Ben Zimmer

The final video for the 2011 FRC Season have just been posted. These videos conclude The Seven Steps to FRC Robotics Success that Enable Training and Consulting Inc. has put together this year. You can find the entire set in the dropdown menu at the top of the page to LabVIEW for FRC. In Step 7 we will: · Modify autonomous independent SubVI to add a parallel loop · Slowly move servo forward and return to zero position when limit switch is closed As always, the material from the 2010 season is still ready and available.

The next two installments of The Seven Steps to FRC Robotics Success have now been posted by Enable Training and Consulting. Now you can find Steps 1 through 6 on FRCMastery.com, with only the final step remaining. See the dropdown menu at the top of the page to LabVIEW for FRC. There’s a link to all the 2011 videos there. In Step 5 we will: Investigate Autonomous Mode Enable Autonomous Mode In Step 6 we will: Rotate the servo by 10 degrees each time a joystick button is pressed. When the servo angle is greater than or equal to 180 degrees, the servo returns to 0 degrees. Shift Register to store data Wiring into a SubVI Accessing Data Boolean Functions Remember that all the material from the 2010 season is still ready and available. Ben Zimmer -- LV Mastery Team

I am pleased to announce that the next two videos for the FRC 2011 season are now up on FRCMastery.com These are steps 3 and 4 in the The Seven Steps to FRC Robotics Success that Enable Training and Consulting Inc. has put together this year. Again, you can find these in the dropdown menu at the top of the page to LabVIEW for FRC – the same place steps 1 and 2 are posted. There’s a link to the 2011 videos there. In Step 3 we will: · Add a servo motor to the robot · Initialize the new servo motor by modifying Begin SubVI · Modify the Teleop SubVI to use the joystick to move the new servo motor · Modify the Finish SubVI to close the reference of the new servo motor In Step 4 we will: · Add a new digital input as a limit switch · Initialize the new Digital Input by modifying Begin SubVI · Close the reference of the new Digital Input by modifying the Finish SubVI · Modify the Teleop SubVI to replace the momentary joystick button with a limit switch Ben Zimmer -- LV Mastery Team

I am happy to announce a new round of videos for the FRC 2011 season. This year, Enable Training and Consulting Inc. has put together something we call The Seven Steps to FRC Robotics Success The first two videos are now up at FRCMastery.com with more to follow soon. See the dropdown menu at the top of the page to LabVIEW for FRC. There’s a link to the 2011 videos there. In Step 1 we will: · Start a new FRC LabVIEW robot project · Get familiar with FRC cRIO robot program structure · Deploy code to the cRIO · Explore the FRC Driver Station In Step 2 we will: · Add a joystick button to momentarily stop drive motors by modifying Teleop SubVI · Examine the LabVIEW Case Structure Plus, all of our material from the 2010 season is still available.

Enable Training & Consulting Inc. seeks Project Specialist (LabVIEW Systems) to manage and administer software development, automation & testing of various specialized systems; Co-ordinate & communicate development with German based client; Conduct quality control procedures such as testing, error checking and debugging; Plan and set up timelines for project and task completion; Manage allocation of resources; Set up lists of project requirements & goals; Act as liaison between client project leaders in Canada and Germany; Must have Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering; 2 yrs. experience in LabVIEW development; Must be fluent in German language; Full time (40hrs/week) @ $22-28 CDN per hour. Please send resume to hr@enabletc.com or 310 Main Street East, Suite 104, Milton, ON L9T 1P4. Please reference #830784 when applying. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Job Title: LabVIEW Systems Integration Specialist Description: This project based position entails: software development for the automation and test industries, the management of software development projects, including personnel management and the preparation of quotes for new projects. Occasional travel to customers may be required. Health/dental benefits are available. Work hours at the Milton office are flextime. - A minimum of 2 years of LabVIEW development experience is required - Masters or equivalent degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronics Engineering required - Excellent English skills in communication and customer relations (verbal and written) - Ability to work independently and in a team, as well as innovation, problem-solving and creativity. - Project management skills from planning to development and commissioning. - Expertise in a wide range of LabVIEW applications (i.e. test executives, process automation and control, Real-Time, FPGA, NI Test Stand, NI Vision, Sate Chart Tool Kit, etc…) - Knowledge with database structures as well as database upgrades, backups and restoration (MySQL) - Expertise with software development revision control software (SVN) - Expertise in electronic control systems - Expertise with hydraulic components and systems - Hands-on debugging experience - NI certificate (CLAD, DLD, DLA or CPI) are assets. - Fluency in German would be an asset. Salary range: $22 - $28 Canadian/hour. Resumes to be sent to hr@enabletc.com

