We’re experiencing a hardware issue with our roboRIO 2.0 and would like assistance in determining next steps. The issue appears to be with the 5V rail, and we’re also encountering intermittent communication problems that may be related.
Issue Summary:
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The Driver Station reports a 5V Rail Fault (see attached screenshot).
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All 5V pins on the RIO test at approximately 0V using a digital voltmeter.
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The 3.3V and 6V reference pins are outputting normally.
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The RIO has been opened and thoroughly cleaned. We visually inspected for any metal shavings, debris, or signs of damage—none were found. Fault persists.
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We have included a picture of the status LEDs, which show expected patterns aside from the 5V issue.
Additional Behavior:
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During competition, the roboRIO exhibited intermittent communication failures:
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At the field, the FTA noted the robot radio had connection, but there was no roboRIO communication.
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In the pit, tethered connection via Ethernet also failed to establish comms.
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In both cases, rebooting the roboRIO (sometimes multiple times) using the user reset button temporarily resolved the issue.
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Because of this unreliability, we switched to a loaner roboRIO 2.0 for the remainder of the event.
We would appreciate guidance on:
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Whether this unit is still under warranty.
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If this issue qualifies for an RMA or replacement.
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Any additional diagnostic steps you recommend before initiating a return.
Thank you for your time and support.
Best regards,
Robert Nitzky
Head Coach – FRC Team 6921 Technados
