NI Week Athena Announcement and Q&A Panel

[Greg McKaskle]

My controller is at work or I could attach pictures. Lets see if I can do this in words. The controller PCB is mounted in a plastic case that has an upper and lower shell screwed together in the corners from the bottom.

At the moment, the controller has eight integrated mounting channels in the lower shell. Four molded channels are radiused around each corner screw. If the controller is placed flat on the table, the cable tie will enter an edge parallel to the table, turn ninety degrees and exit the other edge near that corner, still parallel to the table. This is useful for mounting to any sort of vertical element perpendicular to the table or a frame element.

The remaining four holes diagonal through the bottom edge of the controller's long side. The cable tie will enter long side parallel to the table, turn ninety and exit straight down into the table.

The holes are designed to work with 1/2" grid perforated stock.

At the moment, there are also four bronze threaded inserts into the bottom shell near the edge. They would allow a machine screw mount, most likely to a mounting plate designed by the team.

Velcro could also be used on either the bottom or on the edges.

The housings shown during NIWeek are still in development and are either machined or 3D printed. Molds have not been finalized and mounting is still subject to change -- especially if someone has a brilliant idea.

Greg McKaskle

[Jon Stratis]

I like the idea of the threaded inserts on the bottom for mounting. Do you know what size these are? While 1/4-20 would be serious overkill, you know teams have plenty of them sitting around from using the kitbot for years, which would make them a decent choice... but in the end, it's just something to add to the McMaster order, so it's not that big of a deal if it's not part of a team's "standard" sizes.

Also, what is the spacing on the inserts? Since they aren't through-holes (I assume), getting mounting holes for them lined up correctly could be a real pain.

I like having so many options for mounting! I have no idea what my team will decide to do...

[MrRoboSteve]

Nice work, Greg & NI team.

A couple suggestions / questions about the mechanical layout:

1. Can you try to have the status LEDs sit slightly above the surface of the enclosure, so that it's possible to see them from positions other than directly above the board? I know the Ethernet LEDs are going to be integrated with that part and are difficult to move, it's the ones in the upper RH corner that I'm concerned about.

2. Do the integrated LEDs relay all of the status that is currently available from the cRIO + DSC + analog sidecar combination?

3. It would be useful to have a PDF paper drilling template for teams that don't use perf stock for mounting.

4. Ethernet port should have a strong mechanical connection to the board.

5. Serial number / version sticker should be on the "top" of the board so that it's easily visible.

6. Any chance of having mechanical capture for the .10 cables, a la the DSC or Jaguar?

That's it for now.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Thanks Greg, I like the idea of threaded inserts on the bottom but I'm worried that they'll be easily be stripped out by eager freshmen. The zip tie holders seem like a reasonable idea.

Also what is the idea behind the threaded inserts on the top near the USB ports?

Why are the reset and user buttons on the side of the device? Seems like they could be hard to reach once it is mounted in the robot.

Originally Posted by stevep001

6. Any chance of having mechanical capture for the .10 cables, a la the DSC or Jaguar?

That's it for now.

I was just wondering about this my self.

[timytamy]

Originally Posted by Greg McKaskle

At the moment, there are also four bronze threaded inserts into the bottom shell near the edge. They would allow a machine screw mount, most likely to a mounting plate designed by the team.

Greg McKaskle

Can they be metric? Or if not could you supply some of the screws?

Ask for imperial screws in Australia half the time you'll get pointed towards wood screws...

[Greg McKaskle]

Size of insert? Maybe a 6-32 or 8-32? I don't have it in front of me.

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1. Can the LEDs be proud so they are visible from extreme angles?

The view angle is great. Mine is 3D printed, so hard to tell about details, but they seem flush and view well from extreme angles.

2. Do the integrated LEDs relay all of the status that is currently available from the cRIO + DSC + analog sidecar combination?

They convey quite a bit more status info -- exception being relay state.

3. It would be useful to have a PDF paper drilling template for teams that don't use perf stock for mounting.

Yep.

4. Ethernet port should have a strong mechanical connection to the board.

And good ESD protection.

5. Serial number / version sticker should be on the "top" of the board so that it's easily visible.

Hmm. This is available through web connection. Aesthetics count for something. We will keep the problem in mind.

