Camera Keeps Breaking

Every time we try to use our camera with a program the lights turn orange and the camera stops sending images to the dashborad.

Can any one Help?

I assume from your post that the camera works when it’s connected directly to a laptop, is that correct?

If so, does it work with the default vision code?

The camera is expected to turn orange when it is power cycled–this means that it’s booting up, and can’t send images. If your code is expecting images during this time, you will indeed see the problem you described, but it should resolve itself after a few seconds.

If the camera reset button, or any of the metal parts of the camera enclosure are in contact with the robot frame, this can cause electrical disturbances in the camera that could result in the same syptoms.

Can you give a little more detail about what you mean by “use our camera with a program”? The Dashboard video display is only there when a program is running on the robot, and saying that it stops implies that it was there in the first place.

If it isn’t the reset button being pressed, you may want to wiggle the power cable to see if you can provoke the reboot. I saw a team try and use the coaxial power cord and they weren’t too successful. If that is it, you may need to figure a way to hold the cable still relative to the camera.

Greg McKaskle