To set a Falcon/Talon FX to brake mode, do you only have to push the button on the Talon FX? When in brake mode, is the “red” light really faint? Does the code also need to be changed to enable brake mode? We are trying to set are elevator to brake mode but can’t tell if we have succeeded and there does not appear to be any change in function.
You can do it manually, in code, or both.
We do it in code and have code to reconfigure each falcon every time we boot up the robot. Avoids any accidental issues.
What are you expecting to have happen when in brake mode? It will usually not automatically hold a mechanism in place, but it will provide resistance to the motor turning and that resistance is sometimes enough. It more or less shorts the leads of the motor together to accomplish this.
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We saw several robots last week reportedly using brake mode to maintain a climb for the 5 seconds. They were using mostly neos with reductions in the 20-30:1 range. We have 2 linked Falcons with 25:1 reductions and fall like a stone with no change between brake and coast. Hence our question, trying to figure out what we are doing wrong perhaps.
m_LeftWinchMotor.setIdleMode(IdleMode.kBrake);
We are using NEOs 20:1. Brake mode helps but using ratchet system.
Code for Falcon:
m_leftMotor.setNeutralMode(NeutralMode.Brake);
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Are you able to link pictures of your climb mechanism? That makes a difference, too. If there’s little friction in your system that could be part of it. We’re using 2 separate 35:1 NEOs with ratchets, but plan to try just brake mode at some point and see what happens–the ratchets are a safety factor.
You’ll be able to tell if you’re definitely in brake mode if it takes a little more to rotate the motor than when in coast, too.
it’s a simple Cascade rigged 3-stage elevator. We really can’t feel the difference between the modes when turning the motors or lifting the elevator by hand.
You should definitely be able to feel the difference.
Robot has power right? It doesn’t have to be enabled, but brake mode require the robot to be on.
Are you doing a factory reset in code every time you initialize your climber subsystem? You might need to explicitly set it to brake mode in code after resetting to get it working.
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We can’t get it to work the first time so haven’t tested what happens when we restart.
Yes
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Hello. We are using brake mode on 1 neo with a 25:1 we way 103. It holds us up long enough. The issue could be the spool diameter. Ours is small. With yours being a cascade system there is probably more torque. But it is also probably better for yall to move to a higher reduction to get to the same hold torque. How fast do you climb?
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Worth noting our spool is just a hex shaft with flat stra coiling up on it.
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for some insight, we have a single falcon in break mode running through a bane-bot 64:1 gear ratio. We are using a 3 inch diameter spool and and there is no back drive. The only way to unspool the rope is by turning the robot off because even when the disabled, break mode is active. This is because break mode come preset in every falcon. To turn off “break mode”, you have to set it to “coast mode” in code.
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We have a 1.5" diameter sprocket driving the lift. We climb in less than 2 seconds. We can move to a higher reduction but are concerned it will not work if we cannot figure out why we can’t seem to get into brake mode.
We set ours up in code.
We also have the BB 64:1 transmission/Falcon 500 with no back drive after winching up. Robot weighs 120 - 125 lbs. It was a great surprise as we were planning on using an six point ratcheting wrench as we’ve done in the past using a CIM.
Forgot to answer your question. The Brake light on the Falcon is extremely hard to see. We set brake mode in code.
Here is what we discovered.
The BC button LED is very faint but detectable.
There is a huge difference between brake and coast. We are holding our climb with it.
The brake/coast setting is on coast by default and can be changed in code or by pushing the button.
We had trouble changing it from brake back to coast with the button push and had to do a re calibration. It probably could have been done in code but they weren’t there. We might have not been pressing it properly.
I don’t think you should’ve needed to re-calibrate.
You can’t set the break mode by pressing the button if you set the mode in code. The code overrides the button iirc.