spike, solenoid problems
 

Okay, so right now my team and I are having a problem with our pneumatics/ electrical system

We have a spike connected to our distribution board. The solenoid that we have has 4 wires, 2 red and 2 black. the black wires connect and go to a negative slot on the distribution board while the red goes into the M+ and M- on the spike. A PWM cable goes to the spike. I came sunday to find a pivotal part of our robot not working, and now we can only raise our claw to the second set of pegs..

ive switched out the spike, yet the solenoid doesnt work. i switched out the solenoid with several different solenoids, but that doesnt work either. should i rewire my spike? like change out the wires? our programming works, just not the spike/solenoid. and the spike and solenoid seem to actuate (click, indicator lights switch sides) but it doesnt move our piston.. D: help?? any advice?

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

Make sure the pneumatic connectors are in the correct places. Pneumatic solenoid valves have to have a minimum pressure to finish the switch. The valve you described sounds a lot like the KOP one and if so that switching sound and the lights blinking means that everything is working except for the actual switch in pressure in the different sides of the valve.

Ours was iffy at around 15 psi but worked without a hitch at 20 psi.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

If you were to check the specs, I believe that valve is only guaranteed to work down to 30 psi.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

Possibly it's a 24v solenoid.
The KOP solenoid from this year and last will not work on a Spike, because a Spike is 12v and the solenoid is 24v.

Check the markings on the solenoid to verify if it is a 12v or a 24v model.
24v models can only be powered from a Solenoid Bumper wired for 24v.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

Not sure if yours is different solenoid but every one I have ever seen the red wires go to M+ the black go to M- if you have tried it this way I would check 1. The direction of the Pwm plug 2. Check to see if you have blown the fuse on the spike 3. Check the required voltage of the the solenoid

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

You may be thinking of single solenoid Spike wiring.

It's an alternate way of wiring any double solenoid on a single spike.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

Thanks for all the replies!

So for the past two days, solenoids have been our main issue. We've switched out the spike, switched out solenoids, switched out pwm wires, and nothing has worked D:

We have no air leaks and we have enough pressure. I think am just going to replace the wires and see if thats changes anything (i doubt it will.. but we have done everything)

can someone send me a link on how to program solenoids that connect to the pneumatics bumper? our programmer tried doing it.. but.. i think maybe a second try is needed..

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

What programming language are you using? We have programmed solenoids both off the pneumatics bumper and spikes (we ran out of bumper slots =P) in C++. There is good documentation in the WPILib Users Guide (http://firstforge.wpi.edu/sf/docman/...tation/doc1196).

Using pneumatics with the spikes can be a little tricky, but basically you initilize with

Relay m_relay(1); //number is relay port

then use

m_relay.Set(Relay::kOff); //no output)
m_relay.Set(Relay::kForward); //activate one side of solenoid)
m_relay.Set(Relay::kReverse); //activate other side)

to control in the program.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

Are you referring to lights on the solenoid valve? If so, it sounds like your wiring and programming are fine, and it's time to focus on the pneumatic circuits.

What kind of solenoid is it? What is each port on the solenoid connected to? What pneumatic pressure are you using? The more details you can give, the better can be the suggestions you receive.

Re: spike, solenoid problems
 

alright, so we got a new solenoid, then got new wires and it seemed to work.. not sure if it was a bad connection or not ... so thank you to everyone for everything!