Failed Jaguar

[sean22]

Hello,

We have a jaguar that has no control in the reverse direction, we
replaced the jaguar with a new one and it worked fine. The Jaguar was
new in the FIRST kit of parts this year and it has already failed. I
would like to know if we can get a warrenty replacement?

Thanks
Sean Noseworthy
FRC Team 2200

[jross]

Last year, Luminary Micro replaced failed Jaguars. You can email them at support@luminarymicro.com. The Jaguar product site is http://www.luminarymicro.com/jaguar

[sean22]

We contacted Support@Luminarymirco.com and they told us to contact TI's support. So looking for a quicker response, we emailed FIRST and got this reply.

Hello Sean,

Thank you for your email. Our Game Design Committee will need to address your question via the Q & A System. We ask that you post your question using this system, and our Game Design Committee will post their answer as a thread so that others may also view the question and answer.

Please review the information here http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...nt.aspx?id=456 before using the Q & A System. Here is a link to the Q & A System http://forums.usfirst.org/.

Thank you,

FRC Team Support

[utlinebacker]

Hi Sean (and everyone else!),

The Luminary Micro support email address is no longer working. What a team needs to do in order to request a Jaguar replacement (RMA) is contact TI through the TI website at: http://www-k.ext.ti.com/sc/technical...upport.asp?MCU.

In the team section, state your team name ("FIRST Robotics Team #2468" for instance). In the "Brief description of the problem" section, help us by answering the following (copy/paste/answer):

1. Customer Name:
2. FRC Team Number:
3. Shipping Address:
4. Email:
5. Phone:
6. When the Failure Occurred:
7. Where the Failure Occurred:
8. When was the unit acquired (approx):
9. Is the failed unit an MDL-BDC (Jaguar) or a MDL-BDC24 (Black Jaguar):
10. What are the symptoms of the failure?
    
    a. What does the LED indicate?
    b. How can you tell the Jaguar is not functioning? (ex. “only drives in one direction” or “no power at output”, or “voltage is constantly applied to M+/M- despite no PWM signal”)
11. Is the unit being controlled via servo or CAN?
12. What was the robot doing at time of failure? (Describe any other conditions leading up to the time when the unit failed.)
13. Where is the failed Jaguar on the robot / what was the purpose of the Jaguar that failed? (ex. “about three inches from the wheel / drive right front wheel”)
14. How long had the robot been in operation when the failure occurred?
15. What sort of motor was being controlled? CIM? Other?
16. What was the approximate condition of the battery? (fully charged, half, nearly empty)
17. How long since the last charge?
18. Was the battery isolated from the robot while it was being charged?
19. Other than the power source, motor and Servo PWM signal, CAN, etc, are there any other connections to Jaguar?
20. Were there any apparent ESD events (wrt to the robot) reported from any team member prior to failure?
21. What was the configuration of your coast/brake at time of failure?
22. Calibration: have you calibrated the Jaguar(s)?
23. Anything notable about the robot that indicates risk for ESD shock? Shorting? Swarf?

Since several of the fields are required on the tech support form, I recommend inserting/selecting the following:

• Part #: [insert "MDL-BDC" for Jaguar; "MDL-BDC24" for Black Jaguar]
• Category: [select "Quality & Reliability"]
• Application: [select "other"]
• Estimated Annual Production: [insert "n/a"]
• Production Date: [insert "n/a"]

--then skip down to the bottom--

Insert your email address to send yourself a copy of your issue, then click submit. PRIOR to submitting, I would copy your problem description and paste in notepad or something. It's good practice in case the system barfs (which I am told is rare, but I personally find it frustrating when I forget to do this, like I did on this forum post, then lose all my hard work. I am pretty sure this has happened to everyone at least once in their life ).

What happens is that our technical support team posts your request directly to our Stellaris (Jaguar) applications engineers, who then make a determination on the RMA and, if approved, will request that a replacement unit be shipped overnight to you in order to keep you moving forward during the build season. All we ask in return is that you return your failed Jaguar to us using the same shipping box and the enclosed shipping label included in our overnight RMA shipment to you - so that we can perform full Failure Analysis.

If, after you submit your request through the ti.com web, you feel the need to contact TI's technical support, here are the phone numbers:

• Americas: (972) 644-5580
• EMEA Toll Free: * 00800 275 83927 (not available in all EMEA countries)
• EMEA Toll: +49 (0) 8161 80 2121
• Australia: 1-800-999-084
• New Zealand: 0800-446-934
• Other Asia Countries: 91-80-41381665

I personally don't think the phone is the best/most efficient way to contact "TI" (which is why I say you should only contact via phone AFTER you submit to our web) - but I know many folks like to have a phone number... just in case.

Remember, visit the Jaguar microsite at http://www.luminarymicro.com/jaguar for product news and updates.

Regards,
Scott