Team 103 Control System Powerpoint

[Wetzel]

Question about the last slide, deployed vs flashing. Is deployed mode where you tether the robot to the computer to run code or is it running the robot code in simulation? The slide seems to say that you can run the robot on code stored on the programming computer.

Wetzel

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Wetzel

Question about the last slide, deployed vs flashing. Is deployed mode where you tether the robot to the computer to run code or is it running the robot code in simulation? The slide seems to say that you can run the robot on code stored on the programming computer.

In the first case, the program is running in RAM on the cRIO and data is sent both directions between the cRIO and the programming computer. This allows you to use real debugging features (breakpoints, stepping, watches/probes, see all your front panels in LabVIEW, etc). In this way, it is like the program is running on your computer. When you turn off the robot (or stop the program) there is no code left in the robot.

In the second case, the program is running in flash on the cRIO. This is like when you programmed the IFI controller. The program will still be there between power cycles, but there is more limited debugging capabilities.

[EricVanWyk]

Originally Posted by Wetzel

Question about the last slide, deployed vs flashing. Is deployed mode where you tether the robot to the computer to run code or is it running the robot code in simulation? The slide seems to say that you can run the robot on code stored on the programming computer.

Wetzel

Your interpretation of the slide is correct. You can temporarily store a program in RAM without over-writing the existing program in flash. Very useful for debugging and tweaking. The cRIO has several cool features that allow you to debug faster stronger better.

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by EricVanWyk

Your interpretation of the slide is correct. You can temporarily store a program in RAM without over-writing the existing program in flash. Very useful for debugging and tweaking. The cRIO has several cool features that allow you to debug faster stronger better.

We seem to have found one "gotcha" to this scenario.

If you have a "REAL" program in flash that is set to Run On Startup (ROS) and then you "debug" a different program (which has never been set to "Run on Startup") then the debugging process clears the ROS flag.

This means that if you power down or reset, although your REAL program is still in flash, it won't run. You will see a "No Code" warning on the DS.

The trick seems to be to pull up your REAL program after debugging, and just right=click on the RT node, and select "Connect". This will quickly re-establish the ROS flag so it's safe to reset.

Phil.

[Booksy]

Nice! Very good info. Thanks for putting this up here.

Can't wait!... 21 17 25 23!

[Jon236]

From one of Team 236's mentors,

Here's a blurb from the LabVIEW help that I think is applicable:

Running a Stand-Alone Real-Time Application (RT Module)
You can create a stand-alone real-time application using the LabVIEW Application Builder and set the application to run when you power on an RT target. You can create multiple build specifications that configure the settings of stand-alone real-time applications under an RT target. However, you can set only one stand-alone real-time application as startup for an RT target. When you set a build specification as the startup application for an RT target, LabVIEW displays a green border around the icon for the build specification in the Project Explorer window.


To run a built stand-alone real-time application, right-click the build specification in the Project Explorer window and select Run as startup from the shortcut menu. The Run as startup shortcut menu item sets the application as the startup application, deploys the application to the target, and prompts you to reboot the RT target.


You also can complete the following steps to run a stand-alone real-time application as the startup application on an RT target.


Build the stand-alone real-time application.
Right-click the build-specification and select Set as startup from the shortcut menu to enable the application to run when you reboot or power on the RT target.
Right-click the build specification and select Deploy from the shortcut menu to deploy the application to the RT target.
Right-click the RT target and select Utilities»Reboot to reboot the RT target and run the stand-alone real-time application.
Note You cannot run a stand-alone real-time application without setting the application as startup and rebooting the RT target.

[OZ_341]

Just a note that we recorded the entire Ramp Riot Presentation on an HD camera. We just finished editing and compressing it and should have it available to post on both the 103 and 341 sites very soon.

Thanks again to Team 103 for presenting this seminar.