None of our radios work!!!

[neutrino15]

Our RS-422 (2007-8) radios keep flashing "Standby."
We are getting a "Search" on the robot.
We have tried connecting them, changing channels, reloading firmware, etc.. None of the radios actually connect.
Are there any bugs that are known to cause this? Anybody have similar problems? How were they fixed?

This is driving us nuts! Thanks for any help!

[Mark McLeod]

Only the obvious causes:
--When the OI radio is swapped with the RC radio, i.e., the OI radio gets mounted on the robot instead of the RC radio.
--When the team number doesn't match on the OI and RC, but tethering them first so the RC can learn the OI set team number avoids that and it sounds like you tried that.
--Really, really poor radio antenna placement or a disconnected antenna broken inside the housing, but that'd feel loose.
--Low battery or power on either the RC or OI, but the OI power supply and a charged robot battery avoids that.
--Serial cable connections loose or bad or one of the cables has gone bad. Try replacing the two cables connecting the radios.
--Another set of radios broadcasting on the same channel, but changing channels would have tested this.
--Master Code v13 or higher

If you have your older 2007 robot with the same radios you can try communicating with the radios used for that to see if you can isolate the problem to the robot or the OI radio.

[neutrino15]

Thanks for your quick reply.

We have checked everything except for the master code version.. And if we have RF interference, we can't do much about it (though we could build a gigantic faraday cage!)
What do you mean by "v13 or greater"?
Should we be running the latest version? Or are you implying that v13 has a radio bug (and that we should downgrade)? Whatever the case, I will check our master code version next meeting..

[DonRotolo]

Tether the robot and make sure the OI and RC radios are really on the same channel. The RC radio only changes channel when tethered.

Make sure the metal antennas are not damaged. If they are, you shoudl repair them.

Note that there is an antenna inside the plastic box. Having that antenna next to metal will harm its performance. (No matter what, the radios should work when a few feet apart though...)(Ditto for RFI: At 4 feet, RFI is highly unlikely to be an issue, FM capture is powerful)

Check the DE-9 cables, replace them or ohm them out (including shorts from one conductor to any other)

Try those & let us know.

Don

.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Jordan the firmware version can be determined by tethering the robot to the OI, then turn the power on the robot to "on". Immediately press the button under the display on the OI. Each press will cycle to another display, team number, battery voltage and firmware version. You will see a display that looks like "u15" indicating version 15. This only displays for the first fifteen seconds after power on.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by neutrino15

What do you mean by "v13 or greater"?
Should we be running the latest version? Or are you implying that v13 has a radio bug (and that we should downgrade)?

The latest version of the Master Code is fine, and if the radios have worked on that RC before then that's probably not the problem anyway.
v13 was just the first one to accommodate the "new" radios, so any master code version from 13 on will be fine.

[Ice Berg]

We have checked all of possibilities you have described and none were the problem (I'm working with Jordan). We have v15 master code. Today I tried using a different OI and the same problem occurred. We have also tried many different radios.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

This is from the IFI FAQ for the radios...


If pressing Reset on the Robot Controller does not work, then make sure the “Team Number" on both units is set correctly (by tethering on 2004 or newer systems). Then try new radio cables and then new radio modems.

Last edited by IFI Tech Support on Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 10:08 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Similar to one post already on this board we have been having problems with our radio modems. At first we thought it was our transmitter, as it would stay in Standby mode, and the No Data/Radio light would be a constant red. We were able to get a spare transmitter and it now seems to behave correctly. Now our receiver only stays in Standby, with a blinking No Data/Radio light on the OI. We also were able to get our hands on a spare receiver as well, but it behaves the same.

We have followed all the steps in the manual and those listed here by tethering the robot, pressing the reset buttons, etc... We are going to try changing the channel from 40 to something else using the instructions but I don't have much faith that will work.


Both the RC and OI Radio Modems transmit and receive. A solid Red LED for the No Data/Radio on the RC or OI indicates the unit can not communicate with the radio modem. The problem is a loose DB9 cable connection, a bad DB9 cable, a bad radio modem, and in very rare cases a bad RC or OI.

A Red blinking LED for the No Data/Radio on the OI indicates the unit is in search mode. The solid Amber/Yellow LED for the No Data/Radio on the RC indicates the unit is in search mode. The search mode is what you want but even under this situation the units still will not link if the team number inside the RC is not the same as the team number set on the OI. Both radio modems should be flashing Standby while tethered. In Search Mode, the OI radio modem should be flashing Transmit with a Standby flash about every 1-2 seconds and the RC radio modem should be a solid Standby.

Interference on channel 40 usually only causes an erratic radio link, but you should try another practice channel as you have suggested.

If the above does not help, please call 903-453-0802 between 8:00 – 5:00 CST with the system setup in front of you and we can help you troubleshoot it over the phone.
IFI people are really nice.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by Ice Berg

We have also tried many different radios.

That's certainly odd that neither of your two pairs of the newer radios work in any configuration.

So you tried:
-- Both your OI radios
-- Both your RC radios
-- New cables on both RC and OI
-- Two different OI's

Do you still have your 2007 and/or 2008 robots or are the controllers just stand-alone?

Is this a brand new setup or something that worked in the past?


Contacting IFI is a good idea if you've run out of combinations to test.

[Ice Berg]

Well, after incessant tinkering we finally got it to work! We aren't definitively sure what the problem was, but we are now testing all of the tethers in the lab. Thanks so much for all of your suggestions.

Seth, 694