Cyclone › SWYFT Link › Install & connect

Install & connect

Use SWYFT Link through SystemCore on your robot or connect directly from a laptop over USB-C.

SWYFT Link is the tool for setting up Cyclones. On SystemCore it connects to the Cyclones on the CAN bus. The USB-C version connects a laptop directly to one Cyclone. Using SWYFT Link

For a Cyclone installed on an FRC robot, install the SystemCore package below and use CAN. Keep the robot disabled during setup. Use the USB-C application for testing off the robot or a quick motor check before the CAN bus is connected. Standalone USB-C control does not require SystemCore or Driver Station.

For the current package and firmware versions, and the difference between updating the app and the motor, see Current app and firmware.

Install on the SystemCore

Download SWYFT Link for SystemCore.

  1. Open the SystemCore home page in a browser and select Add package.
    SystemCore home page, Add Package
  2. Drop the .ipk onto the box, or select it from a folder. It installs on its own.
    Install package, drop target

    When installation succeeds, select Close.

    Installation successful; arrow points to the green Close button
  3. Open the SWYFT Link tile from the home page.
    SystemCore home page, SWYFT Link tile
  4. SWYFT Link opens directly. Cyclones on the CAN bus appear in the device list.

Use SWYFT Link on your team's trusted robot network. Anyone who can reach this local service can open the app.

Connect over USB-C

  1. Connect the Cyclone to your laptop with a USB-C data cable.
  2. Open SWYFT Link in Google Chrome on your laptop. Chrome supports the USB connection used by the app.
  3. Choose Connect over USB-C and select the Cyclone’s serial port in the browser prompt. Previously authorized ports can reconnect automatically.
  4. Confirm the selected Cyclone and its firmware version. To run the motor, connect a 12 V FRC battery to the Cyclone through a fused or breaker-protected power connection. Standalone USB-C control does not require CAN, SystemCore, or Driver Station. Secure the motor, keep the mechanism clear, and use the motor enable and control buttons in SWYFT Link.

USB-C test control (firmware 1.7.1 and later): Standalone USB-C testing needs no Driver Station. Once the Cyclone receives a robot heartbeat or a CAN Disable broadcast, robot permission is required for USB-C motion too. DS Disable, universal CAN Disable, and loss of the robot heartbeat stop output. Restore permission, check the mechanism, then select ENABLE again; re-enabling Driver Station alone does not restart the USB test. Unplugging CAN does not remove this requirement. Power-cycle in an isolated setup for standalone testing. The active control connection must release the motor before the other connection can drive it. See switching control connections.

For your first motor run, follow the USB-C test steps.

Current release: Cyclone firmware 2.7.8, SWYFT Link package 2026.09.16.3. Upload over the existing installation; no uninstall is needed. Both USB and CAN apps require firmware 2.7.8 or newer before unlocking operation and settings. USB braking defaults to enabled, 200 percentage points/s downward duty rate and 2 points leeway. CAN/robot braking behavior is unchanged. For legacy CAN updating, connect only the target controller and SystemCore; shared-bus updating requires addressed support.

Download for SystemCore

Both applications load this documentation in the Docs tab. Internet access is needed to load the documentation; the motor connection itself remains local.