Motor Coding

[dmitch]

We are using some more motors on our bot this year to run the arm. Last year we didnt use any besides the drivetrain.

My main question is Can I just hook up another Jaguar to said arm motors or can I use a spike relay? Also, how do I code either of these options. Thank You!

[DonRotolo]

Certain motors REQUIRE Jaguars (or Victors), ANY motor can use a Jaguar. Some motors can use a Spike. Rear the rules to find out which. (Hint: <R48>)

A Jaguar controls the motor speed.
A spike turns it on or off only, no speed control.

[dmitch]

Thanks. Also, concerning the Jaguars, when we go fast one way and then try to reverse instantly the jaguars freeze for a second. Is there a way to overcome this? (I assume it is a safety mechanism to prevent jolting your robot around)

[WizenedEE]

It's not supposed to do that. Are you sure it isn't mechanical? It's a lot of force to be doing that. You might also be overcurrenting the jaguars, which would make them freeze for 3 seconds. Check for an oddly-flashing red light when it freezes (that's a fault condition).

[dmitch]

It could be mechanical, I'll check.

But how do I program a spike relay in LabView?