New Programming Core needs help with simple motor control

[bharrison6]

We have created the simple motor control program found on the NI website. We can successfully deploy the code to the CRIO via the run button in Labview. When changing the value of the output the motor does nothing. We have two Jaguar motor controllers and we have tried both but neither work. The Jaguar motor controllers have the yellow light blinking on them. This indicates as far as I can tell that they are not initialized. I have checked the PWM cables and changed them out and switched them around to make sure they are plugged in the right way. No change. I have changed the digital side car. No change. I have changed the NI 9403 Module. No Change. I have changed the cable between the NI 9403 and the digital side care. No change. We have a light plugged into the RSL of the digital side car, I don't know if it should light up when the code is deployed but it is not. The 5v led is on steady. The BAT led barely lights up, but it is blinking. An extremely small led beside the RSL pins barely lights up, but it is blinking. Thanks in advance for your help.

[RufflesRidge]

Originally Posted by bharrison6

The BAT led barely lights up, but it is blinking. [/IMG]

This light should be brightly lit. Make sure you have made this connection to a 20A breaker on the Power Distribution Board: http://wpilib.screenstepslive.com/s/...age_id=1870948

EDIT: Images just appeared up in your post and it looks like you have at least attempted to make this connection. Make sure that the breaker in place is functional and that the wire on each end of the connection is seated in the terminal and the terminal is not grabbing onto insulation.

[Dexterium]

What gauge is the wire to the sidecar from the distribution board? I looks like 18 from the picture and it needs to be at least 14.



also, use 30 amp breaker

[Cecil]

Originally Posted by Dexterium

What gauge is the wire to the sidecar from the distribution board? I looks like 18 from the picture and it needs to be at least 14.

What rule says that it has to be 14 AWG wire to the Digital Sidecar?


Try checking the Sidecar for metal swarf that could be shorting a few pins. If all else fails, try replacing it with a known working one and see if that helps. When everything is connected properly, all 3 lights should be glowing bright.

[Dexterium]

Originally Posted by Cecil

What rule says that it has to be 14 AWG wire to the Digital Sidecar?


Try checking the Sidecar for metal swarf that could be shorting a few pins. If all else fails, try replacing it with a known working one and see if that helps. When everything is connected properly, all 3 lights should be glowing bright.

There is no rule, but we have tried 18 gauge in the past and not gotten enough power to the sidecar because it is just to small. We had similar symptoms (ie dim lights and no pwm signal).

[Alan Anderson]

Your Digital Sidecar is not getting 12 volts on its power input.

Perhaps one of the wires into the Wago connection on the Power Distribution Board isn't stripped long enough and the Wago is clamping on the insulation instead of the conductor. Perhaps the 20 Amp breaker on that circuit is faulty. Use a meter to determine where the 12 volt power is getting lost.

[bharrison6]

Ok, so before we left the meeting today we built an entirely new system for me to test at home. This has an entirely new Crio and Digital Side car, but uses Victor 888 controllers. It seems that there might have been a problem with power on the previous setup, but I never seen the replies before I left school. After I seen the replies and I powered this setup at home and all the lights lit up on the digital side car I figured it would be a cake walk.

I reimaged the Crio and ran the simple motor control but no luck. I did change the motor open to victor but it is the same program as above. I am posting new pics of this setup to make sure that everything is set up correctly. Voltages seem to be proper on all components. To be clear though with this program I should be able to click the run button, it will upload the program to the Crio and then I should be able to manipulate the output control and the motor should move. At 1 the motor should be at full output.

To be clear the victor is blinking yellow, no pwm signal. With two completely different setups not working it makes me think that there is something I am missing about the programming. Is this program correct? Do I need to do anything other than click run, let it upload and change the output control? Thanks again for everyone's help.

[Aaron.Graeve]

The program you posted may work, but is not the officially supported way of programming the cRIO (last I heard). If you have been able to run the code, does the Motor Output indicator change in response to the control value? Since the WPI Robotics libraries are installed, there should be a cRIO project option in the Project wizard. Running the program from a normal VI and with inputs from a normal VI control may work correctly, but it has been too long for me to remember definitively. I would suggest creating the cRIO project, including the appropriate code there, and downloading and running the code to see if it works.

