Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

i was being really stupid and desided to look at the ifi site for information, and came across the manuel. i might have found the reason for ours not working. cuz when we did it like the manuel said it worked, so might be the error on my part. *slaps self across the head*

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

The Nemko lab I've worked with in Canada has an uncertainty of around 1-2dB for their 10 meter site. It rolls up all the uncertainty in the site, antenna, cables, equipment, etc. Anything less than that uncertainty number means they have to put Unc. in the pass/fail, but it doesn't stop you from passing.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

Team 179 is also having intermittent loss of connection. It is constant and when it loses signal it takes <10 seconds to come back. It is mounted visibly and away from other components.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

I would send them back. that fixed our problem when we got new ones. seems to me that their must be some defective component when the initial batches were made and sent to teams during kickoff.
Just my guess.:yikes:

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

I can't find the manual, can you post a link to what you found please??

We're seeing some funny stuff, but have NOT actually done any troubleshooting, nor have we confirmed that there actually IS a problem. We'd like to check that everything si correct before jumping to any conclusion.

Don

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

ysh sure, here it is

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

I went to go help my old H.S. Robotics Team and one of the things I did today was test out the 2007 Robot Control System Package - I hooked it up to a 2003 robot using the default program that was already loaded onto the RC and unfortunately they too have bad radios. At first I thought it was a dead battery dropping the communication so we changed the battery and I kept a very sharp eye on it and when it would lose connection the battery registered +12vdc so we eneded up ruling a battery problem and wiring problem right then and there. Next we moved to a secluded room and still had issues and came to the conclusion that it was the modems. I did contact IFI & left a message with the voicemail but I would like to know is there a specific number you guys called other than the ones on IFI's Tech Support Link? The sooner we can get some new radios the better. The only thing I didn't try was the 2006 modems and I am not up to the challenge of dismantling a robot to get to it.:ahh: One thing I noticed about the Communication Link being lost was that it was happening extremely rapidly no more then 30 secs apart and lasting up to 15 secs without a link. The good part was when the link died so did the robot even though the OI & RC registered as still being connected so thankfully no one was harmed and nothing was damaged.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

Has anyone following this thread tested the new v14 Beta version of the Master Code as mentioned in Team Update #8? It was created to remedy this problem.
I will attempt to test it tonight when I get to the school and post our results.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

we've had some similar things, but only for the short term. after disabling the robot goes for about a second, and then stops what's up with that?

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

I was unawair of the upgraded master code I will have to d/l it into the RC tomorrow afternoon but me personally I think it may be a hardware problem more then a software problem.:eek:

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

I believe there are actually 2 problems here, and I suspect the new RC code only addresses one:

1) Dropouts in the communication link between the modems

2) RC continues to run on the last information received for a few seconds when the link drop occurs

My guess is that the new RC firmware addresses the second issue but not the first. We loaded it on Saturday but due to not having a fully-charged battery available and some other issues we're reserving judgment until we do more testing tonight. It definitely did not fix the communication loss, however. We saw the red "No Data/Radio" light on the OI at least a few times a minute, usually lasting about 2-3 seconds.

{edit} Another question that I don't remember seeing: has anyone else noticed quite a bit of latency with the new modems? We were experiencing about 1/2 second delay on any controls from the OI before the RC responded. Tonight I will compare the new and old modems to see if the new modems are responsible for this as well, but I'm curious if others noticed this too.{/edit}

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

Hey, guys. Just another team to report the same problem with losing radio connection. We've had it for as long as we've been running, but until Saturday, we haven't been actually driving and operating for an extended period of time. Also, I originally thought it might have to do with how we mounted our RC board. The opposite end of the power distribution rail is mounted close to the RC ports, and you have to apply a decent amount of pulling pressure upwards to plug into them. Originally, I thought this was the problem, but today, I opened up the RC, to check for problems, which I could not find. I also remounted the RC to avoid the pulling, as well as tested the radio cable and tried several different ones. We also tried moving the radio away from the motors and electronics, and positioning it many different ways. Nothing helped, and we still have the problem.

Logically, it seems like it has to be a hardware problem, in either the RC or the radio itself, not a signal interference problem. When the connection loss occurs, I notice several things. Firstly, the radio light on the RC turns red, which normally indicates a lack of any radio at all. And yet, the radio itself still has power. Also, the OI always shows that there is a connection present, despite what the RC light shows. And yes, we also have the continuation of the last command, for a short time.

In addition, I know that we have the master code v13, because I went through each of our RC processors and ensured that the newest version is installed. And yes, we are using all new equipment both on the robot and on the control console.

Does anyone know how many teams have actually reported this problem? I plan to contact IFI tomorrow as well and add our name to the list.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

It seems that more and more teams are having those 2 issues as more teams test.
Once again, we tested at least several different occasions already with our new radios from IFI with NO problems yet.
But also, Unless you have problem #1, how would we be able to fix problem#2?
I agree with team 111, IFI more than likely solved the software issue, but not the hardware issue (problem #1).:D

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

Actually, it's not a nationwide problem. There are a large number (majority) of teams who are not experiencing issues. I'm sure IFI will work to resolve the issue for those affected, as they have time and time again. Normally, I'm one to get into a panic about these types of issues, but not this time. IFI has kept the robots running on the field since the year 2000, I have complete faith that they'll work through this issue. As has been said time and time again, if you are one of the teams affected, contact IFI and they will help you get things resolved.

Re: does anyone have OI and RC radio issues
 

As a follow-up from our testing tonight, here's what we found:

• The connection was very unreliable for us, just as others have noted. A multi-second dropout occurs every 15-30 seconds while driving (even when not under heavy load). Does not appear to be a battery issue to me (fully charged battery and backup battery, and voltage on the OI looks good).
• The "run on" problem didn't seem apparent, but now the problem is opposite: every time there's packet loss the robot shuts down (triggering single-action solenoids to de-activate, stopping the drive motors, etc). Basically, if the robot doesn't have data, it has two choices: keep doing what it was doing for a bit, or play it safe and shut down. Obvious safety concerns exist with the first (and what was seen in R13 firmware), but serious performance issues exist with the second (as seen in R14).
• I confirmed that the new radio modems add significant latency. There's probably 300ms of latency with the new modems. Switching to the old modems eliminated this. I think this will be quite a hindrance to drivers (though I imagine they will mostly adapt and have to predict movements more).

I'll be contacting IFI tomorrow with this information.