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Originally Posted by mrwright
We have got it working with the spike but it will not stay in place. We can trigger the spike but when we let go of the button it retracts. We think we need to have the button on the joystick programmed as a toggle switch. Does this sound right?
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Yes, it does. Alternately, if you *never* need to move the piston during a match, you could begin your autonomous routine by setting the position to the desired state. I imagine you have something like this:
while (buttonPressed)
piston = true
which extends the piston only if the button is depressed. if you want a permanently extended piston, try just starting with piston = true.
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Our concerns are that for this to work correctly the spike will constantly be pulling power which will drain our batteries quicker.
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This is not much of a problem at all. The Spike isn't seeing any load, so the current draw will not be significant. You could use the solenoid breakout if you are really concerned, but it's seriously a non-issue.
Consider using a gas spring instead of a piston for this application - these don't require power, just a mechanism to hold them shut before the match starts. Then again, it's Week 6, so you might just want to keep what you have.