roboRio needed (urgent)
 

We are in desperate need of a roboRio!!

Is there any chance you have or know someone that has an extra roboRio that we could use just until stop build day? We would even give a deposit if we had to? We desperately need to use 1 for our prototyping and 1 for our actual robot. We just don't have the funding to spend $435 or more right now. We are currently trying to find one to purchase for a reasonable price.

Please PM me if you know anyone that is willing to help us!

Thank you,

Dalia
Electrical/Coding
FRC Team 6108

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

What happened to your old one? Perhaps folks can help get it working.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Our old one is currently on our prototype and is damaged. It is the only one we have. We received it last year in our Rookie tote.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

@OP: Try directly asking teams in your area. Doing it this way they probably won't see it. But regardless of how you do it put in the order for a new roboRIO ASAP.

In what way is it damaged? Do you have a picture?

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

I have sent out multiple emails to local teams. We currently do not have the funds to purchase a new roboRio. I currently do not have a picture but the port where the CAN wires (green and yellow twist) go in is not holding them securely. They keep coming out so we put electrical tape to hold them down during competition season last year. During our matches they kept coming loose and our robot was almost not able to pass inspection without having the wires secured in place.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Our team has managed with single cRIO/roboRIO for 4 years. Plan your electrical so that its easy to mount it. Label all wires and it will take about 15 minutes to mount it back.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Did it come like this or did your team break it?

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Here are some stupid questions but these things can happen by accident so bear with me.

How long are the stripped ends going into the CAN ports on the roboRIO? ~1/4" - 5/16" is reccomended/

Are you certain you are using the correct size wire? Standard CAN wires are 20AWG

Did something fall on the roboRIO? Do you know what caused the issue?

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

We accidentally pushed too hard on the port to open it and it just collapsed under the pressure.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

The stripped ends are the right size. We are using the CAN wires that we received in the 2016 Rookie Tote, They are 20AWG.

Yes the issue was caused on accident. We applied to much pressure on the port opening and it collapsed. (using the wago tool)

The quote above is from another thread. I suggest doing that.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

My recommendation is to get the wire in the broken connector as well as it can be. It won't be good for competition but it will be better than nothing. In the mean time try to reach out to a local company or create a GoFundMe to get a new one for competition season.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

I've PM'd you. We have a couple spares - we can lend you one that is not competition legal. We're a 30 minute drive from you guys and we'll be in tomorrow until around 4 PM. Call me at the number I provided tomorrow morning after 9AM and we can get you hooked up. We'll need it back after stop-ship day since it can't be used at competition anyway.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

So your team has had almost a year to address this problem and now it is causing your team an emergency?

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Thank you so much!!

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

It's only our second year in competition. We did not understand how important it was at the time. We have learned from our mistakes.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

I would think if that Roborio is gone forever and will not ever be a competition legal option its time to open it up and wire in some pigtails or repair the connector. The second option may even return it to usable for competition.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

If it comes down to that. We will. Thanks for the advice

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Ok. Thanks for the advice!

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

I should point out that any non-NI repair attempt needs to pay attention to R71M. Performance and specs will need to be identical to a new unit. Also note that that voids the warranty, if I'm not mistaken.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

You are correct. R71 states "The Driver Station software, roboRIO, Power Distribution Panel, Pneumatics Control Modules, Voltage Regulator Modules, RSL, 120A breaker, motor controllers, relay modules, Wireless Bridge, and batteries shall not be tampered with, modified, or adjusted in any way (tampering includes drilling, cutting, machining, rewiring, disassembling, etc.)"

So if we attempt to fix it. Our roboRio would not be competition legal.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

If that is the only reason you are not using the RoboRio, and you only need it for a practice bot, then I would open up the RoboRio, and soldier on wires to the CAN port. Then connect to those wires.

The hack will make the RoboRio usable for practice, but not legal for competition.

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

They stopped by and now have a roboRio that will get them through build season. Good luck guys!

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Thank you so much! We really appreciate this!

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

Our team has also had the issue of RoboRIO problems, and no funds to fix them, so I just wanted to leave a few longer-term solutions here.

Is your team affiliated with a school? If so, are you an officially recognized club/team? Sometimes, you can ask them to buy you a RoboRIO, especially if you do so politely, with support from staff members affiliated with your team, and with an explanation of why having a RoboRIO is so important. (Note: if your team is already footing the pretty hefty bill just for your team to compete, I would recommend not trying this option unless you absolutely have to)

Find new sponsors/write some grant applications. The grant applications probably won't save you in time for competition, but it's incredibly helpful to get on top of writing those, because there are some great grants available for FRC teams and/or promoting STEM education. As to finding sponsors, look around for local businesses who might be willing to give even just $100 dollars in support, in exchange for their logo on your robot/t-shirt/website etc. Local businesses tend to like free exposure, and many small businesses are interested in investing in their community. These don't have to be tech-related companies, if someone on your team has a parent who works for a business that might be willing to give some money in sponsorship, that's always a great in. If you're polite and foster good relationships with your sponsors, they will tend to support you in the long run, and make annual donations. Consider offering to bring your robot to the sponsors and drive it around for them (after comp) or send them pictures of your team/robot that they can display.

Fundraise. Host a bake sale, these are inexpensive and easy to set up, and could bring in around $100 dollars towards that new RoboRIO. Host a STEM night, or event that takes optional donations, which has the bonus of being a great source of outreach for your team.

You can always consider crowdfunding it with team members. This year, our team had to charge a fee for the first time. Robots are expensive. Consider asking team members to donate, or consider asking them to pay their own way at competitions in order to shift some of the budget towards hardware.

As someone else mentioned, contact NI and send them your RoboRIO for repair. They may or may not fix/replace it, but regardless of what else you do, I would recommend at least trying this.

This I really do not recommend doing, but if you make it to comp and you still don't have a competition-legal RoboRIO, the nice people from Andymark do, and they can give you a loaner. You do not get to keep the loaner, and this is NOT a sustainable solution, but my team had a RoboRIO die in competition and we used a loaner during the rest of our matches. (Note: if they know you killed the RoboRIo prior to arriving at the competition, they may or may not give you the loaner. I don't know what their policy is on this, however, they're usually pretty good about trying to have everyone compete. Please don't abuse this, and try to get a RoboRIO before comp, because teams will have RoboRIOs fail at comp, and if you're using a loaner, that's one less loaner available to teams who have a RoboRIO emergency they couldn't foresee)

Good luck!

Re: roboRio needed (urgent)
 

We faced issues with the RoboRIO and wires falling out of it as well. One thing that worked for us a few years ago was using string and threading it around PWM heads and then taping the thread to the board.