6. Any chance of having mechanical capture for the .10 cables, a la the DSC or Jaguar?

The capture at the connector is being addressed. The cable retention "hook" has been moved to the mounting plate to offer design flexibility.

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The USB inserts are for this ...
http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/210962

It isn't required, but the controller is compatible with the cable spec.

Other two on front are for custom circuit attachment.

Button location may be a carry-over from myRIO. The buttons aren't expected to be used very often.

Chris Rake can better answer these questions, so trust his updates more than my memory.

Greg McKaskle

[magnets]

I've got another question.

On the picture of the PCB here, there is something (maybe a jumper) to select between 3.3v and 5v. Will we be able to use 3.3v sensors?

[kaliken]

Originally Posted by Greg McKaskle

--Snip--

At the moment, there are also four bronze threaded inserts into the bottom shell near the edge. They would allow a machine screw mount, most likely to a mounting plate designed by the team.
--Snip--

Greg McKaskle

Sounds like this only allows bolt mounting from one side. Meaning that I will have to thread into the NI controller from the backside of the mounting plate. This may have potential access issues. Would it be possible to put thru-holes in the case such that we can thread into the mounting plate/nut? This mounting would be similar to how all the other components are typically mounted. i.e victor/jag/talon

[jhersh]

Originally Posted by magnets

I've got another question.

On the picture of the PCB here, there is something (maybe a jumper) to select between 3.3v and 5v. Will we be able to use 3.3v sensors?

Yes. The jumper will be inside the case. You'll be able to clean out the metal shavings while you're in there. It selects which voltage is routed to the center pin of the DIO channels. Both voltages are available on the Custom Electronics Port and the SPI port.

[jhersh]

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

Also where are the other shared PWM pins? The pinout on the site only lists 3 of the 10 pins that should have PWM.

The pinout for the myRIO shared functionality is not the same as roboRIO. It will be as compatible as reasonable, however. A pinout for the roboRIO's shared functionality will be available a little later (when it's nailed down).

[jhersh]

Originally Posted by kaliken

Sounds like this only allows bolt mounting from one side. Meaning that I will have to thread into the NI controller from the backside of the mounting plate. This may have potential access issues. Would it be possible to put thru-holes in the case such that we can thread into the mounting plate/nut? This mounting would be similar to how all the other components are typically mounted. i.e victor/jag/talon

The idea here is that if you want that kind of mounting (which would make the case larger) you can attach the roboRIO to a mounting kit that allows this kind of through-hole mounting. If you choose to use the built-in cable tie mounting or an adhesive fastener, you are not forced to have a larger controller.

[Joe Ross]

One thing that was nice on the DSC was there was enough space around the RSL pins to plug in a 3 pin PWM cable. Since teams have many PWM cables, it was easier then making a 2 pin cable. It's hard to tell from the pictures if there is space, but it would be nice if there was room for a 3 pin cable for the RSL.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by jhersh

The idea here is that if you want that kind of mounting (which would make the case larger) you can attach the roboRIO to a mounting kit that allows this kind of through-hole mounting. If you choose to use the built-in cable tie mounting or an adhesive fastener, you are not forced to have a larger controller.

I suppose this kit could be a simple plastic plate and some fasteners.

Sounds like a good item for Andymark to sell for <$10.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

One thing that was nice on the DSC was there was enough space around the RSL pins to plug in a 3 pin PWM cable. Since teams have many PWM cables, it was easier then making a 2 pin cable. It's hard to tell from the pictures if there is space, but it would be nice if there was room for a 3 pin cable for the RSL.

It's fairly easy to cut a 3 pin housing to 2 with dykes. Clean up the jagged plastic left with sandpaper or file really quick.

I agree with your point, but if no change is made the above is an easy solution.

[jhersh]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

One thing that was nice on the DSC was there was enough space around the RSL pins to plug in a 3 pin PWM cable. Since teams have many PWM cables, it was easier then making a 2 pin cable. It's hard to tell from the pictures if there is space, but it would be nice if there was room for a 3 pin cable for the RSL.

There is currently not room for a 3-pin cable. I'll pass your comment on to mechanical.