LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Our LED isn't working, and we think it's because we put the PMW in the wrong place. The problem is that we don't know what "the right place" is. Does anyone know whether we have to connect the PMW to a certain place on the sidecar and, if we do have to, how we would know where exactly to connect it?

We don't think the LED issue is because of the Spike, because it has worked before and has a good fuse in it, and all of its wire connections are secure (except for the other end of the PMW). But the Spike flashes orange/yellow in time to a clicking noise when the fuse is still in and when we turn on the robot. Any ideas about what's wrong?

Any documents about PMWs, digital sidecars, and Spikes would be helpful. :)

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

A PWM cable connects a Spike to one of the Relay outputs on the Digital Sidecar. The Relays are labeled and the pins for them have a trough in front of them full of status lights that light up red & green when they are active.

Here is a description of the Digital Sidecar to help identify where the cable belongs.
The Spike documentation is way out of date.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Spikes MUST be plugged into the relay ports on the Sidecar to work correctly. The constant clicking may be because of a "noisy" signal on a PWM output on the sidecar port if you don't have it connected in the relay section.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

I've plugged it into one randomly selected port of the relay ports on the sidecar. There is no clicking sound now, but there is no LED signal.

Does anyone know what's wrong now? We're already looking over our programming, but does anyone know any other probable causes?

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

The LEDs next to the relay port you are using on the sidecar should light up when triggered from your code. Is this occurring? If so you should focus your troubleshooting efforts on the spike. Is it powered and the PWM firmly seated in the housing? If so, your spike may be the problem.

If the LED on the sidecar does not light up, please verify that the sidecar is powered with 12V from the power distribution board. You may also want to investigate the possibility of a bad sidecar. We have had sections of this go dark before (usually as a result of poor metal shaving control). Do you have a second (working) sidecar you can swap in and try?

If none of these prompts led to a solution, could you post a couple pictures of your wiring. That way everyone can verify your connections. Good Luck.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Make sure that the relay signal used in the programming corresponds to the right Spike output (the Spike has multiple output states).

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

"Randomly selected"? You may have already considered this, but you have to place the PWM cable into a specific port (such as port #1), and then reference that specific port in your code as well. As others have said, LEDs will light up with different output states (as managed by your code) when the Digital Sidecar is trying to send signals to the Spike.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

You need to take help of some expert and get it placed in right place

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Can't you also use one of the solenoid ports to power an LED? We haven't done so, but I was thinking about trying that.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Can you? Yes.


Is it legal?

In 2012 2011, no...

Quote:

<R60> Solenoid Breakout outputs shall be connected to pneumatic valve solenoids or photoelectric sensors, PN 42EF-D1MNAK-A2, only. No other devices shall be connected to these outputs.

EDIT: This rule was for 2011, as Joe says below. I pulled up the wrong year on accident.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

You quoted the 2011 rule. There was no such rule in 2012, which makes it legal. We'll see what 2013 brings.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

Oops... clicked the wrong year. You're right, 2012 does not have this rule.

I remembered this rule because we were caught doing this during inspection. We had our Triangle, Circle, Square LED indicators which we wired to the solenoid breakout. We had to rewire it using Spikes. It was the stupidest rule, but a rule is a rule, and everyone has to follow them.

Re: LED Issue- PMW to Sidecar
 

We really try to hang onto rules that make sense but never assume they will stay that way. In a few days you will know for sure.
Al