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.