PWMs not outputting in Autonomous

system · February 6, 2007, 9:22pm

Hello! I don’t know if this question has been answered yet, but I didn’t seem to find an answer anywhere.

When we are trying to run autonomous code, PWMs 1-12 aren’t doing anything, and the speed controllers that are hooked up into those PWMs are blinking yellow. We think that the PWMs aren’t being enabled, but we’re not quite sure how to do that in the autonomous code. We have the drivetrain motors in PWMs 13-16, and those are working fine. Nothing else, however, will work.

// If it might be part of the problem, we’re using Kevin’s streamlined code as a base.

Please help as soon as possible! Thanks!

meatmanek · February 6, 2007, 9:25pm

Perhaps you deleted this line:

    Putdata(&txdata);   /* DO NOT DELETE, or you will get no PWM outputs! */

which goes after Generate_Pwms

system · February 6, 2007, 9:28pm

No, that’s not the issue. I made sure that I didn’t delete any lines when I wrote the code. I just double checked, and that line is definitely where it’s supposed to be.

Anything else that might be the problem?

meatmanek · February 6, 2007, 9:41pm

Mind posting your User_Autonomous_Code?

EHaskins · February 6, 2007, 10:10pm

If you leave the robot in autonomous mode do you get a code error light?

system · February 6, 2007, 11:32pm

Surprisingly, no. It runs like it’s supposed to as I watched the terminal window, but nothing from 1-12 actually runs.

As for posting my code, I’ll get to that ASAP. I should be able to get it up tomorrow.

Jared_Russell · February 7, 2007, 12:21am

Blinking yellow speed controllers usually indicate a connectivity problem with the signal…I’m assuming they work under human operation?

Are you calling something that might modify the PWM values before you call PutData()? Try printing out the values RIGHT before you PutData().

Inverted · February 7, 2007, 1:27pm

I had the same problem with my motor output during autonomous. I changed the “Generate Pwms” function to his “PWM” function and everything worked. Hope the problem is as simple as that.

system · February 7, 2007, 1:56pm

Make sure that your PWM outputs are not 127 by default. At the top of the autonomous loop, all the PWMs are set to 127 by default, this may have something to do with it.

system · February 8, 2007, 7:12pm

Well, all the motors work under human operation, and I haven’t gotten around to messing with it yet today (I just got here )

Anyways, here’s my autonomous function before modification today:

void User_Autonomous_Code(void)
{
  /* Initialize all PWMs and Relays when entering Autonomous mode, or else it
     will be stuck with the last values mapped from the joysticks.  Remember, 
     even when Disabled it is reading inputs from the Operator Interface. 
  */
  pwm01 = pwm02 = pwm03 = pwm04 = pwm05 = pwm06 = pwm07 = pwm08 = 127;
  pwm09 = pwm10 = pwm11 = pwm12 = pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 127;
  relay1_fwd = relay1_rev = relay2_fwd = relay2_rev = 0;
  relay3_fwd = relay3_rev = relay4_fwd = relay4_rev = 0;
  relay5_fwd = relay5_rev = relay6_fwd = relay6_rev = 0;
  relay7_fwd = relay7_rev = relay8_fwd = relay8_rev = 0;

  while (autonomous_mode)   /* DO NOT CHANGE! */
  {
    if (statusflag.NEW_SPI_DATA)      /* 26.2ms loop area */
    {
        Getdata(&rxdata);   /* DO NOT DELETE, or you will be stuck here forever! */

        /* Add your own autonomous code here. */
		// STEP 1 - Initialize the Camera
		Tracking_Info_Terminal();
		Camera_Handler();
		Servo_Track();

		if(Get_Tracking_State() >= TARGET_IN_VIEW)
		{
			// STEP 2 - Make Robot Face the Light
			if((((int)PAN_SERVO-124)*65)/124 < 0)
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = 62;
				pwm15 = pwm16 = 192;
				centered = 0;
			}
			else if((((int)PAN_SERVO-124)*65)/124 > 0) 
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = 192;
				pwm15 = pwm16 = 62;
				centered = 0;
			}
			else
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 127;
				centered = 1;
			}
		
