Pneumatics NOT Working - Help - Pictures included

Technical Electrical
#1

So we have our programming done and it’s all correct and we are trying to start our compressor. The constructor is: Compressor(1,1) which is where the pressure switch channel is and the compressor relay channel…

We feel like we have everything hooked properly. Also, can someone please clarify what the
red - green
red - green represent on the relay section of the Digital IO

I circled it in the pictures.
http://i.imgur.com/78Yda3v.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ji30FgU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8Gce4hO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I5WPmC0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DhSgiuI.jpg

#2

Have you called Compressor.start();?

What is the resistance across the pressure switch? It should be closed, that is, passing current.

Is everything seated properly, especially the PWM connector into the Spike?

What are the lights next to the relay connector on the DSC doing?

#3

Is the red wire connected to the GND input on the Spike actually +volts?

#4

This does not affect the not running issue but…

Check your wiring. Wire color and whether hooked to + or - is specified in the rules. It also looks like you have your pump wired - relay to + pump. The pump will still run but may not be as efficient.

#5

x2 on checking that the PWM cable is connected in the spike, that is REALLY easy to mess up.

Like Al points out… red wire going to GND connection on the spike? That’s just asking for trouble. Like Andy points out the compressor appears to be wired in reverse too… which is a bad idea, specifically pointed out in the FRC pneumatics tutorial.

A healthy amount of self doubt might be good here. Obviously it’s not hooked up right and/or the programming is not correct, otherwise it would work! :stuck_out_tongue: I would suggest reading through any tutorials you can find, taking everything apart, then re-assembling everything while reading/following the tutorial a second (or third) time. That’s what I do.

#6

It is difficult to tell from the picture due to the wires going off screen and a hand blocking the leads on the spike, but based on the swapped red and blue wires on the power distribution board in the lower left (third picture) it is possible that the red wire is actually ground. Maybe the OP can confirm.

OP, it is against the rules to wire with blue wires attached to + and red wires attached to -, per R49. This will also make it easier on yourself and others when troubleshooting electrical issues.

#7

One more possibility.
Are you using +24 volt solenoids and trying to drive them with +12 volts?

#8

Umm, you appear to have plugged your PWM cable leading to the Spike into a motor speed controller/servo output rather than the proper RELAY output.
If that one PWM cable on a Relay connection is from your Spike, then according to your code the Spike needs to be connected to Relay 1.
The proper connection pins are a couple of millimeters to the right of the Relay LED that is glowing. Those LEDs are side by side with the pins that are firing.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14741&d=1367246283

#9

The green leds is Forward
RED is Reverse

On the posted pictures it seems like you have hooked up the (PWM) connector in reverse the ground should be facing outwards (black) on the Digital sidecar the connection on the spike is correct. Please note not to run your compressor backwards. (AKA the light on the spike is red instead of orange or green)

Note: The Spike does not use pwm as a signal rather it has a ground in two “digital” inputs. Truth table can be read in the Spike datasheet.

The jist of it is it needs 12V on the Red and/or white pin to do anything. Black will be ground

Digital Sidecar datasheet:
http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedImages/Robotics_Programs/FRC/Game_and_Season__Info/2014/Digital_Sidecar.pdf.

Vex Spike (H-Bridge) Datasheet