Labview for FRC use in research project?

[bill_gilbert]

One of our professors is interested in using Labview for FRC to
control several axes of motion using VEX motors and a RoboRIO in a telescope
aiming application. I'm curious about the politics involved.
 
Would it be usable under our Academic Research Site License? Or is this a blind alley?

I've been using Labview for projects large and small since 1992, but haven't
paid much attention to FRC.

Thanks,
BG

[Mark_Yedinak]

You should be able to use your research license. Though I am not sure if some of the robotics libraries are licensed specifically under the FRC license. I have accessed FRC code when mentoring teams using my own license. I know the FRC license is necessary if you are using the FRC dashboard, which I don't think you will need.

[bill_gilbert · Accepted solution]

Mark, thanks for your response, but it looks at this point like the FRC environment is not a viable option for those not actually running or helping FRC teams.

The first time I called and said I wanted to talk to a sales engr about usability of FRC in research, the call screener deflected me, saying all support for FRC is via email at support@ni.com, which turns out to be a dead end, non-functioning email address.

I then managed to get through to an application engineer at NI by being vague about what I wanted to talk about. This guy used to be on the FRC support team, and he confirmed tha FRC is not available outside of the teams except for mentors, and pointed out that support for FRC is seasonal and would not be available throughout the year even if we were allowed to use it. He said that while the RoboRIO is available at the $1000 price point, it is really intended for enthusiasts who are mentoring FRC teams. He suggested that the MyRIO or the cRIO might be more suitable for non-FRC applications.

I wish NI would simply state this up front on the website. We wasted a lot of time on this. Calling NI is now like trying to get through to the phone company, where you have to get past low level screeners who really have no idea what you are talking about.