RCU has bad Analog ports - what now?

[Icebreakers]

We've been trying to rectify a situation that we thought was bad potentiometers. When looking more carefully & using our controller from last year, we discovered that analog port inputs # 6 and 7 do not work. Since we had not previously plugged anything into them, we think they came to us defective.
Our question, then is, can we use last year's controller to work with until we get to regionals. During that time we could return the controller to FIRST or to Innovation FIRST for a replacement.
We're posting this question here since it is unlikely the FIRST board will be moderated this weekend.
Thanks.
Team 374
The Icebreakers in Anchorage

[JJG13]

It will not work, because the controller from last year is not compatable with autonomous mode. Sorry

[Icebreakers]

Thanks for the post. How do you think we go about handling the situation at this point? This weekend there is no one at FIRST or at Innovation to contact, and shipping happens in 2 days. We posted on the FIRST site, but no replies there, either. Should we just take the defective unit to regionals & hope to get a replacement there? Or mail it to Innovation & hope to get the replacement to take to regionals & replace there? I really hate crunches like this at this point.
Thanks for any advice.

[Dan]

Our analog 6 & 7 ports are also bad. They report (via dashboard) 0 for values when the RF link is used, but are correct when tethered. This makes no sense at all. Any ideas?

[seanwitte]

Did you try using the debug command in the program, just to rule out a problem with the dashboard?

debug "in6 = ", dec sensor6, "in7 = ", dec sensor7, CR

[ahecht]

Actually, last year's controller should work just fine with autonomous mode. IIRC, all autonomous mode does is change one bit and set all OI inputs to 127. You would have to use this year's OI, however, and you probably couldn't test autonomous by selecting Team 0000 (although I am not sure about that).

[dhendrix]

Acually, last years controller will work. We used last years during practice in St. Louis. First has spares that they will loan for the weekend.

[seanwitte]

There is a new document on IFI's web site, the analog 6 and 7 bytes in the data stream contain system feedback data when the robot is not tethered. Thats probably why they seemed like they weren't working with the dashboard. When the robot is tethered they're supposed to have to correct values.

Dan - Your controller is fine, but its sending the wrong information for analog inputs 6 and 7 when you're using the RF link. Thats why it works under the tether.

[Jeff_Rice]

You don't have to use this year's OI.
Make a switch, label it autonomous, connect to a ground and a digital input on say, port 4.

Put this next to your light code, and it should always get executed. Now you have an autonomous switch.
Code:

if (put switch name here) = 0 then dontsetauto
auton_mode = 1
goto endautoset
dontsetauto:
autonmode = 0
endautoset:

[Greg Ross]

Originally posted by Jeff_Rice
if (put switch name here) = 0 then dontsetauto
auton_mode = 1
goto endautoset
dontsetauto:
autonmode = 0
endautoset:

Ouch! Why not

auton_mode = yourSwitchName

[Jeff_Rice]

Because I like to do things in overly complicated ways.

Actually, it's because I like that format. I've used it so much that it makes more sense to me.

[rust710]

Both the old OI and RC will work and support autonomous mode except for the flashing disabled light on the OI. As they will work, it specificly says in the rules that old control systems may not be used, except for radios.

[Greg Ross]

Originally posted by rust710
Both the old OI and RC will work and support autonomous mode except for the flashing disabled light on the OI. As they will work, it specificly says in the rules that old control systems may not be used, except for radios.

Are you sure about that? I believe the new OIs are key to "real" autonomous mode. It's possible that the state of pin 5 on the competition port may show up in the auton_mode variable on the RC -- in which case, your autonomous program might work correctly. But I think the new OIs actively set all the OI inputs before sending the data to the RC.

[rust710]

Originally posted by gwross
Are you sure about that? I believe the new OIs are key to "real" autonomous mode. It's possible that the state of pin 5 on the competition port may show up in the auton_mode variable on the RC -- in which case, your autonomous program might work correctly. But I think the new OIs actively set all the OI inputs before sending the data to the RC.

You might be right, but I code my projects specificly to reject any input if the auton_mode bit is high.