[Richard Wallace]

Over the years I have learned many things from the FIRST team students I have mentored. The suggestion your mentor made about wiring the pressure switch directly to the compressor indicates a great opportunity for that mentor to learn from you now. The mentor's suggestion was well-intended, I believe, but was not based on a complete understanding of the rules and risks, as Pete explained above.

For reference, the pertinent rules are <R52> and <R87>. You should read them carefully before you explain to your mentor how the compressor and pressure switch wiring must be done.

I have inspected FRC robots at many events for several years. Many times I have seen the incorrect switch wiring that your mentor suggested, and have made the team correct it before their robot passed inspection. Once (thankfully only once!) I saw this kind of incorrect wiring result in a serious safety issue -- the switch, which as Pete pointed out is NOT rated for the electrical loading presented by a compressor, had failed due to arcing at its contacts, which fused them closed so that the compressor ran continuously -- until it overheated and smoke started to pour out. Luckily a heads-up field volunteer reached the robot's main breaker and stopped it before things got much worse.