Direct Programming to the Create

So for downloading...

What kind of cables do I use? Or what's some other information that might come in handy?

You have two choices. 1: You can download your code to a CBC (as normal), and connect the CBC to the Create using the standard cable. This is what I recommend. 2: You can use the "This Machine" target in KISS-IDE, and directly download to the Create. Elena Nadolinski used this method, and she can probably tell you more about it if you wish.

The reason I prefer method 1 is that if your Create loses power, the script is wiped, and method 1 will allow you to reload the script at the game table with a CBC. (Otherwise you might need to use a Timeout card.)

As an aside, you can also use an XBC instead of a CBC. That's what my papers cover, but this is now outdated. If you can't figure out how to make my papers' explanation work with a CBC, an XBC will be easier. (This assumes that you have an XBC lying around; they're becoming quite rare.) Either a CBC or an XBC is permitted under KIPR's rules, since it's considered a setup tool and not part of your entry. My library that I'm publishing at GCER will use the CBC.

So how is the program saved onto the Create then?

The script just sits in the Create's RAM (either the conventional script buffer or the serial input buffer). It doesn't get saved to flash or anything.

So do you just unplug the CBC right before gameplay?

Yep. Load the script from the CBC to the Create, unplug the CBC from the Create, and you're good to go.

Ok thanks.

You should know that it's entirely possibly to just transfer the bytecode to the create directly from your computer, without the middleman cbc. Use any serial transfer program (I like realterm). I wrote a really crappy IDE for the standalone create one year, might post that instead of letting it rot on one of my old hard drives.

Yep, I mentioned that Elena had done that. As I stated in my previous post, relying on a PC instead of a CBC makes it harder to reload programs in an emergency, and this can be a problem since Create scripts are wiped both on reboot and after the script executes once. What happens when your robots have a false start and you need your Create to do its script a 2nd time? If you need a PC, you're in trouble.

That said, it'd be cool to see the code you have, even if it's not strictly ideal for Botball purposes. It'd make a cool GCER paper too.