / 12.6;
nMotorEncoder[motorB] = 0;
// Reset the Motor Encoder of Motor B.
nMotorEncoderTarget[motorB] = rotations; // Set the target to 5 rotations.
motor[motorB] = 75;
motor[motorC] = 75;

// Motor B is run at a power level of 75.

// Motor C is run at a power level of 75.

while(nMotorRunState[motorB] != runStateIdle) // While Motor B is still running

{
wait1Msec(50);
}
// or
while (nMotorEncoder[motorB] < rotations) // wait for motor to reach a specific # of ticks
{
wait1Msec(50);
}
motor[motorB] = 0;
motor[motorC] = 0;

// Motor B is stopped at a power level of 0.

FTC Programming

How to turn accurately

To do a 1 wheel turn, where one side of the robot drivetrain
is stopped, and the other side turns.
Arc Distance = 2 * pi * radius (width of robot) * angle / 360
Then use encoders and their ticks-to-inch ratio from earlier
to calculate the offset of the right encoder from the left one.
Example: An 18 in wide robot would
travel how much in a 90 degree turn?
Answer:
28.27 inches
3240 ticks
before

after

FTC Programming

Simplify your Code with

Functions
A function is a self-contained collection of instructions that, when
called, accepts a specified number of arguments, performs some
task, and returns a value back to the calling program

Example :

moveForward(int num_inches)
{
int rotations_ticks;
float wheel_diameter;
wheel_diameter = 4.0;
// 1440.0 is the number of ticks per wheel rotation, if wheels are geared verify this value
// (num_inches / wheel perimeter), calculates the number of wheel rotations
rotation_ticks = 1440.0 * num_inches / (wheel_diameter * 3.14159);
nMotorEncoder[motorB] = 0;
wait1Msec(10);

// Reset the Motor Encoder of Motor B.

// always wait some time after setting nMotorEncocder

motor[motorB] = 75;
// Motor B is run at a power level of 75.
motor[motorC] = 75;
// Motor C is run at a power level of 75.
while (nMotorEncoder[motorB] < rotations_ticks) // wait for motor to reach a specific # of ticks
{
wait1Msec(50);
}
motor[motorB] = 0; // Motor B and C are stopped at a power level of 0.
motor[motorC] = 0;
}
task main()
{
moveForward(30); // call function
}

FTC Programming

Functions
Good set of functions to write for your robot:

moveForward (int num_inches)

turnRight(int num_degrees)
turnLeft(int num_degrees)
MoveBackwards(int num_inches)
scaleForMotor(int joyValue)

FTC Programming

Exercise
Putting it all together

FTC Programming

Useful References and Links

ROBOTC.net
The main website for ROBOTC is one of the best resources for getting help or interacting with other
members of the ROBOTC community. You can email their technical support if you have a
technical issue with the software/IDE itself or if you want to report a bug. But often more useful are
the forums. There is a sub-forum dedicated to FTC and most posts there are responded to the
same day. I personally make an effort to visit the forum daily during the build season as do a
number of other mentors. It may be the best place to get help and feedback from a largest
number of smart folks familiar with ROBOTC.
Main website: http://www.robotc.net/
Forums: http://www.robotc.net/forums/
Blog: http://www.robotc.net/blog

Robotics Academy Curriculum

Robotics Academy, the non-profit affiliated with Carnegie Melon University who created ROBOTC,
offer a number of training resources. Note that some of these are not free.
Main Website: http://www.robotc.net/education/curriculum/nxt/
Preview Website :
http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/previews/robot_c_products/teaching_rc_tetrix_preview/index.html

Classes: http://www.robotc.net/education/training/nxt/
Webinars: http://www.robotc.net/education/webinars/
Older videos & tutorials: http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/events/ftc/robotc/index.htm
Tetrix for FTC
http://www.tetrixrobotics.com/ftc/

FTC Programming

Useful References and Links

Xanders 3rdParty Drivers
Xander Soldaat is a regular contributor to the NXT community who maintains a set of excellent third
party drivers for NXT compatible sensors. These drivers offer enhanced functionality for using just
about any sensor with ROBOTC and I highly recommend them; particularly so if you are using the
IR Seeker or Sensor Multiplexer.
3rdParty Drivers: http://rdpartyrobotcdr.sourceforge.net/
Blog: http://mightor.wordpress.com/
Chief Delphi
For years, the forums on Chief Delphi have been the most active and engaging source for unofficial
FIRST related information. It is an extremely dynamic online community of FIRST students,
mentors, and volunteers. As such, it is another great resource for help with not only ROBOTC, but
FTC and FIRST in general.
Main website: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/index.php
FTC sub-forum: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=146
Course Notes Albert Schueller, Whitman College
One of the best ROBOTC tutorials can be found in the class notes from Albert Schuellerss course on
programming with robots at Whitman College. This is a good read through which covers many of
the basics/fundamentals that this guide does not.
PDF of tutorial: http://carrot.whitman.edu/Robots/notes.pdf

FTC Programming

Acknowledgments
1.

2.
3.
4.

FTC-Iowa 3-day Coaches Workshop, June 13th to 15th, 2010

University of Iowa, Supplemental Guide for ROBOTC
Programming
Programming with Robots, Albert W. Schueller, Whitman
College, October 12, 2011
Xanders 3rdParty Drivers
Robotics Academy Curriculum

FTC Programming

Questions

FTC Programming