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Re: Low Res Optical Encoders for Speed Control
So it turns out the wire we used is 22 AWG shielded cable which the mentor says is available from Digikey. It has five 22-gauge wires (we only used 4) and these are wrapped with aluminum foil. Around the aluminum is more insolation. The aluminum foil is twisted at one of the ends of the cable, and grounded to the source ground (the jaguar 5 pin connector's ground in this case). It is important to only ground one side of the cable and not both, otherwise you could create a closed circuit, which may cause EMI if there is current going through the foil. My sources say you could also get away with grounding to the frame, but I don't think this is legal and it is usually better practice to ground it to a source anyway.
"[R38]
All wiring and electrical devices, including all control system components, shall be electrically isolated from the Robot frame. The Robot frame must not be used to carry electrical current."
I could see how both sides could be argued. I don't quite know if the aluminum is considered part of the "wiring", or if this would be considered carrying electrical current by the frame, but this is a tangent anyway since it can be grounded to a source.
I wouldn't usually think about the EMI on our robots, but looking at the number of sensors, motors, and other electrical components on that robot in comparison with our past robots, it's not surprising that this would be the one out of all of them to benefit from shielded sensor wires. I could post pictures if anyone is interested.
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[2017-present] FRC 0020 - The Rocketeers
[2016] FRC 5811 - BONDS Robotics
[2010-2015] FRC 0020 - The Rocketeers
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