Posting as much information as you can (pictures included) will help speed up the process of figuring out what is not working. PM me if you have any questions about this post.

EDIT: Just making sure, you are enabling the Driver Station before you test the motor, right? (no offense intended at all)

[Greg McKaskle]

As mentioned above, you should either run the template code or an example. All of these have the framework code for the safety protocol.

Also, that sure looks like a 9472 in slot 1 of the cRIO. It shouldn't stop the motors from working, but neither it nor the intended analog module can work if they are swapped.

Greg McKaskle

[bharrison6]

Ok, so I have created a project that has the template code. I have followed the instructions found here. https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-14723 In addition to completing the simple motor control vi and running it. I have also packaged the entire template project and deployed it to the Crio. I then open up the driver station that installs with the update and attempt to run the code in test mode and manually changing values.

The problem is that the Victor 888's are not receiving pwm signal (yellow blinking light). I have done all these same things to the other test rig with the jaguars and its the same problem, no pwm signal (yellow blinking light). Both rigs share none of the same parts and were wired by the same people who wired the robot last year. (In the case of the jaguar robot it was the test rig from last year). All parts have worked before. (In the case of the current rig I am working with that has the Victor 888's, it has been as soon as a few weeks ago).

Again I am completely new to robotics but not to programming or computers. There has to be some step I am missing. I would think though that if I deployed the Template code to the robot (I used the deploy tutorial, I built the code and deployed as startup) that when it prompts to reboot and after it finishes the reboot that RSL would light up in the disabled mode. Nothing lights up. In fact I have yet to do anything that has enabled me to get the RSL to light up. Attached is pics of what I have been doing.

Also I removed the 9472 and Ill figure out what slot it needs to be in later.

[Cecil]

Instead of using the Simple Motor Control example, try loading a new robot project on it. On the welcome screen of LabVIEW, click on the create new FRC robot project button. From there, enter your correct IP address, and see if that code will run.

[bharrison6]

Originally Posted by Aaron.Graeve

EDIT: Just making sure, you are enabling the Driver Station before you test the motor, right? (no offense intended at all)

No offense taken and I am glad you asked this because I am not sure if I am. If you look at the guide above me it doesn't say that I need to do anything other than deploy the code via the run button and manipulate the variables in the front panel.

Now when I tried to deploy the template code (unchanged other than changing the jaguar to victor in the begin vi) I complied the code and deployed as start up. When I did that I ran the driver station as illustrated in the pic in the post above.

If there is something else I am supposed to do then this may be the step I am missing. I am very new to robotics. Our team is on their 5th season but our programmer left last year and this is my first year on the team. I know programming and computers, but this still has a learning curve. Thanks again for your help.

[bharrison6]

Originally Posted by Cecil

Instead of using the Simple Motor Control example, try loading a new robot project on it. On the welcome screen of LabVIEW, click on the create new FRC robot project button. From there, enter your correct IP address, and see if that code will run.

I did that this morning. I setup a completely different computer with labview. Created the project. Complied the project. Deployed the project to run on startup. It rebooted and still no RSL and even when opening the driver station and going to test mode, there is no change. The good news is driver station obviously reads code on the robot and when I tried redeploying the code again it ask me if I want to continue because there is already an active code running on the robot.

[Cecil]

I think I may see the problem. Instead of clicking "Run" from the Simple Motor Control.vi", Open up the "Robot Main.vi" and click "Run Continuously".

Also, try runing your code with Teleoperated selected on the Driver Station, not Test. The Test function will return values to the test screen, while Teleoperated should control it normally.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Dexterium

There is no rule, but we have tried 18 gauge in the past and not gotten enough power to the sidecar because it is just to small. We had similar symptoms (ie dim lights and no pwm signal).

18awg wire has plenty of current carrying capacity for the digital sidecar. I suspect that when you used 18awg wire, one of the connectors was clamped on the insulation of the wire, rather then the wire. There may have been some connection, but it wasn't a good connection. When you switched to 14awg, and redid the connections, all connections were good.