4. Elements of the System
National Instruments cRIO
Digital Sidecar
Power Distribution Board
Analog Bumper
Pneumatics Bumper
Netbook Driver Station
Wireless Interface (802.11)
Camera
Motor controllers and relays
5. cRIO
ModularController, Industrial Strength
Comes with multiple interface modules
◦ 2 Analog Input Modules
Plus 2 Analog Breakout
◦ 2 Digital Input/Output Modules
Connect via really big cable to Digital Sidecar
◦ 1 Digital Output Module
Use with Solenoid Breakout
Veteran teams do not get new cRIO’s and
modules
Rookie teams will get new smaller cRIO
6. cRIO and Modules
Legacy Teams have 8-slot cRIO chassis
Rookie teams will get new 4-slot cRIO
7. Digital Sidecar
Connects to cRIO9403 with 32-pin cable
Provides
◦ 10 PWM outputs (Victors, Jaguars, RC
servos)
Can be configured on a per-output basis to drive
6V RC servos with jumpers
◦ 14 GPIO with +5V on each
◦ 16 Relay Outputs
◦ I2C headers (Standard and NXT-compatible)
◦ 12V supply,
Provides +5V output
9. Power Distribution Module
Custom Design by FIRST
6-15 VDC, reverse polarity protected
Metric shanks, not SAE!
8 outputs for 40A breakers
12 outputs for 30A/20A breakers
24VDC output for CompactRIO
12V output
5V output for camera
LED’s for power supplies and open
breakers
12. Analog Breakout
5V/3A for powering sensors
8 Analog Inputs, 3 pin PWM cable config.
Mounts to NI 9201 Analog Module
Configurable to make one input capable
of measuring battery voltage - mandatory
LED to indicate bumper has power
Power to bumper requires wiring to
power distribution module
14. Pneumatics Breakout
Reverse-battery protection
8 Outputs to directly drive solenoids
Mounts to NI 9472 Digital Module
Means you don’t have to use Spikes to
drive solenoids anymore
◦ Save weight, space and money
LED to indicate bumper has power
Power to bumper requires wiring to
power distribution module, can tolerate
12v or 24v to match solenoids
16. Wireless Interface – 802.11
Radio on the robot is 802.11 wireless
bridge
Check for how to power it correctly from
your robot
You will assign fixed IP addresses to your
components, using team number
Use as AP during build season, connect to
the wired field at the competition
Field will use 5 GHz band to avoid overlap
and interference
17. Ethernet Camera – Axis M1011
Streaming video for drive-
time control has been
challenging
Connects to RJ45 on cRIO
Can be used to track colors
18. Jaguar Motor Controller
Replaces the venerable Victor
CAN bus interface, limit features
Do NOT remove the power screws
They are “swaged” on the end, which is
meant to keep them from coming out
Removing them drops metal shavings
into the guts
19. Operator Interface
Classmate Computer or equivalent
Must run supplied software
IP connected
Communicates constantly with cRIO
USB expansion hub
Joysticks (USB)
Cypress pSOC I/O expansion device
20. Operator Interface
Typically a 48” x 8” console
Joysticks or other driving interface
Buttons, switches, dials, lights
Your team designs and builds it
Effective driving operation is enabled by
careful ergonomic design, especially
when it comes to controlling the non-
drive functions
21. Operator Interface
Cypress board provides 16 configurable
digital pins, 8 analog inputs
Plug into proto board, or build/buy
carrier board
Digital and analog functions map to
software
22. Typical OI Functions
switch (on/off) – 1 digital input
3 position switch (on/off/on) – 2 digital
inputs
Potentiometer (variable position) – 1
analog input
Push button switch (momentary
contact) – 1 digital input
Indication (LED) – 1 digital output
23. Link between OI and cRIO
Default software causes cRIO and
classmate computer to update each
other several times a second
All OI data is fed to cRIO automatically
If they don’t talk, your robot disables
itself
Status of communication shown in
classmate GUI
24. Other Handy Parts
10-turn potentiometers
Not supplied – Norvac, Fry’s, Digi-Key
Wire to analog input
US Digital Quadrature Encoders
Mount in many transmissions
Count transmission rotation, direction
3-axis accelerometer (supplied)
Gyro (supplied)
Analog Ultrasonic detectors
For measuring close distances
26. Working the Wago
• Find a Wago tool (Newark Electronics)
• Take care to insert directly at a fixed angle, pressing straight in
• Do not pry. The goal is to open the spring by pressing in the
screwdriver, not by prying
27. 802.11 Radio Link
The AP and bridge have changed over
the years.
Learn how to set static IP addresses on
your PC, and how to log into AP and
adapter to configure them manually
Turn off “Wireless Protection”, so that
inadvertent presses of external buttons
don’t change settings unexpectedly
28. Other ideas worth remembering
Solder your terminals – prevent failure
Keep large gauge wiring as short as possible
Lay your electronics out so you can
troubleshoot it – 2 layers sometimes works
Make a battery charging record
◦ During tournaments, know which one is charged
Read the inspection rules early – a great “cheat
sheet” for guiding you
Label your wires or use color markings, to
make troubleshooting easier
Robot frame is NOT connected to ground
29. Wrapping Up
Go to the FIRST website, navigate
◦ FRC
◦ Game and Season Info
◦ Competition
◦ Competition Manual and Related Docs
Check out the schematics, rules and
manuals from last year
◦ Wire gauge requirements, terminals, etc.