Job Title: Intermediate/Senior LabVIEW Developer Location: Milton, Ontario Description: This position entails software development for the automation and test and measurement industries, along with management of other software developers, project management and preparing quotes for new projects. Occasional travel may be required. Health/dental benefits and flex time are also available. Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be one who has: A minimum of 2 years of LabVIEW development experience, with a post-secondary degree or diploma in a relevant field of study. Excellent skills in communication (verbal and written) and customer relations, as well as innovation, problem-solving and creativity The ability to work in a team, but also independently Expertise in a wide variety of LabVIEW applications (database integration, test executives, process automation and control, Real-Time, FPGA, NI Test Stand, NI Vision, State Chart Tool Kit, etc…) Expertise in a wide variety of NI hardware (DAQ, DMM, Fieldpoint, Compact RIO, FPGA, etc…) Hands-on debugging experience NI certification (CLAD, CLD, CLA, CPI are all assets) About Us: Enable Training and Consulting is a rapidly growing company located just west of Toronto. We provide consulting and programming services to a variety of industries, but we also provide online training products and mentorship services. As our name suggests, we are dedicated to helping our customers become self-sufficient. With our casual, openwork environment, we encourage the same growth and learning in our employees. To learn more about us, visit www.enabletc.com or www.lvmastery.com. How to Apply: Please email a cover letter and resume to hr@enabletc.com.

We finally launched our new company blog. Check it out to see the kickoff and regular updates on our internal skunkworks project: a robotic LEGO photocopier. Also, LabVIEW tips and tricks, and check out our NIWEEK 2010 vlog. http://blog.enabletc.com

Congratulations to James Corcoran, a mentor with team 2168! He entered our Tip Jar Mystery Mistake Contest and won the draw for a free 6-month subscription to LVMastery.com, including all Beginner, Applications and Professional level courses. Thank you to all those who participated and submitted responses. We appreciate your interest in our resources and look forward to helping you bring your capabilities to light in the future. This week there are two new FRC Tip Jar Videos online at FRCMastery.com. I’ll be adding new content and videos regularly throughout the competition, so I’m seeking video, code and idea contributions from participants, mentors and suppliers to make the site as comprehensive as possible. Please email me at ben@enabletc.com if you or your team is interested in collaborating to help all teams build better, more efficient robots. What you’ll find now at FRCMastery.com: 2010 Tip Jar #10 – Debugging • Minimizing debugging overhead by avoiding having several VIs open, and many probes • Where to put and how to create a customized debug SubVI • Mechanical action of Boolean controls • Minimize rebuild and redeployment time by using buttons to change internal parameters in addition to viewing them 2010 Tip Jar #11 – One Project, Multiple Programmers • Communicate! • Split the tasks, don’t all work on the same portion of the code • Take advantage of separate SubVIs and TypeDefs • Make sure your files are where you think they are: files tab in project screen • How to split up the Robot TypeDef into separate sub-TypeDefs • How to replace and “resynchronize” your project after changes are made • Backup code by zipping the entire project directory You’ll also find: • 2010 Tip Jar #1 - An Introduction to LabVIEW • 2010 Tip Jar #2 - LabVIEW Primer I • 2010 Tip Jar #3 - LabVIEW Primer II • 2010 Tip Jar #4 - FRC Walkthrough • 2010 Tip Jar #5 - State Machines • 2010 Tip Jar #6 - Autonomous Mode • 2010 Tip Jar #7 - Walkthrough 2.0 • 2010 Tip Jar #8 - Deploying Startup Mode • 2010 Tip Jar #9 - Scalability, Modularity and Style Ben Zimmer -- FRC Mastery Team

