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Unread 25-02-2016, 09:24
Unsung FIRST Hero
Al Skierkiewicz Al Skierkiewicz is offline
Broadcast Eng/Chief Robot Inspector
AKA: Big Al WFFA 2005
FRC #0111 (WildStang)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Wheeling, IL
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Re: Electrical Best Practices

Kevin,
I made that presentation at Champs for several years in Atlanta. While much of it still applies, the hardware has changed. I can send that Power Point if you would like.
Beyond that, I prefer to wire with the PDP as close to the center of the high current loads as possible. Keep high current load wiring short to minimize loss. Similar length wiring to each side of the drive system gives best performance for auto driving and teleop by balancing the losses to each side. While crimping is essential for a good connection, following up with soldering is extra insurance that the connection will not fail. I add "star" washers between the battery terminal and the wire terminal in addition to the standard locking hardware. This small addition bites through surface corrosion and prevents the terminals sliding past each other. If the terminals cannot move they will never loosen. Make sure to tighten the hardware on the PDP and main breaker using the correct tool. If you want max power out of your motors, consider using a larger wire. #10 for CIM motors in your drive system will work better than #12. Use some method of identifying wires. We use a 3M tape product available from Digikey that has EIA colors. Everything in the branch is colored the same, PWM, controller, wiring and motor. If the yellow motor stops, look at the yellow controller, yellow wiring and yellow PWM. Use some kind of battery test device to check your battery health. I have used the CBA-II for several years. I recently bought a CBA-IV but haven't had a chance to bust it out of the box. Use this with an intelligent method for keeping and identifying batteries as charged or used. We use the AndyMark plug to identify batteries that are charged.
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Good Luck All. Learn something new, everyday!
Al
WB9UVJ
www.wildstang.org
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Storming the Tower since 1996.