pic: installed battery team 842

[falconmaster]

[cdm-description=photo]22691[/cdm-description]

[Kyle A]

Looks nice but isn't going to be hard to change batteries in the finals or if a match is back to back?

[Bill_Hancoc]

I agree with Kyle but the lil' aluminum handle is a nice touch.

[Cory]

If I'm not mistaken, it would appear as if you've bolted the Anderson quick disconnect connector to the side of your battery mount. If this is true, you're probably going to have trouble when inspection time rolls around at regionals.

I cannot find any mention of it in the rules, but should your robot go haywire on the field, this falls into the "make sure your main breaker is clearly accessible" category. If you can't easily pull the two halves apart, the entire point of using the connector is defeated.

As I said, I can't find anything in the rules about this, but I'd submit a question in the Q&A forum to be sure, as it seems like it'd get called somewhere down the line at competition.

[Tristan Lall]

That little handle, while a nice idea, would very likely fail an inspection, for the simple reason that you'd need to convince the inspector that the battery sidewall is structurally strong enough to support a 14 lb load (i.e. the battery), without risking spilling gel electrolyte all over you, and dropping the battery on your foot.

Also, the resistance of the battery wires will increase greatly because of the sharp bends—while tidy, they may hinder performance.

[N7UJJ]

The bar atop the battery pivots on the back hinge. One flip of a latch and the bar goes up. Then lift the hanle and the battery automatically disconnests at the Anderson connector. Drop the new battery in place, lower the holding bar, secure it and batteries are changed withinin 10 seconds.

Cory, one half of the Anderson is on the chasis, theo other on the battery. The two halves are not bolted to each other.

Bill, no aluminun, all extruded fiberglass material. No electrical conductivity problems.

Tristian. The creative pultrusion fiber abgle material is stonger than steel for it's weight. There is no way the battery will fall. It's very secure.

thanks,

Allan

[greencactus3]

Tristian. The creative pultrusion fiber abgle material is stonger than steel for it's weight. There is no way the battery will fall. It's very secure.

i think they meant the battery wall itself breaking.

i agree its a greeat idea. if you post in the Q/A lmk when they give you a response

[Alekat]

I like it, it is very innovative, and it seems like you've done everything to get it to pass inspection according to the rules.

[Tristan Lall]

Tristian. The creative pultrusion fiber abgle material is stonger than steel for it's weight. There is no way the battery will fall. It's very secure.Actually, it's the battery wall itself, or the glue/resin joint that concerns me.

[Kyle A]

Ok is see now. But I do agree with everyone on the glued on handle having a possibility of breaking.

[falconmaster]

Ok, I will join in the frey. We have used this method minus the glued on assist handle for the past two years and always made it past inspection. If need be we can change the design in minutes as per judges request. As far as the glue, it is plumbers goop, or shoe goo. It won't come off, we have to work to get it off. The handle is only used to get the battery moving in a verticle direction. One hand is around the back end and the other is on the handle to just disengage the anderson. Once disengaged, the battery itself is handled with both hands. When installing the battery, the handle is used to guide the andersons into each other. The fiberglass, on the other hand, really threw you. Totally safe there! Any way when I started to enter this reply I was just going to say
"Na ah, we used super duper goop!"

[N7UJJ]

Also, the resistance of the battery wires will increase greatly because of the sharp bends—while tidy, they may hinder performance.

I have not heard that before. With a high frequency AC signal, with it's skin effect, I guess a sharp bend might have an effect, but a DC circuit? Assumming no kinks or deforming thd diameter of the wire, why would bending a wire affect it's resistance?