Constant Orange Light on Spike

[DarkRune]

Hi guys,
Our compressor isn't running when we enable to robot, below is everything I've noticed:

Light on the Spike stays orange when we enable the robot
Light on the sidecar turns on when we enable
PWM cable has been switched out many times, still doesn't work
20 amp breaker in spike and pd board, neither breaker trips when we enable
Compressor works when bypassing the spike
We've been running the same compressor code since St. Louis, it worked at a previous off season, so we are very certain it is not a code problem

We have an off season event this friday, so any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Dylan

[AustinShalit]

Is your pressure switch connected to the digital sidecar?

[DarkRune]

Originally Posted by AustinShalit

Is your pressure switch connected to the digital sidecar?

Yes the pressure switch is connected to the digital side car. We've also tried various spikes and we can't get it to work.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Is the PWM cable on the spike properly seated?

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Is the PWM cable on the spike properly seated?

This times all of it. I have helped trouble-shoot so many "my compressor won't run" problems that traced back to this, especially when teams insisted that it was seated properly. It is really easy to mess up.

[DarkRune]

Okay, I'll redo the PWM cable once I get a chance, and the bad seating would be consistent with how the problems reoccur when we change the spike/pwm.

[G_rupp]

Do you have a replacement Spike. I have seen them just stop working.

[Tom Line]

Many times, if your PWM wire prongs are straight they may not make contact. We bend them slightly outward so they exert a bit of pressure in the connection. It helps keep them from falling out as well, but we still retain them with other methods because they just don't stay in.

[DarkRune]

We changed the PWM cable, bent out the prongs, still doesn't work. Also previously when we replaced the Spike with a brand new one it worked briefly, but after we turned it off, tied it down, and re-ran it, it no longer worked.

[audietron]

Something I have found is that If the Vex spikes are not working because of the loss PWM. I suggest is to test an old IFI Spike. The connection seems to be more solid.

[MrTechCenter]

Originally Posted by audietron

Something I have found is that If the Vex spikes are not working because of the loss PWM. I suggest is to test an old IFI Spike. The connection seems to be more solid.

Ditto. The VexPro spikes have given us a problems many times, like the PWM not being seated properly and for some reason the fuse is always either so tight it can't be pulled out ever or really loose. The old IFI spikes have never given us an issue.

[Joe Ross]

Given that the light on the DS turns on, that says the DS is getting the activation signal, which rules out the pressure switch or code.

Getting a PWM correctly seated in a Spike or Victor is an art. I suspect that is your problem, despite the fact that you tried multiple PWM cables. It may be helpful to get help from a local team that has the touch, if the problem persists.

One other thing I didn't see in your list is measuring the signal from the DS, although I don't think it is likely that this is the problem.