How do I check if my Simulink model was successfully downloaded to the VEX microcontroller or not?

Hi,

I am a high school student trying to program the VEX Controller for the BEST Competition. I successfully downloaded the program on my Macbook, but I am having trouble downloading the code to my microcontroller. The LED lights do change to green when it needs to according to some directions. However, every time I "build" the code to the microcontroller using the USB cable, it doesn't work. I am not able to download any code on the controller. Do you know what the problem is?

NOTE: A user-submitted question.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Student Competitions Team]

To test whether the build and download was completed successfully to the VEX microcontroller, click on the 'View Diagnostics' link at the bottom of the Simulink model. The following screenshot shows you the location of this link in the Simulink model window.

This will bring up the Diagnostics Viewer dialog that shows the build verbose output. By going through this verbose output you will be able to verify if the build and download process was successful or not. If you notice any error messages in the output, contact the MathWorks support team at [e-mail] for assistance.

You can also launch the Diagnostics Viewer by going to 'View' menu on the top of the Simulink model window and clicking on 'Diagnostic Viewer' option in the menu (shown below).

[James Kristoff]

Additionally, you can use the search bar at the top-center of the diagnosic viewer to search through the diagnostic information, e.g. search for the word:

error

to find any errors in the diagnostic log.

Answer 2

[Helen]

I did check the Diagnostic Viewer, and there were no errors. However, I didn't get anything working on the microcontroller still. I attached a photo of what the viewer looks like. Also, I am thinking that maybe the computer is not able to recognize the VEX microcontroller because the program still downloads and runs even when the microcontroller is unplugged. Any solutions?

Answer 3

[PcolaHelper]

I am helping with the BEST program at our school and we are having this same issue.

No errors in the log, but it does not seem to be exporting the file to the microcontroller.

We are using a MAC

[Sandeep Math]

PcolaHelper,

Could you please share your log from the the Diagnostic Viewer here as a screenshot for us to further investigate? Also, share your Simulink model screenshot for our reference. If you need to expedite the response to this question, please call our support team at 508-647-7000.

NOTE: Please ensure that the Simulink blocks in your model are configured correctly to reflect the pin connection on your VEX microcontroller.

Answer 4

[Siddharth Menon]

It looks like you're both using Macs. This was a bug in MATLAB R2014a, it has been fixed in R2014b.

The way to work around this is either one of these: 1) Install XCode: https://developer.apple.com/xcode/downloads/ and restart MATLAB

2)add "$MATLABROOT\bin\maci64\" to the System's PATH environment variable restart MATLAB

Answer 5

[Jordan Ragsdale]

I also have his same problem and im working on a windows laptop.

Answer 6

[Lloyd Mahaffey]

I'm having a similar problem. My computer recognizes the controller when I plug it in (evident in Device Manager) but matlab does not recognize it when I plug it in (does not give me the “We have detected a supported VEX EDR device message in command window) . Program will not upload to the controller and I get an error Index exceeds matrix dimensions"

Answer 7

[Sandeep Math]

Lloyd- I did respond to your question on the BEST Robotics forum. Did you have luck with deployment on the new computer?

If not, could you please tell me what version of Windows OS are you using, what is the MATLAB version? Could you download the VEX Companion App and install it in MATLAB, and then let me know what you see when you open that App from within MATLAB? Instructions to install the app: https://www.mathworks.com/videos/installing-a-support-package-using-add-on-explorer-1498063814825.html

Please email our team at [e-mail] with your response.

Thanks Sandeep