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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/spectrum3847/2026-Spectrum/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Elastic Dashboard is an FRC dashboard application bundled with WPILib that connects to the robot over NetworkTables and provides customizable real-time visualization. Spectrum uses it alongside AdvantageScope for monitoring robot state, selecting autonomous routines from SmartDashboard, and surfacing key telemetry during matches.

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Connecting to the robot

1

Launch Elastic Dashboard

Elastic is included in the WPILib installation. Open it from the WPILib VS Code tools menu or run it directly.
2

Configure the team number

Set your team number (3847) in Elastic’s settings. It will automatically connect to roborio-3847-frc.local or the robot’s direct IP address when on the same network.
3

Load or create a layout

Open an existing elastic-layout.json from the repository or create a new layout by dragging widgets onto the canvas. Layouts are saved as JSON and can be committed to the repo for the whole team to use.

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Key widgets for competition use

The SendableChooser published by Auton.java appears automatically in Elastic as a dropdown widget. Add it to your layout to select the autonomous routine before each match.
java
// From Auton.java — publishes chooser to SmartDashboard/NetworkTables
SmartDashboard.putData("Auto Chooser", autoChooser);
Add a ComboBox Chooser widget in Elastic and point it at SmartDashboard/Auto Chooser.
Use Boolean Box or Text Display widgets to surface key Telemetry values published from RobotStates.java:
  • Current applied State (IDLE, INTAKE_FUEL, TURRET_TRACK, etc.)
  • launcherOnTarget trigger status
  • Vision pose confidence
Add Number Sliders or Gauge widgets for live mechanism positions (turret angle, launcher velocity, indexer position) published via CachedDouble sensors in each subsystem’s periodic() method.
Elastic has a built-in Match Time widget and FMS Info display. Add these to monitor match phase and alliance color.

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NetworkTables and SmartDashboard

All data displayed in Elastic flows through NetworkTables — the synchronized key-value store that WPILib uses to communicate between robot code and driver station applications.
java
// Publishing a value from robot code (any subsystem)
SmartDashboard.putNumber("Launcher/VelocityRPM", launcher.getVelocityRPM());
SmartDashboard.putBoolean("Vision/HasTarget", vision.hasTarget());

// The Telemetry utility (SpectrumLib) wraps this for structured logging
Telemetry.log("LauncherState", currentState.name());
Values published via SmartDashboard.put*() or Telemetry.log() are immediately available in Elastic under the SmartDashboard/ NetworkTables subtable.

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Tuning PID gains live

Elastic can write values back to the robot, enabling live PID gain tuning without redeployment:
  1. Publish a TuneValue entry from robot code (see PID Tuning)
  2. Add a Number Slider widget in Elastic pointing to the same NetworkTables key
  3. Adjust the slider during a test run — the robot reads the updated value on the next periodic loop
During competition, lock your Elastic layout to prevent accidental widget moves. Use the lock icon in the Elastic toolbar.

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