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Installing and Using FRC Gametools

FRC Gametools allow you to communicate and interact with your robot. FRC Gametools is a Windows-only software, which cannot run on Mac. To download Gametools, head to NI downloads, and install the software. FRC Driver Station, a software that comes with the Gametools download, is what allows you to connect to your robot. To connect your robot to your laptop, follow the rules below:

  1. Turn on your robot

  2. Disconnect your laptop from your current wi-fi and connect to the robot's wi-fi. Make sure no one else connected to the robot.

  3. To deploy your code to the robot, in VSCode, go to the top search bar and type "Deploy Code", and click the option to deploy.

  4. After you've deployed, search for your FRC Driver Station software in the Windows search bar.

  5. After you've opened Driver Station, the window should say "Teleoperated Disabled". Disabled means that the robot cannot move or be controlled. If it says "No Robot Communication", it means that the laptop can't connect to the robot. Check to see if you're connected to the right network. If you are, disconnect and rejoin to see if a connection is established. If that doesn't work, turn your robot on and off again and then reconnect (it will take a while for the netowrk to show up on your list of wi-fis, please be patient). If that doesn't work please contact Justus or Jack.

  6. Plug your Xbox controller into a USB port on your computer. After you've done that, click the USB icon on the Control Panel on the left hand side. Check to see if the laptop is taking input from the USB port connected to your controller. There are three colors that indicate the status of your ports. Black (not connected), Gray (being used, but not what the computer is taking input from), and Green (the port the computer is taking input from). Make sure your port is highlighted in green. If it isn't, just switch the selected (or green) port to your port.

  7. After your computer is connected to your controller, go back to the main icon on the control panel. This is where you will enable your robot. Before you enable it, you MUST yell "CLEAR!" This will tell everyone that your robot is on and they will exit the field. To enable, press the green Enable button.

  8. You are now free to control your robot. If you would like to pause or stop controlling the robot, just click the Disable button on your Driver Station Window.

Credits

Initially written by Suhas Guddeti in August 2021