I realize we are in the off season for FRC, however my CRIO has died!?!

[Team276CNS]

Hi all!  My cRIO has died (same issue that other folks were having during 2010 season).  Is it possible to send it in for repairs now or do I need to wait until January?  I called customer service however I didn't get much od a response other than to come to the community site.  Any suggestions?

[OliviaC · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You should be able to still call into customer service to have your cRIO repaired, although you might want specify that you're looking to repair the cRIO and not looking for any other FIRST support.

Since it's off season be aware that we don't offer the 24 hour turn around time that we have during the season. If the repair is approved, you'll likely have to wait a few weeks before you get it back. To save you some time, I would suggest you do the following checks before sending your cRIO in:

• Verify that 12V is being supplied by the battery
• Verify that 24V is being supplied to cRIO from the power distribution board
• Open up the cRIO (there should be 8 screws on the bottom that need to be removed to do this) and clean it out. We've seen a lot metal shavings and debris get in there and cause shorts in the controller.

~Olivia

[LockheedJoe]

I'd like to add that when you open up the cRio, if you can, be at an ESD (Electro-Static Device) protected area. If you don't have that you should at least have a clean area with no paper, carpet, or styrofoam items around, or anything that can cause static electricity. Plus, only touch the green electronics board on the edges. I've also found that the compressed air cans to clean your computer work well for blowing off debris. If you think you need more cleaning, you can use a stiff brush and some isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol will dry off the board fairly quickly

Also, if you have the black rubber gaskets and haven't installed them in the cRio, then you should. It helps keep debris out.