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Unread 16-03-2012, 11:52
Unsung FIRST Hero
Al Skierkiewicz Al Skierkiewicz is offline
Broadcast Eng/Chief Robot Inspector
AKA: Big Al WFFA 2005
FRC #0111 (WildStang)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Wheeling, IL
Posts: 10,798
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Re: Who has had a leaky battery this year?

Even with training, team members sometimes forget. Here is a short list of battery do's and don'ts.
1. Never lift the battery by the wires. Guaranteed to break the terminal inside the battery.
2. Always use two hands, the batteries are heavy and have no good grasping points.
3. Don't charge when hot, i.e. right after a match. Wait at least 15 minutes.
4. If you run you battery down in just one match, reevaluate your mechanical design. A good rule of thumb is several minutes or at least two matches. Best tested during practice at your build space.
5. Insulate all exposed metal/wire/terminals. The battery is capable of currents that can weld.
6. Insist that only those students or adults that know how the battery is designed to be mounted in the robot actually place the battery in the robot.
7. Do not use the alligator clips on your battery charger to connect to the Anderson Power Products connector. The clips will scratch and deform the contacts which lead to high resistance and high heat. Yes Virginia, high enough to melt/fuse the connectors. There is no good way to insulate the clips for this operation.
8. Do not drop the battery. More batteries have been killed by dropping on a corner or breaking loose internal parts.
9. Test your batteries at least once or twice a season with a good battery checker. West Mountain Radio CBA II or III is a good way to tell battery status without trying to draw huge currents. The Cross the Road Battery Beak, battery checker is also a quick way to check battery health prior to a match.
10. Do not depend on a DMM/DVM to give you any usable data. It will simply tell you terminal voltage without telling you if the battery can actually supply current.
For this year, please insure that your battery will not bounce around inside your robot and many teams, (WildStang included) are adding some padding to prevent serious G-shocks to the case and internals.
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Good Luck All. Learn something new, everyday!
Al
WB9UVJ
www.wildstang.org
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Storming the Tower since 1996.
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