The QDriverStation is a free and open-source robotics software for the FIRST Robotics Competition.

QDriverStation
Original author(s)Alex Spataru
Stable release
21.04 / April 7, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-07)[1]
Written inC, C++, QML
Operating systemWindows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OS X, Linux
Available in3 languages
TypeFIRST Robotics Competition, Software, Qt
LicenseMIT License
Websitefrc-utilities.github.io

The project was started in September 2015[2] by Alex Spataru (Team 3794), with the objective to provide a stable, free, extensible and friendly to use alternative to the FRC Driver Station. Since then, several FRC students, alumni and mentors have contributed[3] to the project by providing feedback, documenting the communication protocols and creating Linux packages.

Features

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Some important features of the QDriverStation are:

  • The QDriverStation implements a simple auto-updater to ensure that teams are running the latest version of the software.
  • The QDriverStation uses SDL to obtain joystick input, but it also implements the option to enable a "virtual joystick[4]", which uses the keyboard keys to operate the robot.
  • The QDriverStation implements a simple sandbox around every protocol to ensure the safe operation of the robot and the software.
  • The QDriverStation uses the Qt framework to implement the Graphical user interface.

FRC communication protocols

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The developers of the QDriverStation have implemented the 2014,[5] 2015 and 2016 FRC communication protocols. Some users have requested to implement support for the ROS protocol, however, work for this feature has not been published yet.

Mobile version

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The developers of the QDriverStation have also developed a side-project for mobile devices[6] (such as Android and iOS) with QML. The mobile version has most of the capabilities that the desktop version has.

Screenshots

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References

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  1. ^ "Releases · FRC-Utilities/QDriverStation". github.com. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  2. ^ "A cross platform Driver Station..." FIRST Robotics Competition Sub-Reddit. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. ^ "QDriverStation Contributors". GitHub. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ^ "What is the QDriverStation?". FRC Utilities. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Implementing the 2014 Communication Protocol". GitHub. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. ^ "QDriverStation Mobile". GitHub. Retrieved 7 May 2016.