monitoring air pressure

[ratdude747]

analog pressure sensors -they do exist... Actually, my old team (2783) had one for the 2010 bot that was never installed, and as part of my restoration project, I connected it tot he low (60psi) side of the air circuit. IIRC, it was a $50 part.

be careful, as this sensor was only rated for 100 PSI, the original intended use was on the high side, which would have killed it.

electrically, it used a 12v input. it had an output of 0-5v, with 5v=100 PSI.

pnumatically, it was put right after the output of the 60 PSI regulator

Code wise, IIRC (it has been a while since I re-wrote the code), it first multiplied the voltage by 20 to render the PSI, then I used that number to disable the kicker (only thing pnuematic) if the PSI was over 65 or below 40, as low pressures would jam the solenoids. the actual pressure and over/under data was sent to the dashboard, where the pressure had both a gauge and actual readout. The over/under pressure signals were routed to colored lights on the dash (over red, under green).

I attached the labview source code for the dash and robot (and the dash .exe) for those who want a look at the implementation.