First, we’d like to bring your attention to a recent post regarding the latest batch of CANcoders. Please check out the post below if you find the plastic tab on your CANcoder housing is a bit too long to allow your wires to pass through.
Phoenix 2023 Beta Announcement
We also would like to announce that Phoenix Beta is underway for the 2023 season!
This covers a general update on Phoenix 5 and Tuner v1, as well as announcing our new Tuner X application and Phoenix Pro API! https://store.ctr-electronics.com/phoenix-2023-announcement
To offset development costs, a hardware licensing fee will be required to use Phoenix Pro. Pricing and information will be available in the CTR-Electronics store later this year, and there will be multiple license options to accommodate FRC teams.
What About Phoenix 5?
Phoenix 5 will still be maintained and supported in FRC for the foreseeable future. Additionally, our design allows for application software to mix Phoenix 5 devices and Phoenix Pro devices in their application.
Is this a joke? I have to pay for a software license to use all of the features of my $180 motor-controller combo? Features that have been advertised but undelivered for almost three years?
I wonder what the use case is for FOC vs. non-FOC control modes, or rather, in what situation would I not want to use FOC. I’m especially interested in the effect on low-end torque.
If CTRE forces Falcon users to pay for an API to use a feature that was promised at launch, it will probably be the most disgraceful move by an FRC vendor since Digilent copied the Talon SRX. Possibly worse, because at least Digilent didn’t sell hardly any of their motor controllers. I’m hoping that our choice of paying for an API does not influence the availability of FOC. Charging for an advertised feature like this is something I’d expect from a low-end Kickstarter project. But it’s possible that the surcharge is only for the improved API, and not the feature itself.
I can understand the anger over the FOC feature being pay walled.
At the same time, I think people need to take a deep breath before they break out any pitch forks (or silly hyperbole).
Seems like there are a lot of features in there that we’ve never seen before, and I’m excited about those. And I understand why a company that sees a future developing software needs to charge for it. If you wonder why, just take a look at the threads about motor reuse.
Not even an apology for charging for a feature that was promised as part of another product that was launched THREE years ago. If you’re gonna be this terrible at providing the product you promised, at least show the slightest semblance of remorse for brazenly lying to your customers.
Beyond just the paywall issue, which is insane in itself, the fact that high requested features like decent units are part of it, and only works on falcons and not talons are crazy. Those have been requested for years, and to see them locked down is crazy.
Yo uh isn’t this typically called “buying the device”? Gonna have some self control, but others have already said this.
The features were used to sell a product. Said products are now in hand. The money has been spent. Product does not have feature yet. C’mon y’all. Read the room. People are upset, were upset, and will continue to be upset.
The issue with this is teams that choose not to participate in purchasing Falcons may be tangibly left behind if the FOC claims of 15% increase of peak power with FRC voltages/current limits are true.
Hooooooooooo boy. I have some choice words if FOC is indeed paywalled.
Paywalling software for FRC in a freemium model is not something I’d ordinarily be upset about. I’m part of a project that is doing that as well. I get it, you have to make your money somewhere.
Paying a license per device is when you have already paid for the device is really pushing it.
If you paywall FOC, a feature I paid for 3 years ago and still haven’t received, 2023 will be the last season we spend a dime on Vex and CTRE products.
I seriously don’t understand how CTRE and Vex can be so tone-deaf.
I wonder if they’ve considered the possibility of having to deal with a class action lawsuit because I sure am.
Will 1718 be switching away from labview? Otherwise you might not be able to use the features anyway
Languages Supported
Phoenix Pro targets the C++ and Java use case. Additional support for text-based language interfaces (FRC-python, C#) may be added in the future depending on customer demand and feedback. LabVIEW is currently unsupported due to a limitation of the LabVIEW environment.