Having troubles with our user watchdog.

[Team4014]

We've been having troubles with our user watchdog not being fed, and it's making our robot lag. We want to disable the user watchdog completely, but if nobody knows how to do that, then we can just feed when needed. However, we don't know how to do either of those, so if anyone knows how to do either of those (preferably how to disable it), we would really appreciate a comment. Thanks!

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by Team4014

We've been having troubles with our user watchdog not being fed, and it's making our robot lag. We want to disable the user watchdog completely, but if nobody knows how to do that, then we can just feed when needed. However, we don't know how to do either of those, so if anyone knows how to do either of those (preferably how to disable it), we would really appreciate a comment. Thanks!

The userwatchdog is in place to show you that you may have problems in your coding. However, if you are sure that you're not creating the condition yourself, you can remove them by deleting them from the begin statement where your different items are opened.

On the other hand, if you're talking about the system watchdog, then that is telling you that you are slowing down your main loop too much and not allowing data to transfer back and forth between the driver station and the cRio. Creating loops internal to the program will create this problem quickly.

To determine if it is a code problem, or a computer problem (slow computers and slow communications can cause it too) run the default code. If you get no watch dogs using the default code, it's likely a problem with the way you programmed.

[Joe Ross]

I think you have the cause and effect backwards. Whatever is causing your robot to lag is causing the user watchdog to not be fed.

[Team4014]

We have imaged the robot with the default 2012 robot image, and the watchdog is not being fed, the connection drops, and the only way to bypass this, is to directly connect to the cRIO with a crossover cable. Is the issue in the code or in the connection itself?

[Tom Line]

The default code should not be watchdogging. Are you running this through a network with a bunch of other computers on it, or is the computer you are running the code from extremely slow?

[Team4014]

It's actually the 2012 issued rookie laptop. It's horribly slow, and there may be some interference from the other wireless networks around it. May that be the case?

[Tom Line]

Hold on.... are you running labview on the classmate while trying to do this? Or have you permanently deployed code to the crio and are only running the classmate in driver-station mode?

[Team4014]

We have deployed code, which is the standard, 2012 kit image, and are using the driver station, via the wireless radio in the kit of parts. There are no modifications other than inverting the controls. I would think it should run just fine, but it takes a few tries, and we get a lag from control application to the robot responding that is up to 7 seconds.