06 / PID and Feedforward

Dashboard Tuning Workflow

Tune constants safely with telemetry, graphs, and config variables.

55 minControlPID and Feedforward

You will

01Use @Config for tunable constants.
02Graph target and measured values.
03Record tuning notes in the engineering notebook.

Why Dashboard Tuning Workflow matters

This lesson is about feedback and prediction. Students should understand target, measurement, error, output, and the difference between reacting to error with PID and predicting required effort with feedforward.

Starting point

Tuning needs fast feedback

FTC Dashboard lets teams adjust constants without redeploying every time. It also makes trends visible, which is much better than guessing from a moving robot.

Good tuning is documented

Students should record robot configuration, battery voltage, tested constants, and observed behavior. Tuning values are not magic; they are tied to the robot that produced them.

Build path

Begin with a safe, slow, observable mechanism. Graph target, actual value, error, and output. Tune one idea at a time: proportional response first, damping second, feedforward when the team can describe the physical effort the mechanism needs.

For this specific lesson, students should first restate the goal in robot terms, then identify the value or behavior they expect to observe, then run the smallest test that proves the idea. The lesson should feel like a guided lab: predict, run, observe, explain, and only then extend.

TunableConstants.java · Java

@Config
public class LiftTuning {
    public static double kP = 0.004;
    public static double kD = 0.0002;
    public static int targetTicks = 1200;
}

telemetry.addData("target", LiftTuning.targetTicks);
telemetry.addData("position", lift.getCurrentPosition());
telemetry.addData("error", LiftTuning.targetTicks - lift.getCurrentPosition());
telemetry.update();

Debugging and failure modes

Control bugs come from both code and physics. A bad encoder sign, sticky mechanism, saturated output, or impossible target can look like a tuning problem. The lesson should teach students to inspect measurements and constraints before increasing gains.

Checks

Constants update without a full redeploy.
Telemetry includes target, measured position, and error.
The final tuned values are copied back into code intentionally.

Check your understanding

Module check

Why use graphs while tuning?

0 of 1 answered

References

FTC DashboardTelemetry, config variables, and tuning support.Game Manual 0Community FTC programming, control, and robot design reference.