Posted on the FRCFIRST Robotics Competition Blog, 10/12/2023:
As teams begin to stock up and prepare for the CRESCENDOSM presented by Haas season, we wanted to share some more information about new technology available for the season including Beta Testing of software updates and new motors/controllers.
Beta Testing
The Control System software teams have been hard at work over the summer making various improvements and bug fixes and are about ready for teams to jump in and start testing. After a successful test of a more open Beta Test last year using GitHub and rolling application acceptance, the software Beta Test will be moving even further in that direction this year. The testing will again be facilitated using a GitHub project, but this year the project will be publicly accessible with no application or designated users required. The GitHub project is live now, and software is expected to be posted within the next few days. Users wishing to test LabVIEW will need to fill out a quick form to request a license key.
New Motors/Controllers
In addition to the existing motors and controllers listed in R501 and R503 of the 2023 Game Manual, there will be 3 new devices we plan to add for 2024:
Kraken X60
The first new device we have approved is the Kraken X60, a high-power, high-performance brushless motor from WestCoast Products. It uses an integral spline shaft to facilitate robust power transfer and allows for easy support of the motor shaft with an 8mm bearing if needed. A flexible design architecture allows for support of both integrated and external motor controllers. For the 2024 season, the motor will be approved for use only with an integrated CTR Electronics TalonFX controller (combined PN: WCPWest Coast Products-0940). For more information, see the WCPWest Coast Products Product Page.
NEO Vortex
The second device we have approved is the NEO Vortex motor, which is a high-power, high-performance, and high-resolution sensored brushless motor from REV Robotics. It features a dockable controller interface that can be mounted directly to the SPARK Flex (described below) or a standalone adapter allowing control from any brushless motor controller like the SPARK MAX. Its through-bore rotor is the heart of its unique interchangeable shaft system, facilitating easy integration with various robot mechanisms. For more information, see the REV Robotics info page.
SPARK Flex
The third device we plan to approve is the SPARK Flex, a new smart motor controller from REV Robotics. Its dockable form factor allows for direct mounting onto a NEO Vortex, simplifying wiring while maintaining flexibility. Improving upon the foundation of the SPARK MAX, new features include 3-phase current sensing, reverse polarity protection, and an expanded Data Port with additional interfaces. When docked to an adapter, the SPARK Flex can control any existing NEO or compatible brushless/brushed DC motor. For more information, see the REV Robotics info page.
Please be aware this is not the correct weight of the Vortex. Since it isn’t posted yet, I’m using the NEO+Spark MAX weight as an estimate. The only column this affects is the peak power : weight ratio.
The colors are gross and hard to differentiate on the graph. Sorry. Will fix eventually.
If you got the performance numbers for the REV motor from Introducing the Next Generation of SPARK & NEO, I’d take them with a grain of salt. Their stall current, among other things, for the Falcon 500 and NEO 1.1 are lower than what ReCalc and even WPILIb have (WPILib gets them from motors.vex.com).
EDIT: There’s also this from that page:
Measured with our internal dynamometer, this data may differ from other vendor published specifications due to differences in testing methodologies. We believe that an accurate comparison of different motors should be made from data taken in the same manner across all tested devices. We will continue to test and retest motors, as the performance of brushless motors can be significantly impacted by motor controller firmware updates. Additionally, we intend to continue our testing of all legal FRCFIRST Robotics Competition motors and post those results to the motors.revrobotics.com webpage which will be coming soon. Documentation of our testing methods will be published as soon as possible so that they can replicated within the community to encourage outside validation of vendor specifications.
The increased stall torque and great features IMO can definitely be a worthy investment for teams who need them or would otherwise greatly benefit from them.
Since WPILib uses a single branch, does anyone see a reason to stick to the beta tag, over simply living on the tip? We’ve been doing that for months now and it seems plenty stable.
The main thing is you won’t get everything else the installer installs for you: new vscode and vscode extension, new desktop tools, new compiler, offline maven dependencies so build doesn’t hit internet, etc.
Nearly all of the dashboards benefit from the NetworkTables stability improvements. We’re also making some significant changes to how SysId works but that work is still in progress.
