For teams having trouble downloading code

[apalrd]

@rwood359
That is common. There is just an old version of code on the cRio.

@Greg:
So, you are saying the cRio isn't powerful enough? I will turn off the global logging and see if it helps. I'm not even using any camera-related things (no camera on dashboard or target tracking) so I can't imagine how many problems teams using it must be having. It would have been nice to know about this back in week 2 when we mounted the cRio way in the belly of the robot..

@Joe:
We must run as startup, since it has to load the code when we go on to the field. That LabVIEW RT dialog that says "Waiting for Real-time target" with the "stop waiting and disconnect" box during Run and Deploy had me thinking it had failed - when it hadn't. However, once I let it wait, sometimes it will actually fail and I will have to find a little screwdriver, reach way into the belly of the robot, flip the No App switch, try again, and flip the switch back.

I do not believe my code is overly processor-hungry, it has two threads processing PID loops running with 50hz (slightly faster than IFI processor) and a few other threads with open-loop controls running at 50hz or 20hz. My autonomous code has a single loop at 100hz (same speed as Victor updates), although it is not running when I am downloading. I have checked, and none of my VI's are running without waits. Last year we never had this problem. What has changed to cause this?

[rwood359]

Originally Posted by apalrd

@rwood359
That is common. There is just an old version of code on the cRio.

I understand that. The problem is that the new code will not load without re-imaging the cRIO or using the no app startup.

[Greg McKaskle]

Powerful is relative. As I said, I've never needed to use the switch. If the download fails, my assumption is that it is because the helper task that does the RT protocol, including downloading code, is not given enough CPU and is timing out. It could also be that it is failing for a reason unrelated to CPU.

Based upon the other posts you have made, it seems like something odd is definitely happening. Have you run the System Manager yet? I'm curious to see what it says, and in fact, you should be able to leave it up while you try to download. Even more informative would be to use the serial cable and the command line profiling.

I'd also be interested in running your project, looking at the performance, and determining why you are getting the dialog. I'll be leaving for the Dallas event tomorrow, so I may be slow getting to you, but you can post it here or PM and I'll give an email.

As for the processor power. Think of it as the immovable object/irresistible force conundrum. Computers do what you tell them, and the RT System Manager will help you figure out what it is being asked to do.

Greg McKaskle