Best Practices For Competition
Before Competition
Ensure you have spares of the relevant electronics if you can afford it (switch, coprocessor, cameras, etc.).
Stay on the latest version of PhotonVision until you have tested your full robot system to be functional.
Some time before the competition, lock down the version you are using and do not upgrade unless you encounter a critical bug.
Have a copy of the installation image for the version you are using on your programming laptop, in case re-imaging (without internet) is needed.
Extensively test at your home setup. Practice tuning from scratch under different lighting conditions.
Use SmartDashboard / Shuffleboard to view your camera streams during practice.
Confirm you have followed all the recommendations under the Networking section in installation (network switch and static IP).
Only use high quality ethernet cables that have been rigorously tested.
Set up RIO USB port forwarding using the guide in the Networking section in installation.
During the Competition
Use the field calibration time given at the start of the event:
Bring your robot to the field at the allotted time.
Make sure the field has match-accurate lighting conditions active.
Turn on your robot and pull up the dashboard on your driver station.
Point your robot at the targets and ensure you get a consistent tracking (you hold one targets consistently, the ceiling lights aren’t detected, etc.).
If you have problems with your pipeline, go to the pipeline tuning section and retune the pipeline using the guide there.
Move the robot close, far, angled, and around the field to ensure no extra targets are found.
Monitor camera feeds during a practice match to ensure everything is working correctly.
After field calibration, use the “Export Settings” button in the “Settings” page to create a backup.
Do this for each coprocessor on your robot that runs PhotonVision, and name your exports with meaningful names.
This will contain camera information/calibration, pipeline information, network settings, etc.
In the event of software/hardware failures (IE lost SD Card, broken device), you can then use the “Import Settings” button and select “All Settings” to restore your settings.
This effectively works as a snapshot of your PhotonVision data that can be restored at any point.
Before every match:
Check the ethernet and USB connectors are seated fully.
Close streaming dashboards when you don’t need them to reduce bandwidth.
Stream at as low of a resolution as possible while still detecting AprilTags to stay within field bandwidth limits.