Incredibots Academy

Before you can write a single line of Java for your robot, you need the right tools installed. For FTC programming, the standard development environment is Android Studio.

This guide will walk you through installing Android Studio, getting the FTC SDK (Software Development Kit), and setting up the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) so your computer can talk to the robot.

Installing Android Studio

Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android app development, and since the FTC Control Hub runs Android, it's what we use to build our robot code.

Download Android Studio. Go to the official Android Studio download page and download the installer for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
Run the Installer. Follow the standard installation prompts. You can leave the default settings for the SDK components (Android SDK, Android SDK Platform, Android Virtual Device).
Complete Initial Setup. Open Android Studio for the first time. The setup wizard will run and download additional necessary SDK files. This might take a few minutes depending on your internet connection.

Why not VS Code or Eclipse?

While it is technically possible to use other IDEs, Android Studio is the officially supported tool for FTC. It handles gradle builds, Android dependencies, and deployment to the Control Hub seamlessly. Sticking to Android Studio will save you hours of debugging configuration issues.

Getting the FTC SDK

The FTC SDK is the foundation of your robot code. It contains all the libraries and base code required to run an OpMode.

Find the SDK Repository. The official SDK is hosted on GitHub by FIRST Tech Challenge. Go directly to their repository here: FtcRobotController.
Download or Clone. If you know how to use Git, cloning the repository is the best method because it makes updating easier later. If you don't know Git yet, you can download the project as a .zip file and extract it to a folder on your computer.
Open the Project. In Android Studio, select Open and navigate to the folder where you extracted or cloned the FTC SDK. Android Studio will take some time to sync the project and index the files.

Setting up Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a command-line tool that lets your computer communicate with the Control Hub over Wi-Fi. It's how Android Studio pushes your compiled code onto the robot.

Enabling Wireless ADB

The modern REV Control Hub allows for wireless ADB connections, which means you don't need a USB cable running to the robot while you are trying to test.

Connect to the Robot's Wi-Fi. Turn on your robot. From your computer's Wi-Fi menu, connect to the Control Hub's network (usually named something like FIRST-XXXX where XXXX is your team number). The default password is password.
Access the REV Hardware Client (Optional but recommended). While you can connect via command line, the easiest way to manage the connection is using the REV Hardware Client on Windows. If you use it, it will often handle the ADB connection automatically.
Find your ADB Tool. ADB is installed automatically with Android Studio, usually inside the SDK's platform-tools folder.
- Windows: Usually located at C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools
- Mac: Usually located at /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools
- Linux: Usually located at /home/YOUR_USERNAME/Android/Sdk/platform-tools
If adb isn't recognized as a command, you either need to add this folder to your system's PATH, or navigate directly to this folder in your terminal before running ADB commands.
Connect via Command Line.
- Open your terminal or command prompt.
- Type the connection command: adb connect 192.168.43.1:5555 (This is the default IP address of the Control Hub).
- Note: On Mac/Linux, if you navigated to the folder directly, you might need to type ./adb connect 192.168.43.1:5555 instead.
Verify the Connection. Run adb devices (or ./adb devices). You should see 192.168.43.1:5555 device listed in the output.
- If it says offline, the connection dropped. Try adb kill-server and then connect again.
- If it says unauthorized, check if your Control Hub requires pairing or if someone else is connected.
- If it says device not found, double-check your computer is actually connected to the robot's Wi-Fi network and not your school/home network.

Connection Drops

If Android Studio suddenly can't find the robot, your computer might have automatically switched back to your school or home Wi-Fi because the robot's network doesn't have internet access. Always check your Wi-Fi connection first when deployment fails!

Check Your Understanding

Check yourself

Setting up your environment