Programming is extremely important in this season’s Mix & Match game. Once your driver skills score is maxed out, there is not much more you can improve. However, in autonomous, you can earn even more points and give your team a major advantage at competitions.
1. What PID Is
PID stands for Proportional, Integral, Derivative. PID is what allows a robot to drive forward, drive backward, and turn with high accuracy.
For example, if your code says turn 90°, PID helps the robot turn as close to exactly 90° as possible. This is difficult to set up correctly, but it is extremely useful. Without PID, the robot will almost always be a little off, which causes missed grabs, missed placements, and inconsistent autonomous runs.
PID works by constantly measuring:
- Where the robot needs to be (the target)
- Where the robot is right now (the current position)
- How far off it is (the error)
Then it corrects that error automatically. For example, if the robot is supposed to be facing straight (0°) but it is currently at 45°, PID will apply power in the opposite direction to correct that 45° error until the robot is straight again.
2. Need Our PID Code?
If you want the PID code we use for accurate driving and turning, you can request it here:
3. Tuning Tips & Best Practices
- Make it easy to align your robot in the exact same starting position every time. (If you ask through VEX IQ Consulting, we can give specific setup tips.)
- Clean the field tiles and your wheels before testing so there is less drift.
- Replace wheel shafts often, and sometimes even the parts holding the shaft, so your drivetrain stays consistent.
- If the brain shows a red error, re-upload the program. This often fixes random issues.
- Break your autonomous strategy into small sections, and only code one section at a time.