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The Pre-Match and Post-Crash Checklists

learnfrc.com
learnfrc.comAuthor
Veer Bajaj
Veer BajajMaintainer

Elite electrical teams do not rely on memory; they run checklists. A consistent routine catches the loose lug or low battery before the robot rolls onto the field.

Pre-match checklist (run every match in the queue):

  1. Battery: freshly charged and load-tested ‘Good’ (resting ~12.6-13V, low internal resistance on a Battery Beak). Battery securely strapped in. SB-50 fully mated and tied so it cannot pop.
  2. Main breaker: seated and reset (button in).
  3. Connections: tug-test battery lugs and PD input lugs. They must not rotate by hand.
  4. Fuses: all PD fuses seated hard.
  5. Power-on test: roboRIO Power LED solid green, Status LED off after boot, PD LED green, RSL solid (disabled).
  6. Comms: Driver Station shows green comms, code, and joystick; battery voltage reads sane (>12V at rest).
  7. CAN: no red device LEDs; a quick enable shows all motors respond and the RSL blinks.
  8. Bumpers/cover do not pinch any wires.

Post-crash / ‘it died on the field’ triage:

  1. Read the Power LED. Amber -> it browned out; check battery and current limits, swap to a fresh load-tested battery, review the match log for the brownout timestamp.
  2. Read the DS log (Driver Station Log Viewer): look for brownout events, comms drops, and the 12V fault count. This tells you whether it was power, comms, or code.
  3. Jostle-testCAN if a specific mechanism died: a hard hit commonly loosens a CAN or WAGO connection. Watch for red LED blips.
  4. Check the main breaker did not trip from a stall or short.
  5. Inspect for physical damage: a pinched or severed wire from the collision, a popped SB-50, a connector pulled out of a WAGO.
  6. Confirm before re-queuing: re-run the pre-match checklist; do not send a robot back out on a guess.

Documentation that pays off: keep a CAN ID map, a wiring diagram, and labeled wires so anyone on the team can debug. Mark any dropped or suspect battery as faulty until it is re-tested; never lift a battery by its wires. These habits turn chaotic between-match scrambles into a calm two-minute routine, which is exactly what wins close eliminations.

Key takeaways

Section titled “Key takeaways”
  • Run a fixed pre-match checklist every match: battery load-tested, lugs tug-tested, fuses seated, LEDs green, comms and CAN verified.
  • After a death on the field, read the Power LED and the DS log first to classify it as power, comms, or code before touching hardware.
  • Maintain a CAN map, wiring diagram, and labeled wires; retire suspect batteries until re-tested and never lift a battery by its wires.

This lesson was adapted from learnfrc.com.