SparkMax and SparkFlex Common Problems

These usually show up in MAXSwerve robots..

NEO's are SparkMAX Killers!

When a NEO heats up enough due to being stalled for too long it will short positive to the sensor cable, resulting in a VERY high current going through the lower current channel, melting the SparkMax PCB. This WILL kill your SparkMAX, and every SparkMAX plugged into your killer NEO.

This can also kill your laptop if you plug into a powered on SparkMAX because the short CAN extend to the USB port.

SparkMAX Absolute Encoder Boards

The SparkMAX Absolute Encoder board should be zip tied and hot glued to the SparkMAX for redundancy and to prevent the board from coming loose.

Throughbore Connection to the absolute encoder board

The connector from the SparkMax Absolute Encoder board and the REV Throughbore should be hot glued down on BOTH connection points because these can come out easily!

The wire should also be tensioned just right, if its over tensioned the wire mgiht not be fully in the connector and the data could be incomplete, corrupted, or unnavailable.

Throughbore's not adjusting to the absolute encoder offset

It is no longer necessary to set you factor to 360 with attached absolute encoders, but doing so is explained below.

When you are using Absolute Encoders attached to the SparkMax via an Absolute Encoder board it normally identifies as a DutyCycleEncoder.

You can use this as the primary feedback device by setting the factor in physicalproperties.json to 360 HOWEVER when you do this the absolut encoder offset given is in the JSON IS NOT applied. So you should use SwerveDrive.useExternalFeedbackSensor() which WILL set the encoder offset into the SparkMAX DutyCycleEncoder Offset Flash Config.

To reset the SparkMax DutyCycleEncoder Offset you should use SwerveDrive.useInternalFeedbackSensor() which will set the Spark DutyCycleEncoder Offset to 0.

Status Frame Error

Usually if there's a status frame error it means that your connection to the REV Throughbore is incomplete somehow, or the sensor cable from your motor is loose or broken!

If you see this be sure to check ALL SENSOR CABLES GOING INTO THAT SPARKMAX!