This week there is a new FRC Tip Jar Video online at FRCMastery.com. I’ll be adding new content and videos regularly throughout the competition, so I’m seeking video, code and idea contributions from participants, mentors and suppliers to make the site as comprehensive as possible. Please email me at ben@enabletc.com if you or your team is interested in collaborating to help all teams build better, more efficient robots. What you’ll find now at FRCMastery.com: 2010 Tip Jar #9 – Scalability, Modularity and Style Nesting TypeDefs Creating reusable SubVIs Wire selection using single, double and triple clicking Wiring techniques which put the wires where you want them, the first time You’ll also find: 2010 Tip Jar #1 - An Introduction to LabVIEW 2010 Tip Jar #2 - LabVIEW Primer I 2010 Tip Jar #3 - LabVIEW Primer II 2010 Tip Jar #4 - FRC Walkthrough 2010 Tip Jar #5 - State Machines 2010 Tip Jar #6 - Autonomous Mode 2010 Tip Jar #7 - Walkthrough 2.0 2010 Tip Jar #8 - Deploying Startup Mode Ben Zimmer -- FRC Mastery Team __________________ Ben Zimmer email: ben@enabletc.com Phone/Fax: (905) 864-1858 Toll Free: (877) 872-4619

This week there are two new FRC Tip Jar Videos online at FRCMastery.com. I’ll be adding new content and videos regularly throughout the competition, so I’m seeking video, code and idea contributions from participants, mentors and suppliers to make the site as comprehensive as possible. Please email me at ben@enabletc.com if you or your team is interested in collaborating to help all teams build better, more efficient robots. What you’ll find now at FRCMastery.com: 2010 Tip Jar #7 – Walkthrough 2.0 (for the mandatory LabVIEW FRC Update released in January) Local variables Global variables Template changes to Robot main, Begin, Periodic Tasks The included vision algorithm to find ellipses The included autonomous independent code to rotate to target The included teleop code which allows you to turn to target with a button press Wiring techniques for clean code 2010 Tip Jar #8 – Deploying Startup Code How to build robot code How to deploy that code so that it runs as soon as the robot powers up You’ll also find: 2010 Tip Jar #1 - An Introduction to LabVIEW 2010 Tip Jar #2 - LabVIEW Primer I 2010 Tip Jar #3 - LabVIEW Primer II 2010 Tip Jar #4 - FRC Walkthrough 2010 Tip Jar #5 - State Machines 2010 Tip Jar #6 – Autonomous Mode Mystery Mistake Contest to win a free subscription to LVMastery.com Ben Zimmer -- FRC Mastery Team __________________ Ben Zimmer email: ben@enabletc.com Phone/Fax: (905) 864-1858 Toll Free: (877) 872-4619

I am happy to inform you that a new Tip Jar Video Blog for FRC has been posted at FRCMastery.com. I’ll be adding new content and videos regularly throughout the competition, so I’m seeking video, code and idea contributions from participants, mentors and suppliers to make the site as comprehensive as possible. Please email me at ben@enabletc.com if you or your team is interested in collaborating to help all teams build better, more efficient robots. What you’ll find now at FRCMastery.com: 2010 Tip Jar #6 - Autonomous Mode (NEW!) · The differences between “Autonomous Iterative” and “Autonomous Independent” methods · How to create and edit Autonomous Independent code · How to use the error cluster to easily force a certain sequence between VIs · How to create and use Global Variables to make robot data available to the Autonomous Independent VI · How to create and edit Autonomous Iterative code · How to implement a state machine within the Autonomous Iterative code, taking advantage of a shift register in the Robot Main.vi You’ll also find: · 2010 Tip Jar #1 - An Introduction to LabVIEW · 2010 Tip Jar #2 - LabVIEW Primer I · 2010 Tip Jar #3 - LabVIEW Primer II · 2010 Tip Jar #4 - FRC Walkthrough · 2010 Tip Jar #5 - State Machines · Mystery Mistake Contest to Win a free subscription to LVMastery.com Ben Zimmer -- FRC Mastery Team __________________ Ben Zimmer email: ben@enabletc.com Phone/Fax: (905) 864-1858 Toll Free: (877) 872-4619