Skip to content

Controls

Controls are extraordinarily important for robot efficiency. Well-designed controls can turn a good robot into a great one. The most important parts of robot controls are:

  • Single-button automation of complex actions.
  • Ease of access to important functions.
  • Logical layout of controls.

Driver Layout

The Driver is responsible for robot movement. I recommend that the driver also has control over the scoring mechanism, as this prevents any scoring issues due to driver/operator miscommunication. The driver should be able to pick whatever controller they prefer, but I recommend something with large gimbals (like an FPV controller).

This is the control scheme I recommend for field-oriented swerve, which is what teams should be using unless they have a very good reason not to:

  • Left gimbal: forward/backward and left/right movement.
  • Right gimbal: rotation.
  • Right trigger (or a button that is accessed with a finger that isn't on a stick): score.

You may also assign the driver intake control, or some game-specific function, but it is nice to keep the driver's controls as simple as possible so they can focus on smooth driving.

Operator Layout

The operator is responsible for controlling everything inside the robot. It's important that the operator controls are as automated as possible, while also containing the ability to override functions if needed. I recommend a gamepad like an Xbox or PlayStation controller, as they have many buttons and triggers that can be easily accessed. I also recommend the operator have bumpers and triggers bound to the most important functions, as these are the easiest to access.

Some teams also like to separate robot functions into "modes," but this depends on game complexity.

This is the control scheme I recommend for an operator and what I used when I was an operator, but it is entirely my preference and you should change it to whatever works best for your team:

  • Right Trigger: Intake.
  • Right Bumper: Alternative intake, or a game-specific function.
  • Left Trigger: Align for scoring.
  • Left Bumper: Alternative scoring method, or a game-specific function.
  • ABXY: Game-specific functions and overrides.
  • D-pad: Scoring level selection or game-specific functions.
  • Other buttons (menu, start, etc.): Overrides or less important functions.

Note

The "Align for scoring" button can be bound to also control the robot drivetrain for alignment when the driver lets go of the sticks. This removes an alignment button from the driver and makes things a lot simpler. 1778 used this in the 2024-2025 season, and it worked very well.