Programming Bulletin 873M Ultrasonic Analog Sensor

[thatnameistaken]

FWIW, the PCM can output 24V and does not have to be used exclusively for solenoids, if that makes your wiring any easier.

[tr6scott]

Originally Posted by efoote868

Thanks for sharing your results!

This sensor is something I'd expect to find in a factory, wired to a relatively common 24vdc supply, not on a competition robot. It probably retails for way more than anyone would imagine.

We use industrial sensors on our bot all the time, as we are sponsored by and industrial controls integrator. I just don't understand how the picked this particular ultrasonic switch, as any of the discrete units are 10-30v operating voltage.

[loafdog]

I 2nd what @thatnameistaken said. In Logo Motion year there was some similar(same?) type of sensor to use to follow tape lines. Many teams including mine wired them to the pneumatics module of the crio to get 24V.

[tr6scott]

Originally Posted by loafdog

I 2nd what @thatnameistaken said. In Logo Motion year there was some similar(same?) type of sensor to use to follow tape lines. Many teams including mine wired them to the pneumatics module of the crio to get 24V.

Close but no cigar...

The cRIO was a 24vdc device, so the PDB in the cRIO years had a boost 12v to 24vdc built in. The power for 24v solenoids came from this supply too. There was a late rule change that allowed only these specific sensors to be wired to the 24v solenoid breakout.

The current canbuss pneumatic control module has a built in 12v to 24v power supply built in to power 24v solenoids, that is what @thatnameistaken was refereeing to, but I am not sure of the legality of using this supply to power 24v sensors. It has no terminals to distribute 24v power, so about the only thing you could do is wire the power from one of the solenoid connections and turn that output on continuously.

Not sure if this would be a legal use, wired this way, and I also did not see a current rating for the solenoid outputs in the PCM manual.

If you are set on using this sensor, I think I would be sourcing a 3rd part 12v to 24v dc boost brick.

[FrankJ]

Not a great solution, but you could use a solenoid output from the pneumatics module. (Jumpers to 24V.) Downside is it will power off when the robot is disabled.