help with Operator Interface and FRC robot Controller

[Racer26]

You will also need to connect your motors to Victor 884 Speed Controllers (or similar) which are connected by PWM cable (3 wire, 0.100" spaced pins) to the RC. I forget the outputs to which the default code outputs, I'm sure someone else here will chime in.

[BornaE]

Well then if you want to use the RS485 Convertors, you have to connec them to the RADIO porst instead of tether. the tether port is not a standard serial cable, it provides power to the OI as well as the data.

[RoarRoar]

ok.


I have moving one stick forwards and backwards,but nothing happens.

I have connect they 4 Speed Controllers to PWM1 PWM2 PWM3 PWM4

I have not use Victor,I have use Speed Controllers from parallax.com


I will try to connect the RS485 Convertors to the RADIO porst,and se whats happen.

What do you mean about that

But, make sure the "Disable" light on the Operator Interface is off first

[Andy Brockway]

Originally Posted by RoarRoar

I have moving one stick forwards and backwards,but nothing happens.

I have connect they 4 Speed Controllers to PWM1 PWM2 PWM3 PWM4

I have not use Victor,I have use Speed Controllers from parallax.com

You should download the RC and OI manuals from IFI. Based on where you have the joysticks plugged into, your speed controllers should be plugged into pwm1, pwm2, pwm5, pwm6. It looks like you have them in pwm13, pwm14, pwm15, pwm16.

Your joysticks should be wired per the analog inputs in the OI manual. For each axis - one side of 100k linear pot to an analog input pin , center to +5vdc aux pin, other side not connected.

It looks like your joysticks are not centered. The OI LEDs for pwm1 and pwm2 should be on green and red to indicate neutral.

Last, check the compatibility of the paralax speed controllers to the output from the RC pwm signals.

Good luck,

p

[EricH]

Originally Posted by RoarRoar

What do you mean about that

But, make sure the "Disable" light on the Operator Interface is off first

On the Operator Interface, there is a small section in the middle column of LEDs at the bottom. It is labeled "Competition Control" and has one light: "Disabled". If that light is orange, your controller is disabled and will not respond to anything until you take it out of disabled mode. If it is off, you're good to go.

If it is on, I'm not sure how to take it out of disabled mode without a dongle (fancy switch). The schematic for one is available on IFI's site. It might be a good idea to make one anyway, just to help the robot run only when you want it to.

[RoarRoar]

now I have try to connect the RS485 converters to the RADIO porst,but dont work, after I have remove RS485 converters from RADIO porst,and hook up the Female-Female cable into the Tether port again,come only 1 GREEN LED and 1 Yellow LED on FRC robot Controller.same on the Operator Interface ,but is have 2 Green Led and 1 Red Led


FRC robot Controller

Battery Power : GREEN
Program State : YELLOW
Radio Modem : no LED
RC Hardware : no LED
RC Mode : OFF/ no LED

Operator Interface

POWER ON : GREED
DATA TX : GREED
NO DATA/Radio : RED LED




sow what happen?

Is the FRC robot Controller or Operator Interface broken

[tdlrali]

That means your RC is in "programming mode". Either download code to it using the IFI Loader and a serial cable, or hit the reset button on the RC.

[Racer26]

tdlrali is correct, Your RC will go into that mode if it does not have a program in it (occasionally the program gets corrupted for reasons unknown, and needs to be reflashed.)

To do this, download the default code from IFI's website (www.ifirobotics.com) as well as IFI_Loader, if you haven't already got those, connect your PC to the Robot Controller with a serial cable (and usb-to-serial converter if necessary), press and hold the PROG button on the controller for about 3 seconds (you shouldn't see any change in the lights on the unit), and then download the code using IFI_Loader. Once you click download on IFI_Loader, you should see some status messages go by on its message bar, and the Program State LED on the Robot Controller should begin to flash yellow. This means the controller is in the act of receiving a program.

Once it is complete, all LEDs on the Robot Controller should return to their normal green state.