Help for a rookie team?

[~Cory~]

I would check and make sure that the physical cRIO is set up properly. I think your mentor may have done this, but connect a serial cable to the cRIO and read the output. Any potential errors will pop up then. If you can't find anything post the output here so we could take a look.

[cjackson]

What do you go to to read the output?

[sam_who]

Originally Posted by cjackson

What do you go to to read the output?

There is a DB9 on the cRIO. You can connect this to a serial port (direct connect or via a USB dongle) on your PC. Using a terminal program (like hyperterminal), you can view messages as your cRIO boots. I believe the comm setup is 9600 baud, 8 bits, no parity and 1 stop bit. Also, I'm pretty sure you only need three pins connected: 2, 3 and 5. I can't remember whether 2 or 3 is transmit (or receive).

To use the DB9, one of the rocker dip switches on the cRIO needs in the correct position. Can't remember which one. Can't remember what position.

[ATannahill]

You said you installed two updates, IIRC there were three. A LabVIEW update, utilities update and driver station update.

Are you deploying the code or just running it?

Are you remembering to build the code first?

[dsmith14469]

When deploying code you also have to make sure you use the "Run on Start" or something close to that. If this option is not chosen the code will download to the CRio but not run when the CRio is powered on.

[huberje]

I am not very familiar with the programming aspects of the robot, but I do know what you mean when you mention "Robot Code Light." There have been several instances last year when it would take a very long time to light up, sometimes around five minutes. Just as an extra consideration, I would make sure to wait a few moments before trying again.

I'm sorry that I could not offer more help, but I hope you get what you need. Good luck!

[apalrd]

The Robot Code light will only come on when code is running. A slightly annoying fact (for rookies at least) is that the current control system has no "default code", meaning that when you image the cRio there is just nothing. In LabVIEW, you would go to Builds, then right-click "FRC Boot-Up Deployment" and set "Run As Startup". Then, code will exist on the cRio. If you want to test your code, you can go to Robot Main.vi and press the "play" button, and it will download your code temporarily (you loose it when you power down), but it is faster and you can see the front panels, which is useful when debugging.

Also - I have honestly never used the DB9 serial connection. Most things (in LabVIEW at least) can be solved with the indicator lights on the cRio itself (and its surrounding boards such as the DSC), the Driver Station, and LabVIEW.

You don't have to use the Classmate to download code. Any laptop which LabVIEW will run on (anything running Windows, no macs) will work. You would use it exactly the same, just set a static IP address on the same subnet (but not one of the reserved IP addresses).

If you have any questions about LabVIEW, feel free to PM me.

Oh yeah - the robot code light isn't the fastest light either. It shouldn't take more than a minute, though.

[cjackson]

Ok, so I think we have most of our problems fixed now, but we ran into a new problem.

• One or more of the VIs got renamed last night and we can't find it. I believe it was called mymotor0.vi and mymotordirect.vi or something like that

I assume they are in the Robotics Library inside the VI library folder. Is there a way to redownload this folder or could someone updload their robotics library?

And thanks to everyone who has been helping out. Team 3502 really appreciates it.

[winglerw28]

We had a similar issue last year with no spare laptop. The most elegant solution is to re-flash the classmate, re-install this year's updated software (I recommend forgoing AVG as you won't really be surfing the web with the thing), and then plug in an external USB DVD drive to install an updated version of LabView and run from there.

As for your new issue, try creating a new FRC Robot Project, perhaps a new mymotor.vi will be created.

[DFZXA]

Wait you lost your wpi robotics library? I don't know if I'm reading that right, but that's what it sounds like.

[cjackson]

Originally Posted by DFZXA

Wait you lost your wpi robotics library? I don't know if I'm reading that right, but that's what it sounds like.

Well, It's in my recycle bin for the time being. I know the Labview update 3.0 installs the Robotics Library, so I was hoping running the setup in that would replace it again, but it did not.

I'll probably end up uninstalling, then reinstalling Labview today.