Power Distribution Hub Troubleshooting
Last updated
Last updated
The most common Power Distribution Hub troubleshooting issues are listed below. After reading through, if you still have questions or need additional help, reach out to us at: support@revrobotics.com
Is your Status LED light showing a new color or sequence? Check the Status LED Pattern page!
If you are experiencing issues with your Power Distribution Hub that you are struggling to diagnose, we recommend following the troubleshooting guides and steps listed below, both in the flowchart and in the following subsections.
Smart Tug - tugging on a wire to test the connection with a reasonable amount of force.
No Voltage / Device Does not Turn On
Perform a smart tug to check that the battery wires have a good connection to the input terminals
Check your battery voltage on the PDH's display, then check the voltage through the REV Hardware Client. If the readings are inconsistent or missing, check your robot's battery wiring.
If only being powered via USB there will not be any input voltage.
Channel LED Keeps Flashing
Make sure that the circuit breaker is properly inserted and snug in the holder
If the problem persists you may have a fault on the load causing the breaker to trip. Make sure there are no problems with your connected devices.
CAN Warning
A CAN warning means that there is something wrong with your CAN bus. Check your CAN bus wiring and the devices on your CAN bus. Note: if you are operating the PH by itself using the REV hardware client, you can ignore most CAN warnings. The PH will send a CAN warning if it does not see any other device on the bus
CAN Bus Off
A CAN Bus Off fault means that the CAN bus has run into a critical issue resulting in the bus network turning off. Check your CAN bus for shorts on the high and low CAN wires. The CAN bus will turn back on once the issue is resolved.
Hardware Fault
The hardware fault is generally an internal electrical fault. This could also trigger a sticky fault if a large amount of electrical noise caused a brief communication breakdown internally. This will not affect the function of the device but there could be a small amount of data lost during the interruption.
Device has Reset
The Reset Fault will be triggered when the Power Distribution Hub has lost power.
This will happen each time the robot is turned on and off. It is possible that this could happen when the robot has a bad connection to the battery or the robot experiences a severe brownout.
When are Sticky Faults Cleared?
Sticky faults are cleared when the mode button on the Power Distribution Hub is pressed or can be cleared using the REV Hardware Client. It is also possible to clear sticky faults using WPILib.
Persists sticky faults across power cycles
Allows sticky faults to be cleared by holding down the device's button
Updates LED patterns
Turns off the switchable channel LED when the switchable channel is turned off
Reports to the REV Hardware Client whether a roboRIO is connected via the CAN network
The 3D printed Breaker Extractor makes freeing REV ATO Auto-resetting Breakers from the Power Distribution Hub easy!
First, grasp the T-handle of the extractor and slide the square frame around the breaker you would like to remove from the Power Distribution Hub.
Then, position the bottom edge of the breaker extractor under the bottom edge of the breaker. While maintaining that position, and contact with the plastic bottom of the breaker, gently rock the extractor handle side to side while pulling upwards.
Continue that motion until breaker is free.
When updating the firmware on the Power Distribution Hub, it is possible for the process to be interrupted or for the firmware to be corrupted by a bad download. In this state, the Status LED will be dark or dim and the Power Distribution Hub will fail to operate. There is a built-in recovery mode that can force it to accept new firmware even if the controller seems to be bricked and the procedure is outlined below:
With the Power Distribution Hub powered off, press and hold the Mode Button
While still holding the Mode Button, connect the Device to the computer using the USB-C cable - the Status LED will not illuminate - this is expected.
With the REV Hardware Client running on the computer, wait a few seconds for the audible tone or icon for the device to be recognized in recovery mode then release the Mode Button - no lights will be present on the Power Distribution Hub during this stage of the process, this is expected
Select the Power Distribution Hub in Recovery Mode from the REV Hardware Client window
From the "Choose a Device" type dropdown, choose - Power Distribution Hub
Choose the latest version of the firmware from the dropdown and then click update
Wait for the software update to complete
Power cycle unit (unplug and plug in USB-C) click on Power Distribution Hub icon, clear any sticky faults - the recovery should be complete.
Please note, performing this procedure will erase all data and settings on the device. To perform the procedure a small tool, like a straightened paper clip is necessary to press the Mode Button (located close to the LED status light), the orange USB-C cable that came with the unit (or a DATA capable USB-C cable), and a native Windows based computer with the installed:
