The Problem
The connection between the Cortex and the Controller suddenly cuts off, leading to a unresponsive robot.
Troubleshooting Attempts
Our team conducted a set of tests to find the stem of the connection issues.
Tests
- Initial Test
- VEX Key Switch
- Rubber Bands
- Shims Test
- Replacement VEX Keys
- No Motors/Sensors Test
- Backup Battery Test
- Radio Frequency Free Zone Test
Conclusion of Tests
Based on our tests, we believe the VEX 802.11g Keys are vulnerable to interference from other Wifi devices. After our RF Free Zone test, we theorized that the connection was interrupted by the multitude of Wifi connections when indoors. We also concluded that this problem occurred at the Practice Day and First Competition, considering the number of Wifi devices in the Ivy Tech building.
Our team also conducted research to find other VEX consumers/teams having similar issues. We discovered that these VEX Keys were created with only the minimum purpose and guidelines in mind, according to this quote from John V-Nuen, who works as VP of Product Development at VEX Inc.
Our team also conducted research to find other VEX consumers/teams having similar issues. We discovered that these VEX Keys were created with only the minimum purpose and guidelines in mind, according to this quote from John V-Nuen, who works as VP of Product Development at VEX Inc.
The Propostion
Our proposition is to allow use of the latest VEX 2.0 Keys, in order to ensure an uninterrupted connection between the robot and our controller, though no other teams have utilized these Keys. The old VEX Keys run at 802.11g and are having disruption issues. We feel that the newer 2.0 VEX Keys, which run at 2.4GHz, will be more stable and support connection in a higher area of frequency disturbances.