Where have the Spikes gone
 

I was on the VEX website recently and I found that Spike relay modules weren't listed anywhere. What has happened? Is IFI discontinuing them?

I figured that this would have been noticed and mentioned on these forums, but a search turned up nothing. Does anybody (perhaps someone involved with VEX product development) know what is happening?

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

I remember that the beta teams last fall were given non-spike FRC relays to test... they were obviously non-IFI.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

I believe they are/were out of stock and weren't able to get new production till early summer. I don't think they are being discontinued.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

I'm not sure about spikes, but FIRST is set to release the Davis Relay module in place of the Spike for 2013.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Are there CAD files or pictures available?

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Or better yet, any sort of information page for them?

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

I have some pictures of the new relay, and a comparison shot of the two relays. I'll post those as soon as a get to a desktop, but for right now here's a link to a forum post about the relays. Just remember that this is all from beta and may have changed.

http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread...3046#post53046

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Did these fail the beta testing and get delayed a year?

Since those appear custom made for FRC, why won't the vendor at least put WAGO terminals on them? Those are much more secure for unterminated wires. (Or, if they're interested in wires with connectors, maybe Anderson PowerPoles or screw terminals for ring connectors?)

Nice of them to incorporate several outputs and parallel relays into one module.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

AFAIK, they were set as a 2013 release at the time of the beta... My only guess to why would be related to production, as you would have to test it TWO beta seasons in advance since it could presumably take one year of advanced notice to have enough final-revision product made for the KOPs and the like. It's not like the kinect which was a pre-existing product that was already in production.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

There are some benefits and drawbacks.

Those two 20 amp fuses are misleading - if you run it from a 20 amp breaker on the PD board. For us, the 40 amp slots are usually pretty close to full or filled, so running it through a 40 amp breaker may or may not be possible for your team, depending on design.

You can already run two different objects/lights/etc off a single spike now. You just have to run your ground back to the input ground for the spike, and power a different item off each prong.

So far, this product seems to be an answer to a question that hasn't been asked.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Here's two pictures, one of just the new relay, and one of the two relays side by side.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

No the spike is not discontinued. It is on the VEXPro product pages.
as far as I know, FIRST is still supplying the Spike I the 2013 KOP.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Are they solid state or mechanical?

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

Paul I don't see it in the VexPro pages.

Re: Where have the Spikes gone
 

At the Beta Test team get-together in St. Louis, we learned that there was a list of things to address for a production version of the David relay module. The connection method was one of them.