Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseK
Thanks for the info aklego. I wonder what it'd take for FTC affiliate partners to have a battery tester (load tester) at the FTC events for teams to use.
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Not sure that that would be practical, or even neccessary.
FTC robots place hugely different loads on the batteries (just stall 4 motors to see what happens to a bettery). What would be an appropriate load to test at?
During practice and Auto testing, we've learned that if the *NXT* is reading the robot's 12V battery at less than 13.0V (when at idle) then it's time to change the battery. (Calling them 12V batteries is missleading). In fact, at competiton, we don't let them get below 13.5V before changing.
Strange things start to happen to the Motor/Servo Controller interfaces when the idle voltage drops under load, so if you want reliable control (regardless of the Sammantha Module) you really need to watch your batteries.
At least with the Samamtha you can see the instant loss of link if it occurs (the white light starts blinking).
Some other tips....
Make sure the Samantha power is the FIRST thing in the power chain (not at the end of the chain after two motor controllers.)
Consider splitting the power from the switch and running dedicated wires to the Samantha Module and the first motor controller. It's legal if you use the correct gauge wires. We splice and then heat shrink the splice.
Charge at the low rate. Overheated batteries don't last as long as cool ones.