Experiment Issue Unstable Platforms - Carleton-SRCL/SPOT GitHub Wiki

If your experiment worked previously, but today one of the platforms is not stable and you did not change anything: This happens occasionally, I've seen many experiments where it works one day and then fails the next day. The most likely culprits are:

1. There is a network problem, resulting in a delay between when data is collected by the PhaseSpace and when it is sent to the platforms. This has no root cause (but subjectively it appears to be connected to the start of the school year in September). Your best bet is to try and unplug the router and reset. Other things you can try include disconnecting the extra router under the granite table.;

2. The motion tracking system calibration has drifted - refer to the calibration guide;

3. there has been a change in the mass or inertia. Unless you have added significant weight to a platform, try calibrating the motion capture system. If that fails, change the gains for the PID controller in the GUI.

It is highly recommended that you calibrate the PhaseSpace system every day before you run your experiment for maximum accuracy and precision. However, if you don't calibrate the system for a few weeks it is unlikely to cause significant problems.

Are the platforms still unstable?

Sometimes, you might find that the platform PD controllers are oscillating wildly and nothing you are attempting (e.g., calibrations or changing gains) is resolving the problem. In this case, the whole system just needs to be reset: each platform, the main computer, the PhaseSpace computer, and the internet router. And even, sometimes, this doesn't solve the problem either. In that case, go home, and try again tomorrow.