Victor Blinking Light Question

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Ether

So, is the firmware the only difference between the Pre2003(?) red text 883 and the 2013 green text 888?? I would think some non-trivial hardware changes would have been made in the intervening 10 years.

The change from red to blue label 883s was a hardware change. The old ones required external transorbs (provided). They were implemented internally on the newer 883s.

From the 2000 robot manual:

There are two models of the Victor 883 speed controller being used in the 2000 FIRST
Robotics Competition. The older models are identified by a red “Victor 883” label, while the
newer models have a blue label. There is no difference in performance between the old and
new models. However, the older models do require the installation of a transorb (included
with the speed controllers) across the power input terminals.
Tip: Teams which purchased spare Victor 883 speed controllers in 1999 should be aware
that there is a low cost firmware upgrade available from Innovation First. Teams may use
Victor 883 speed controllers purchased in 1999 with or without the firmware upgrade. For
more information, consult the Innovation First web site at www.innovationfirst.com.

I don't know what the other changes affected. I find it hard to believe that there were no other hardware changes in the last 15 years, but can't point to anything particular. I suspect better FETs were used in the 884, as the continuous current rating increased.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

From a 2003 883 Manual...
Resetting Calibration to FIRST Pre-calibration:
1. Power OFF the speed controller.
2. Press and hold the Cal button.
3. While continuing to hold the Cal button, Power ON
the speed controller.
4. A flashing GREEN indicator denotes calibration is
reset. Release the Cal button.

I will make an assumption from this part that flashing red indicates a failure to return to factory calibration. This became a non-issue when it was realized that all joysticks are not created equal. Calibration to the joysticks used was highly recommended after that. I believe the 884 became available in the 2003 season(after kickoff). By 2004, 883s were not allowed on the robot per the Inspection Checklist. The change from red to blue labels on both the 883 and the Spike gave a lot of confusion during that transition. There was a period of a couple of weeks where red 883s were not allowed even though some had been provided in the KOP that year.
There is significant hardware changes in the 888, the FETs, for one, are different.

[magnets]

Thanks! That explains why we kept having to recalibrate all the time, we must have been resetting the calibration to watch the blinking lights. I've also noticed that the red flashing lights happen if you try to power on the victor with a PWM signal going in while holding the button down. It seems like it won't reset this way.