Lights are your friends

Indicator lights on the various control system components can go a long way to helping troubleshoot issues. This guide prepared by CSA Laura Rhodes should give some insight into the possible problems with your robots.

Robot Signal Light

  • Fast Blink = cRIO not communicating with Driver Station
  • Slow Blink = disabled
  • Short on/long-off Blink = either low battery or no code & disabled
  • Long on/short off blink = Teleop mode
  • Solid on = Autonomous mode

Power Distribution Board

  • LEDs for each power supply circuit. They light red if and only if there is a load present and either the breaker is absent or the breaker is blown
  • Should always have 3 green LED’s for 5V, 24V, and 12V indicators

cRIO

  • Verify Ethernet communications by flashing leds next to Ethernet
  • Verify green power LED, amber status LED should be off
  • Analog Input card and Solenoid Output card will have lit LED when powered

Digital Sidecar

  • Should always have 3 green lights – BAT, 5V, 6V
  • RSL matches robot signal light pattern

Jaguar speed controllers

Normal:

  • Solid Yellow = Neutral (speed set to 0) Fast Flashing Green = Forward
  • Fast Flashing Red = Reverse
  • Solid Green = Full speed forward
  • Solid Red = Full speed reverse

Fault Conditions:

  • Slow Flashing Yellow= Loss of CAN or PWM link or Robot Disabled
  • Slow Flashing Red = Fault
  • No light = no power (check power connection)

Victor speed controllers

  • Solid Green = Full forward
  • Solid Orange = Neutral/Brake
  • Solid Red = Full Reverse
  • Note that no light on the Victor can indicate partial throttle

Fault Conditions:

  • Flashing Orange = No PWM signal
  • Flashing Red = Failed Calibration
  • No light = no power

Talon speed controllers

  • Solid Green = Full Forward (positive output voltage equal to input voltage)
  • Flashing Green = Forward (rate of led blinking is proportional to percent throttle)
  • Solid Red = Full Reverse (output voltage equal to input voltage multiplied by -1)
  • Flashing Red = Reverse (rate of led blinking is proportional to percent throttle)
  • Solid Orange = Talon is in the enabled state and the throttle is within the 4% dead band

Fault Conditions:

  • Flashing Orange = No PWM signal or robot is disabled.
  • Flashing Red+Orange = Fault (Undervoltage, Over temperature, or shorted output)