We need a spreadsheet to track inputs and outputs of our RoboRio and Power Distribution Board for both our electrical team as well as for programming to reference. Does anyone have one to track roboRio ports and wires? We want to make one where its half spreadsheet easy for programming to reference, and a half picture with roborio and PDB for electrical to print off and troubleshoot with. Right now all we have is a really simple one with only a few columns, but before we spend the time developing one, wanted to see if there was someone else that has already made an awesome one. If not, after we finish ours we’ll be sure to post it for anyone to use!
There’s nothing on spreadsheets on a given port going to a talon or something due to that being user specific. Here’s an electronics diagram on where certain electrical components plug into the NI roboRio and PDP. What you could do is label all of the connections manually on the robot or make your own spreadsheet. Hope this helps.
We’re quite comprehensive. Among other things, while all wiring is done neat enough to be able to manually trace cables, we also colour code both ends to speed things up.
The tongue in cheek goal is if the documentation is good enough, there is no reason for software to talk to us
This is copy of our motor function sheet. Please note that there are colors involved in the sheet. We use color wire marking tape (available from Digikey) to identify everything. The breaker, power wiring, PWM position and wiring on the RoboRio, the motor controller or Spike and the motor or other device controlled by that branch. If the yellow motor is not working, look for the yellow controlled, breaker and PWM for a problem.
The striped colors indicate either a white or black tape in addition to the color. Note also that the breaker size and motor controller output wiring polarity is also included.
The wire marking tape comes in a ten color dispenser (EIA colors) made by 3M for about $30. Yes it’s expensive but it eliminates schematics for troubleshooting. Even mechanical can identify were the problem might be.
A local alternative to Al’s wire marking tape are these books of wire marking stickers. $7.96 at Home Depot.
Like 111, we don’t bother with a schematic. Instead, we print the robot map from the robot program and use that as a reference. That, plus wires marked at both ends (yes, every wire), is adequate.
One other tip. Always connect motors and power to speed controllers with the red wire connected to the positive terminal and the black wire connected to the negative terminal. If you notice that your motor is turning backwards, it’s tempting to fix it by swapping the polarity of the wires. The problem is that you need to remember that orientation if you replace a part. Better to do the swap in the program and have the physical wiring on the robot standardized.
