09 / Setup and Tuning

Feedforward Tuning

Tune kS, kV, and kA and understand how each affects path following.

90 minRoad RunnerSetup and Tuning

You will

01Explain static, velocity, and acceleration feedforward.
02Run tuning routines after major robot changes.
03Record tuned constants and test conditions.

Why Feedforward Tuning matters

This lesson is about planned robot motion using Road Runner 1.0. Students should understand that trajectories depend on tuning, localization, starting pose, and action composition. Road Runner is powerful, but it only works as well as the robot model underneath it.

Starting point

Tuning is robot-specific

As the slide deck notes, Road Runner tuning should be repeated after substantial robot changes. Weight, wheels, gearing, battery, and friction all influence the constants.

Constants map to behavior

kS starts motion, kV maintains velocity, and kA handles acceleration. Students should watch for symptoms: failing to start, wrong steady velocity, or lag during speed changes.

Build path

Use small validation steps: create the drive, set the start pose, run a short action, validate localization, then add more complex paths. Mechanisms and vision should be composed as actions only after the drive path works alone.

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.

TuningNotebook.md · Markdown

## Road Runner Tuning Log

- Robot configuration:
- Battery voltage:
- Wheel type:
- kS:
- kV:
- kA:
- Track width:

Observations:
- Starts smoothly:
- Holds velocity:
- Accelerates without lag:
- Re-test needed after mechanical changes:

Debugging and failure modes

Road Runner failures should be separated into layers. If pose is wrong, fix localization. If straight motion is wrong, revisit tuning. If the path is risky, simplify or preview it. If the full auto fails, inspect the selected branch, active action, pose, mechanism state, and finish condition.

Checks

Tuning is done on the current robot configuration.
Constants are recorded with context.
A straight-line validation test follows tuning.

Check your understanding

Module check

When should Road Runner tuning be revisited?

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References

Road Runner 1.0 DocsRoad Runner 1.0 installation, tuning, actions, and trajectory reference.FTC DashboardTelemetry, config variables, and tuning support.