[Aidan S.]

This year and the previous year, Team 610 has used 1/8 inch lexan as an electronics panel. We use bolts to secure the cRio, but all of the other components are held on with zip ties. The zip ties allow us to quickly remove and replace components, which is very helpful during competitions. The zip ties also save a bit of weight over using screws. We manually lay out our components on the panel, mark where the mounting holes are. Then we will remove the components, and drill the mounting holes using a power drill or a drill press.

Neatness is very important for out electrical team, so we do a few of things to keep our system clean and organized. All of our components are labeled, and the wires are labeled at both ends, to allow us to trace connections for troubleshooting and programming purposes. Our wires are kept to exact length, with no excess, and held to the panel using sticky feet and zip ties. All of our wires are run parallel to the frame, so there are no diagonal runs. This adds some length to the wires but keeps them more organized and collected. On moving attachments such as arms or turrets, we will collect all of the wires using some type of wire wrap or energy chain.

I have attached an image of the base panel of our 2012 robot to highlight some of our wiring techniques.