Hardware Issue ‐ Pucks not turning on - Carleton-SRCL/SPOT GitHub Wiki

If you are attempting to turn the pucks on but it is not working: This could be a software or a hardware problem and it will take some trouble-shooting on your part to determine which one it is.

  1. The pucks are turned on by the onboard computer which is the Jetson Xavier NX, at the time of writing. First, ensure that the onboard computer is powered and that the wifi dongle is plugged in and blinking green. This ensures that the lab computer can communicate with the Xavier.
  2. There could be an anomalous issue with the Xavier. Try powercycling the platform.
  3. There could be a loose power and/or data connection on the platform. In particular, check that the wire-to-board green connector block (see below, boxed in red) found on the thruster breadboard on the bottom deck is properly connected. It tends to come loose if the wires are jostled. If loose, this means that the solenoid valves are receiving intermittent or no power. Turn off the platform and reconnect the block to the breadboard by lining it up with the wires or refer to the breadboard model. Hopefully, when you try to turn the pucks on again, it will succeed.

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  1. Test the pucks manually. First, remote into the Xavier computer and then enable the pin, set its direction to write, and set the puck pin to high. If it doesn't work, check that you can actually measure a voltage change from the Xavier (disconnect at the Xavier and then cycle according to the wiki above). If you hear the click of the solenoid valve, then this indicates the Xavier is able to control the pucks.