roboRIO has solid red light and does not execute code properly

[pastelpony]

We have a roboRIO that has a solid red light and have found no shortage on the user rails. Additionally, when trying to use it, our user code is distorted and does not work (i.e. our lift won't move in reverse and driving forward/backward leads to strafing). What can this issue be?

[RufflesRidge]

Which power faults does the DS power tab (last tab on the left) indicate?

The three options for a red power light are:
1. Debris shorting a rail (may have migrated inside the case/somewhere you can't really see.
2. Downstream short on a user rail (i.e. one of the things you have connected to it is shorting the rail).
3. Broken roboRIO.

[Alan Anderson]

Part of your code problem is probably because you're using buttons to control your lift and you haven't considered the case where one button is saying "go reverse" and the other button is saying "don't go forward" immediately afterwards.

The strafing could be any of several things, from a simple misunderstanding of joystick axes to swapped PWM cables to miswired motors to incorrectly mounted wheels. You're going to have to give a very detailed description of what you are doing before anyone can zero in on what's causing what you are getting.

[pastelpony]

Part of your code problem is probably because you're using buttons to control your lift and you haven't considered the case where one button is saying "go reverse" and the other button is saying "don't go forward" immediately afterwards.

The strafing could be any of several things, from a simple misunderstanding of joystick axes to swapped PWM cables to miswired motors to incorrectly mounted wheels. You're going to have to give a very detailed description of what you are doing before anyone can zero in on what's causing what you are getting.

We're using an axis on the joystick for the lift. Any value <1 triggers a shaky response from the jaguar. The code works perfectly on the competition bot but is very faulty on the practice bot which is built to spec. I believe the roboRIO may be at fault because of this.

[Alan Anderson]

...Any value <1 triggers a shaky response from the jaguar...

Did you mean "<0"?

Last year, that would have been a clue to look at the power to the Digital Sidecar. It also hints that your drivebase problem is similarly due to motors not running properly when commanded negative. Your red roboRIO power LED says to start your troubleshooting with the 5v pins.

Begin by unplugging everything from the roboRIO's DIO, PWM, Analog, and Relay pins. If the power fault remains, use a strong light and magnifier to search for conductive debris at the pins. If you find nothing, you can try opening up the roboRIO and looking for foreign objects.

If, after a thorough inspection and vacuuming, the power light remains red, contact NI for instructions on how to proceed.

[pastelpony]

Did you mean "<0"?

Last year, that would have been a clue to look at the power to the Digital Sidecar. It also hints that your drivebase problem is similarly due to motors not running properly when commanded negative. Your red roboRIO power LED says to start your troubleshooting with the 5v pins.

Begin by unplugging everything from the roboRIO's DIO, PWM, Analog, and Relay pins. If the power fault remains, use a strong light and magnifier to search for conductive debris at the pins. If you find nothing, you can try opening up the roboRIO and looking for foreign objects.

If, after a thorough inspection and vacuuming, the power light remains red, contact NI for instructions on how to proceed.

Cleaned it out and now it works 100%. Thank you.

[Greg McKaskle]

I'm still waiting for someone to find an actual moth inside their roboRIO shorting out the rails. Please call in that bug report -- take pictures too.

Greg McKaskle