Bent pin in cRIO

[goofy173]

Well, the kids bent a pin in our new cRIO. I took it apart to replace it but I found that the pins are pretty stable. Usually just trying to bend a pin back in place breaks it, but I was able to get it bent back, and tested it a few times, and all is well. They already pulled the cRIO out of last years bot and put it in so this will be the spare now.

I realized replacement of the connector was going to be quite a chore; one that I'm capable of, but still it would have been difficult.

So if you find you have a bent pin, you can try straightening it. I used a very small screwdriver, a dental pick, small needle nose pliers, and forceps to get it back in place. It was squashed all the way down so I was quite surprised how robust it is.

[Alan Anderson]

I've fixed two totally bent cRIO pins myself, and I've watched a few more being straightened successfully. I think I know of only one that broke in the process. Yes, they're pretty solid.

You should call NI and ask them what they suggest you do with the cRIO you "repaired". They might consider it a warranty issue and have you send it to them to get it properly repaired. Call them quickly, though -- their Build Season support ends tonight.

Go to http://ni.com/frc and look for the Support information near the bottom left of the page.

[sanddrag]

The HD15 is just a terrible choice of connector for the cRio modules, at least with how much slop there is in installing the modules to the chassis. The first time I ever put one in, I bent half of them totally over flat 90 degrees, and I didn't even feel anything wrong. Last year, one of our experienced students bent half of them over 90 degrees, just from not being careful.

I've pulled the board out of the chassis and straightened them very carefully with little picks, tweezers, and small smooth jaw pliers.

Also, I believe NI does no questions asked overnight replacement to teams, and they send out in advance, free shipping. You mail yours back after you get the new one. Call them.

[wilsonmw04]

Greetings,

Last year, we bent the crap out of a Crio pin at the NC regional. It was bent so badly that it conformed to the bottom of the Crio and then up the side. It was so tight against the housing that I couldn't get a grip on it no matter what tool I used. Needless to say, we got through with a spare unit.

What was really awesome was NI response about repairing it. It was still under the three year warranty , so all I had to do was ship it to them and they repaired/replaced it for free. This was during competition season and the turn around was about three weeks.