FRC targeting light questions

[michael3102]

Is the am-3418 FRC targeting light from AndyMark legal and where does it plug in?

[Jon Stratis]

Yes, it's legal. HOWEVER, it's very bright. So, while it can be powered from a 20A breaker on the PDP, your inspectors will likely require you to be able to turn it off when not using it to aim in order to avoid blinding people. So, put it on a Spike relay and you'll be pretty safe. Even better, keep it pointed low so it doesn't shine in anyone's field of vision!

I think the benefit to these lights is a little less this year, as the Boiler is in the corner with your own alliance station. The tight angle to see where it's pointing makes it less valuable for use there. Using it to line up with the gear slot is possible, but I'm not sure it would be very helpful there, as that's a close-in thing, not a long-distance shot.

[michael3102]

Where does a LED light ring plug in? https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/...accent-lights/

[Jon Stratis]

Your link doesn't seem to be working. But if it's a 12V automotive light ring, then the answer is the same. It can go off a 20A breaker, but if it's too bright you'll be asked to control it with a relay.

[michael3102]

Since spike is discontinued can I use anything else instead?

[Jon Stratis]

An LED light is considered a CUSTOM CIRCUIT, so those rules apply. You can use pretty much any appropriate relay in a CUSTOM CIRCUIT.

[flemdogmillion]

I still think it would be best to buy a Spike off an older team.

Also, when you code this (assuming you're in LabVIEW), you can use the Enable Vision global variable to control the relay in Periodic Tasks.vi, but make sure to remove the Enable Vision code from Robot Main.vi, because if you don't remove that and try to set the variable somewhere else (like controlling it with a button in Teleop) it can and will cause a race condition.

[mbowdich]

We ran one off of a Victor controller in 2012, which gave us the ability to control the intensity.

[marshall]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

put it on a Spike relay and you'll be pretty safe.

Great, where can I buy one?

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by michael3102

Since spike is discontinued can I use anything else instead?

As this is a custom circuit, a 12V relay module can be controlled from a relay port or a DIO. (Similar products are available from many different vendors.)

[Tom Line]

If it is a low enough current draw, you can also try using the pneumatic control module directly.

[flemdogmillion]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

If it is a low enough current draw, you can also try using the pneumatic control module directly.

Yes, but not in a way that is within the rules.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by flemdogmillion

Yes, but not in a way that is within the rules.

R35 Custom Circuits are allowed to be connected to the PCM, 1 per channel

[mbowdich]

If you are using the targeting light from AndyMark, you cannot connect it to the PCM. It draws 1A and the PCM is only good for 500mA.