Check if Talon is not wired

[Merfoo]

Hello, is there a way to check if a Talon is not plugged in using Java by chance? We're trying to write a diagnostics program for the robot this year.

[Joe Ross]

There is no direct way, as there is no feedback from the Talon. The only FRC legal speed controller that supports this type of feedback is a Jaguar using CAN Bus.

You can either add a sensor, or possibly utilize an existing sensor. For example, if you have an encoder on your drivetrain, you can move the drivetrain at a low speed for a short time, and verify that the encoder reading changed. Alternately, you could add a voltage or current sensor to the output of the Talon.

[JohnGilb]

We have a diagnostics program for our robot - but it does require human interaction. It has individual tests like:

-Run the front two wheels forward
-Run the rear two wheels forward
-Run the left two wheels forward
-Run the right two wheels forward
-Actuate the arms to lowest & highest extents
-etc...

At each stage, it tells you which test is running (like "Running the front two wheels forward") and asks you to verify that it is doing so. By pressing a button on the dashboard to acknowledge the result of the test (whether positive or negative) it will move on to the next test.

Something along those lines is useful for things where you don't have appropriate feedback for the robot to test itself.