[NotInControl]

Originally Posted by mikets

I still don't understand the intention of the rule. We are thinking of using the same model compressor as the one used in competition. So it is not a more powerful shop compressor. Also, we will be wiring in the same pressure limiting switch and the same Spike as used in the system. The only difference is there is no cRIO. The limit switch directly controls the FWD input of the spike so when the pressure is reaching the limit PSI, it opens the circuit and the Spike will shut down the current to the compressor.

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

There is one more very large difference. Your onboard pneumatics system (with its compressor and pressure switch and everything else) gets checked by the inspectors for proper operation. Your proposed setup does not. Its design might well be equivalent, but the execution does not get evaluated by people responsible for ensuring that every team plays by the rules.

(The more fundamental difference is that your proposed setup won't work. The Spike control input is a 5 volt signal.)

I believe the bigger difference is that the off-board compressor even with the same model compressor, and pressure limit switch directly wired to the realy (eve if that would work) and it's own E-stop button is: it is not controlled by the driverstation. So hitting the e-stop, or disable on the driverstation, would allow the compressor to still run. Which is considered an un-safe condiditon and must be avoided. Thus the reason for having air be controlled by the cRIO.

In any system where an E-stop is required you want one which kills all functionality which could cause harm/damage. Having mulitple mutually exclusive E-stop buttons as would be the case in your setup defeats the purpose of the E-stop.


Regards,
Kevin