Thank you! Let me try to combine those into an example troubleshooting sheet for a specific mechanism and a clear problem. (I realize this lacks some of the 'solution' parts on the hardware side, but I think it narrows it down enough so that "fix it" is a clear task.)
Our kicker is pneumatically actuated, with a spring return. The piston has two magnetic switches; one for full-forward, and one for full-reverse. It has a timed actuation determined by axis 3 (throttle) and actuated by button 1 (trigger) of the Joystick in USB port 2 (of the Status tab of the Driver Station).
Currently our pneumatic solenoid is normally open, so when the trigger is pressed, it should flash OFF. (this is technically a safety hazard, because the solenoid outputs are disabled when the robot is disabled, causing the kicker to fire if there is enough pressure. We'll fix it when we get a new solenoid.)
Here is a troubleshooting sequence for our kicker. Please tell me if I've missed anything.
(Problem: doesn't kick when trigger is pressed)
Is the robot enabled?
- Is there code on the robot?
- Do you have communications?
- Have you waited a minute for the robot to boot up?
- Can you ping the robot?
- Can you ping the robot radio or router?
- Check the cables and IP addresses of the router and robot radio
- Can you load code on the robot?
- Does the cRIO target have the correct IP address in the Project Explorer?
- Can you "connect" to the target?
- Try loading code again
- Reboot the robot. (If it has been E-stopped, this is the only option)
- Is the kicker LED (on the solenoid module) ON by default?
- Modify "kicker begin.vi" to turn the solenoid ON when it is initialized.
Does the kicker LED flash OFF when trigger is pressed?
(It's possible for it to flash too quickly to see. Make sure it's actuated for at least 100ms)
- Is the piston fully retracted?
- Are the magnetic switches on the piston tuned and and wired correctly?
- Is the Joystick in the correct port? (look in the Setup pane of the Driver Station, and drag it to the position it should be in)
- Run Robot Main and show execution for the kicker. Is the kicker being actuated?
- Work outwards, showing execution in VIs, until you find the problem.
- Is the "Solenoid set" VI executing without errors?
- It's probably a conflict with the IO being opened multiple times, or the cRIO needs to be re-imaged.
Is there adequate pressure after the regulator?
- Does the compressor turn on?
- Is it wired correctly?
- Is there code to start the compressor?
- Is there a leak in pneumatics?
When actuated, does the solenoid make a quiet "click" sound or light an LED?
- Is the solenoid wired up correctly?
- Does the solenoid breakout have power?
Does manually actuating the solenoid actuate the kicker?
- Is the solenoid correctly connected to the cylinder?
- Does the solenoid provide enough force to overcome the spring return?
The solenoid is not actuated long enough to extend the kicker.