23369 Fluffy Terminators Progress Updates

[Merrat]

We completed the first two tasks of the SystemCore and MotionCore alpha testing. The core functionality behaved as expected once we identified the correct files and understood the intended workflow. However, during the process we encountered several documentation issues that slowed progress and may create challenges for other teams, particularly those new to the system.

One of the first issues we identified was that the MacOS and Ubuntu/Debian flashing instructions do not include a link or reference to the OS image. Only the Windows instructions provide this information. As a result, we had to navigate back to the Windows section to locate the file, which disrupted the workflow and could be confusing for teams not using Windows.

We also noted that the documentation does not describe what “flash mode” should look like on the device. The instructions reference entering flash mode but provide no details regarding expected LED patterns, screen behaviour, or other indicators. Without this information, we were unsure whether the device was correctly prepared for flashing and had to rely on trial and error.

Another issue involved the absence of a “refresh drives” step in the MacOS and Linux flashing instructions. When the device did not appear in the flashing tool, we initially assumed there was a malfunction. We eventually discovered that restarting the tool caused the device to appear, which suggests that a refresh step is necessary. Including this instruction would prevent unnecessary troubleshooting.

We also found that the Drive Station installation instructions were unclear about where the installer file is located. The link provided went to the home page for the GIT project, and the team member doing the initial install was unfamiliar with GIT. After consultation with other team members / mentors they eventually found the releases link and the installer. While this did not prevent installation, it caused delays and could be confusing for less experienced users.

Despite these documentation gaps, we successfully completed the assigned tasks. The issues we identified are not functional defects but clarity and usability concerns. Addressing them would significantly improve the setup experience for teams using the FIRST SystemCore and MotionCore for the first time.

We next intend to build a drivebase and then a Decode bot using Systemcore + Motioncore.

[Kevin-OConnor]

Thanks for the detailed feedback! The GitHub documentation is definitely not the intended final form and there are definitely some things in here we can keep in mind as we write the final documentation.

For the flashing, the LL Hardware Manager and "flashing mode" is intended as a recovery option moving forward. The not yet well documented web update available once your device is up to v11 is the intended primary OS update for all teams moving forward. Hopefully that will help remove some of the quirks that may currently be present with using the LL Hardware Manager, especially across OSes as you've noted.

[bhjelstrom]

Hi @Merrat, the new hardware manager (2.0.10) has faster drive enumeration and will automatically refresh the drives list when you go to select a drive. Thanks for the feedback. As Kevin mentioned, the web interface will be the primary OS update interface moving forward.

[qwertychouskie]

BTW, what's that plans/status on a Linux build of the hardware manager? (If you want, I'm happy to help, I have experience packaging for Linux)

[bhjelstrom]

The AppImages have been uploaded, but the arm64 version has not been tested. the X86 version actually seems to be good. I'm trying to minimize the number of variants on Linux. If AppImage has some issue I'm not yet aware of, we can use a portable archive.