I hate Jaguars!!!

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by emusteve

As long as he replaced the FETs with like parts (same part number), that's a repair, not a modification. I wouldn't think there would be a problem with that. I've repaired both Spikes and Victors in the past.

The rules this year do not make any distinction between a repair and a modification of a control system component. Any disassembly is illegal.

We've used 16 jaguars over the last 2 years with no failures. Over that same period, we've used 10 victors and had 1 failure.

[Sovietmagician]

We tried out jaguars in 2009, decided we did not like them and used Victors. Then this year we decided to give those jaguars another shot. We got a shipment of the black jaguars and a fair amount of them where DOA. As if that was not bad enough one jaguar inexplicably stopped working yesterday and then at the end of our meeting a different jaguar caught fire. The jaguar glowed blue with electrical sparks and then a plume of smoke erupted from the inside. we checked the wiring to the jaguar everything was normal, our jaguar just decided it would fail catastrophically... I HATE Jaguars

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Sovietmagician

We tried out jaguars in 2009, decided we did not like them and used Victors. Then this year we decided to give those jaguars another shot. We got a shipment of the black jaguars and a fair amount of them where DOA. As if that was not bad enough one jaguar inexplicably stopped working yesterday and then at the end of our meeting a different jaguar caught fire. The jaguar glowed blue with electrical sparks and then a plume of smoke erupted from the inside. we checked the wiring to the jaguar everything was normal, our jaguar just decided it would fail catastrophically... I HATE Jaguars

sounds like you have a metal shaving rich environment...

[Sovietmagician]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

sounds like you have a metal shaving rich environment...

Maybe that is the case on the jaguar that died with out warning. however the one that started smoking and catching fire was on a practice drive train where no one would have any way of getting metal shavings into it because there is nothing to work on above the jaguars. Unless one of our team members decided to sprinkle our electronics with metal shavings, I just don't see how metal shavings got into that jaguar.

[ProgrammerMatt]

We have experienced two Jaguars show the "magic smoke" in other words burn out, we have come to figure out that Jaguars are extremely sensitive to metal shavings/ dust make sure you cover them when your drilling near or around them thats how they usually go bad.

P.S If you use CAN be careful because when one of our Jaguars burned while we drove our robot one motor kept driving even after you E-stop it we had to chase it down to turn it off luckily it was only at like 25% power.

[seannoseworthy]

Since 2009 we have used about 14 jaguars and only have one fail due to the manufacturing error in 2009 their support was very good and it was replaced very quickly. We are using 5 this year with the CAN network with no issues, they are all the new black jaguar.

[tr6scott]

This is my FIRST year mentoring the High School Level. Yesterday, BAG DAY, in the span of 3 hours, we had all FOUR of our main drive Jags fail. These were all NEW this year. When the first on failed, one of the other mentors on the team did a post mortem, and found no shavings, but the fan power cable had a not been crimped correctly, and did not complete the circuit. That fan never turned on.

Is this a global manufacturing issue, or just a infant mortality issue? We probably have less than 3 hours of run time on the bot at this point of the season.

We did not have the time to look at the other 3. We pulled the gray Jags off last years bot, and finished up drivers training prior to bagging.

Of the failed Black Jags, 2 were from the KOP, and 2 were purchased new from Digi-Key at the end of Jan. 2011.

Coach Scott
Team 2137
TORC - The Oxford RoboCats - Oxford Michigan

[nuggetsyl]

I have yet to see a reason why to use jaguars. IFI victors are lighter smaller and i have yet in all my first season have one fail (metal shaving do not count). I think its great we have a choice of products. I just see no advantage to using a component that has a record of not working every time.

[Racer26]

Originally Posted by nuggetsyl

I have yet to see a reason why to use jaguars. IFI victors are lighter smaller and i have yet in all my first season have one fail (metal shaving do not count). I think its great we have a choice of products. I just see no advantage to using a component that has a record of not working every time.

The jaguars 15kHz switching frequency, compared to the 150Hz of the victors means they run quieter, and they also control the motors to a finer degree AND their output is more linear than victors.

There ARE reasons to use them.

[nuggetsyl]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

The jaguars 15kHz switching frequency, compared to the 150Hz of the victors means they run quieter, and they also control the motors to a finer degree AND their output is more linear than victors.

There ARE reasons to use them.

Yet top level after top level teams keep using IFI victors. I am all for choice, and any team that wants to use jags go for it. I my personal preference is a bullet proof system. If you have any victors you do not want, we will be happy to trade you our jags for victors.

[sharp]

It is one thing when they just seem to malfunction but it is a totally different thing when you/students hook up the main power block backwards and blow 5jags in one fell swoop. Does anyone know if TI will rebuild these or are they just shot and we have 5 new paper weights.

Sharp
2164 The Corps

[Mark McLeod]

Black Jaguar RMA procedure

RMA Form

The Gray Jags, once burnt, are toast. They are no longer supported.

[MagiChau]

I did not find much bad experience with Jaguars in my short 2 build seasons working with them. We only had one bad, grey jaguar that gave out this year. One Black Jaguar from the 2011 KoP for some reason wasn't registering but it should be fine after some investigating. I like using the CAN network cables over PWM cables. And, I don't have to remember to not touch the fan.