Re: Flat 12AWG Wire Legal?
 

Bryce,
I would check the BOM costing descriptions again. Think of buying a 4x8 sheet of plywood but only using 2x2 on your robot.

Re: Flat 12AWG Wire Legal?
 

Al, if 4x8 is the smallest available size of that plywood, the entire 4x8 sheet has be accounted for in the cost accounting. That's how I read [R16]'s blue box, last example.

Re: Flat 12AWG Wire Legal?
 

R16
Example: A team purchases a 4 by 4 ft sheet of aluminum, but only uses a piece 10 by
10 in. on their Robot. The team identifies a source that sells aluminum sheet in 1 by 1 ft
pieces. The team may cost their part on the basis of a 1 by 1 ft piece, even though they
cut the piece from a larger bulk purchase. They do not have to account for the entire 4
by 4 ft bulk purchase item.

There are local A/V and home theater shops that do sell these materials by the foot. Some research is necessary.

In that case you'd be fine. But if you can't find a supplier for purchasing by the foot (for the exact part) you can't do this.

- Bryce

Re: Flat 12AWG Wire Legal?
 

http://www.pacificcable.com/Picture_...me=PCC-12-2-50 This site has a simmilar #12 wire listed as only being rated to 20A, FIRST, and NEC rate 12 gauge wire at 40 amps (41 for NEC). I would want a better understanding about where this 20A rating comes from before using it on a robot. The Flatwire brand site seems to imply that its product doesn't comply with NEC standards as they mention a new line that does comply to be used for power distribution.

Re: Flat 12AWG Wire Legal?
 

James,
Wire specs for NEC are determined by temperature rise for the insulation and by voltage drop at specified current over a specified length. In the case of the flat wire, certain signals have a hard time propagating down flat wire. For audio (and other AC currents), the shunt capacitance also becomes a factor as the max 80' length spec alludes. The 20 amp spec is likely because this product is intended to be painted over. At more than 20 amps continuous, the paint would likely start to bubble.
As for NEC current specs, the test on a single wire size is how much current can the wire transmit before the voltage drop at the end of a standard length exceeds a certain percentage. The current/voltage standards used for aircraft instruments is also used and more stringent.