[mman1506]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Guys,
FIRST hasn't ruled against the canned air because it really doesn't do that much. The thermal device is relatively isolated from the sealed case. You cool the case down but it doesn't reduce the temperature of the bimetal strip enough to change the characteristics. As Aren has pointed out, this is a simple and small piece of metal. It will heat or cool rapidly without intervention from the outside world. That is what it is designed to do. The current flowing through the contacts have the greatest effect. To a lesser extent, poor connections to the main breaker cause heat to be generated and conducted to the contacts through the metal carrying currents in the breaker. However, the thermal mass of the wiring and contact terminals on the breaker are sufficiently high that one would have to cool down the entire main electrical system to have the desired effect. No matter how you cut it, six CIMs are still drawing the maximum current from the battery in stall at full throttle. Teams that claim they are not tripping the main breaker have learned to ramp up to full throttle or prevent drivers from doing so in a match. In addition to the dangers of inhalation, the rapid cooling in a humid environment produces moisture on electrical parts and the chemicals tend to wash out lubricants. Your mileage will surely vary.

Originally Posted by Cory

To clarify, I don't think anyone cools their breaker to keep alive...they (or at least we) just do so in order to not start with an elevated temperature due to short match turnaround. An elevated temperature means your breaker will trip under lower current draw than a room temperature breaker.

Teams that claim they are not tripping the main breaker have learned to ramp up to full throttle or prevent drivers from doing so in a match.

We don't, I'd bet 254 doesn't either.