Smart Field Control setup

Just got a set of smart field controllers. I’ve wired them per the diagram at the link below (with EoL craptops in place of rPi’s), but when I have TM running the field control does not recognize TM as Connected.

Looking at https://kb.vex.com/hc/en-us/articles/9121731684756 it says:

Use with Tournament Manager.

When TM is not connected the home screen will have the “auton” and “driver” buttons enabled and the clock display in the upper left corner will generally be gray indicating it has not been set. Using the “Auton” or “Driver” on screen buttons allows the standard 0:15 and 1:45 duration match phases to be manually run (VexU times not supported as yet).

When TM is connected, indication will be shown on the home screen and the buttons will be disabled.

I seem to be stuck in the gap between those two paragraphs. Is there something I need to do in TM to chose this type of field contol?

I have current TM on the server, current vexOS on the field brains.

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Where did you order them? I thought they were not available yet. Got a link to the product page?

So when you connect via usb directly to a laptop (I used a Mac), and then start TM, you will be given options of port to connect to. You have to select from the Assigned field list the port, and then you will get the option to save and continue.

It is a User Experience confusion in the interface. Not the best. I have not tried it with multiple V5 Brains and USB to laptop.

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Ok, so like the old controllers. I thought I tried that order, but perhaps not.

So, power field control and launch program. USB to laptop. Launch TM and it does the dumb only-on-startup check for field control?

That has always been bad and an obvious thing to add to the tools tab.

(I got them from RECF as a grant)

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agreed, different times. don’t what the design process was back then for dealing all the driver flakiness.

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That solved it, unfortunately now only one of the controllers powers on… problem for tomorrow.

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