			// STEP 3 - Drive Robot forward until 4 feet in front of Rack

			if((((int)TILT_SERVO-144)*25)/50 < 67 && centered == 1)
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 192;
			}
			
			if(centered == 1 && (((int)TILT_SERVO-144)*25)/50 >= 67)
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 127;
				
				// STEP 4 - Move the arm to the center position
				if(counter < 624 && arminpos == 0)
				{
					pwm08 = 254;
					counter++;
					if(counter == 624)
					{
						arminpos = 1;
					}
				}	
			}
			counter = 0;

			// STEP 5 - Place the tube on the leg
			if(arminpos == 1)
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 192;
				counter++;
				if(counter == 26) 
				{
					overdisk = 1;
					pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 127;
				}		
			
				if(counter < 208 && clawopen == 0)
				{
					pwm05 = 192;
					if(overdisk == 1)
					{
						counter++;
					}
				}

				if(counter == 208)
				{
					clawopen = 1;  counter = 0;  pwm05 = 127;
				}
			}

			if(clawopen == 1)
			{
				pwm13 = pwm14 = pwm15 = pwm16 = 62;
			}
			// END AUTONOMOUS CODE
		}

	    PWM(pwm13,pwm14,pwm15,pwm16);

        Putdata(&txdata);   /* DO NOT DELETE, or you will get no PWM outputs! */
    }
  }
}

Thanks for the help. Hopefully this gets fixed today.

wingnut1705 · February 8, 2007, 7:49pm

system · February 8, 2007, 8:10pm

You mean like this?

PWM(pwm01,pwm02,pwm05,pwm08,pwm13,pwm14,pwm15,pwm16);

Or this?

PWM(pwm01,pwm02,pwm05,pwm08);
PWM(pwm13,pwm14,pwm15,pwm16);

If we do the first one, then there’s an error saying there’s too many calls in the argument. The second one doesn’t work either because apparently the PWM() function only affects 13-16. I think I have an idea, though, and I’ll see if it works.

Edit: Yeah, I didn’t think it would. I thought the problem may have been PWM vs. Generate_Pwms, but that’s not the issue.

gnirts · February 8, 2007, 8:35pm

No, the PWM() only deals with 13-16. Try setting all your PWMs to 254 (disconnect any motors first!) and then power up and go into autonomous. Take the PWM cable coming from your Victor and move it up from 1 through 12, and see if the light on the Victor stays blinking orange or if it changes to green or red. If so, then one of your outputs may be bad. If not, switch cables and repeat. I have encountered several bad cables this year. If none of your cables working, switch Victors. The connection from the cable to the Victor is commonly loose on our 'bot this year too.

If none of these work, use the dashboard program (either IFI’s or Sean Witte (sp?)) and see if they read 254 or not.

I take it that the PWMs work fine in Teleoperated mode?

Good luck,
Robinson

system · February 8, 2007, 8:54pm

Yes, the PWMs work fine in Teleoperated mode.

Anyway, using that test, the Victor was blinking yellow from PWMs 1 - 12, but it was green from PWMs 13 - 16, and yet all 16 of them were reading 254, so we think it has to be initialization or something to that effect. Thanks for the suggestion.

gnirts · February 8, 2007, 9:08pm

If they read 254 on the Dashboard then I would hazard that it is an electrical problem, not strictly software. Did you use this Dashboard, plugged into your OI, to test?

On last possible test I can think of would be to try this year’s FRC plugged into some of the Victors on last year’s 'bot. I am assuming at this point that everything else about autonomous work? (eg. analog inputs, digital in/outputs, etc.)

If you happen to be in charge of electrical as well, I’m sorry, but I can’t really tell you how to proceed from here, other than maybe trying this year’s speed controllers on last year’s bot.

Good luck again (it’s starting to sound like you need it),
Robinson

system · February 8, 2007, 9:25pm

Well, I don’t know much about the electrical side, either, so you’re not alone. I’ll have to ask the electrical team to look at it. Thanks for your advice, at least it’s narrowed down the problem. If it actually isn’t the problem, then (I’m going to regret this) I may have to drop the autonomous mode (which would not be good…). Thanks, anyway.