Firmware update for Modern Robotic modules

[FTC5024]

180 Degree Servo

Connect the servo controller to your PC, then run the Core Device Discovery app. It's a setting that you can change.

Thanks

Here is the web site to get the Core discovery App. http://modernroboticsinc.com/coredevicediscovery
Here is the page to get the drivers for the Modern Robotic Controllers http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

I had problems getting the Core Discovery App to work until I download the drivers. This was not working until I found the "Available as a setup executable" for the Drivers.

Once you get the Core Device Discovery App working you can go into the Advance Tab and enable the feature for each port on the Servo Controller that you want to be able to extend the range to what they should be.

[FTC9765]

Connect the servo controller to your PC, then run the Core Device Discovery app. It's a setting that you can change.

[FTC5024]

180 Servos

In regards to the extended servo PWM range, I don't believe it is currently possible to set that in the SDK. There is an interface called ServoControllerEx that seems to allow this functionality, but it has no implementations. There is also a ServoImplEx class that extends from ServoImpl and makes use of a ServoControllerEx. Unless it is possible to hide SDK classes from the implementation tree, it does not seem that these can be used yet.
The DcMotorControllerEx and DcMotorEx interfaces don't even seem to expose the PID preset option, and are likewise not implemented by any classes. I am also not sure whether the servo or motor controllers will save these values that were set in the Core Device Discovery application once restarted.
On the other hand, the LEDs on the DIM have been controllable since last year. Use DeviceInterfaceModule.setLED(). LED 0 is the blue one and LED 1 is the red one.

I have sent our Modern Robotic Hardware back in and I was hoping 180 servos would work now. Does any body now how to get the full range just for Hi-tech Servo's just using the Modern Robotic Servo controllers. This was a big problem for us last year and I thought it was fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to anyone that has an answer.

[GearTicks]

Cool! Is there a similar command for the 4 Legacy Module LEDs?

I don't believe so.

[Cheer4FTC]

I am also not sure whether the servo or motor controllers will save these values that were set in the Core Device Discovery application once restarted.

I did verify that the settings were retained in the controllers. I'm hoping that the new settings can be used without any software commands if the controllers are updated with the Core Device Discovery app (but I haven't verified that).

On the other hand, the LEDs on the DIM have been controllable since last year. Use DeviceInterfaceModule.setLED(). LED 0 is the blue one and LED 1 is the red one.

Cool! Is there a similar command for the 4 Legacy Module LEDs?

[GearTicks]

The latest version of the MRI Core Device Discovery application has new features that access the new features in the updated MRI module firmware. In particular:

• For motor controllers, you can select the type of DC motor used (e.g., Neverest, Tetrix) for the PID closed loop control algorithms (or select custom settings of your choosing).
• For servo controllers, you can select the extended range of operation that apparently allows a full 180+ degrees of operation on the standard 485 servos.

I haven't found a way to implement these changes in software, so to me it looks like you have to change these settings using the Core Device Discovery app. Others, please let me know if I'm wrong about this.

The Core Device Discovery app also allows LEDs on the Legacy modules and Core Device Interface modules to be turned on and off. Does anybody know if there is a way to do this in software using the SDK?

In regards to the extended servo PWM range, I don't believe it is currently possible to set that in the SDK. There is an interface called ServoControllerEx that seems to allow this functionality, but it has no implementations. There is also a ServoImplEx class that extends from ServoImpl and makes use of a ServoControllerEx. Unless it is possible to hide SDK classes from the implementation tree, it does not seem that these can be used yet.
The DcMotorControllerEx and DcMotorEx interfaces don't even seem to expose the PID preset option, and are likewise not implemented by any classes. I am also not sure whether the servo or motor controllers will save these values that were set in the Core Device Discovery application once restarted.
On the other hand, the LEDs on the DIM have been controllable since last year. Use DeviceInterfaceModule.setLED(). LED 0 is the blue one and LED 1 is the red one.

[Cheer4FTC]

The latest version of the MRI Core Device Discovery application has new features that access the new features in the updated MRI module firmware. In particular:

• For motor controllers, you can select the type of DC motor used (e.g., Neverest, Tetrix) for the PID closed loop control algorithms (or select custom settings of your choosing).
• For servo controllers, you can select the extended range of operation that apparently allows a full 180+ degrees of operation on the standard 485 servos.

I haven't found a way to implement these changes in software, so to me it looks like you have to change these settings using the Core Device Discovery app. Others, please let me know if I'm wrong about this.

The Core Device Discovery app also allows LEDs on the Legacy modules and Core Device Interface modules to be turned on and off. Does anybody know if there is a way to do this in software using the SDK?

[Tom E Reynolds]

Can anyone report on any benefits of this update? Has anyone actually had the update and noticed any improvement in function?

Yes. After a miserable last season where the electronics would just stop for no reason, after the upgrade we have not seen a single drop.

It is absolutely worth it.

[tvsknights]

Can anyone report on any benefits of this update? Has anyone actually had the update and noticed any improvement in function?

[ejschuh]

I Overnighted ours on Monday, had it back on Saturday.

[Cheer4FTC]

We shipped ours to MRI on 9/16 (Friday). They arrived there on 9/19 (Monday). The update was completed on 9/23 (Friday), paid for, and shipped. USPS says we should receive them back on 9/26 (Monday). So a total 10 day turn around for us, including 2 day shipping in both directions. Pretty quick! Yeah!

[CVTM Robotics]

Sent our in beginning of July and I had to email them middle of of August to find out where they were. They had our for 5 weeks!! and they only got sent after I contacted them that I had not received an email update to pay??

Fast email response and items sent out quickly afterwards but they sat on them for 5 weeks!!

[4106Coach]

Ours were super fast. Did it in early summer. Thought is was about a 2 week turnaround.

[Varun Singh]

Last year, my team got it done soon after they announced, and they had a very fast turnaround time (they were done within 2 days I believe). However, since the big email came, now everyone is sending theirs in, and so there is a huge "backorder" for all of them, and thus it is taking a couple of weeks for them to get everything done.

[mikets]

YMMV but I would give it about 4-5 biz days

We sent ours before the season was started and we are still about 2 weeks out. Your mileage may vary.