Well I guess it is time to blow my horn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
However, if FIRST is concerned with making any actual improvement in electrical safety, they should mandate the installation of Anderson SB50 connectors on battery chargers. The potential to short a battery across aligator clips while charging is a HUGE fire risk. The way some teams charge their batteries with alligator clips into the battery connector means you're just milimeters away from a 600-Amp dead short of very very little resistance. All it would take is a bump or a tool to land on it. And it's really no better if the alligator clips are down on the battery terminals. It's still exposed and prone to a spark-throwing short circuit.
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In 2007 our team distributed an SB50 connection with wiring to rework over 1,300 chargers for that season. The effort came within an inch of getting the team the CMP UL Safety award, runner up instead. It generated the language in the safety manual and the safety animation about safe battery charging. Casual observations indicates that it increased safe charging behavior from about 35% pre-2007 to 85 or 90% now. That is based on some surveys we have conducted but not across every regional. Why it isn't mandated ? I don't know. I have seen several fires and put out a couple myself. Once I was standing in front of a pit, I saw the short and saw the alligator clips turn red to white hot and I stepped in pulled the cabling, for example. For the regionals we go to we survey the pits and rework chargers if permitted. We only have to do a handful a year now.