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Unread 22-03-2016, 08:03
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
Posts: 10,785
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Re: COMM lost way to many times

OK here goes a list of problems and fixes...
Battery terminals even if tight can be intermittent for a variety of reasons. A simple fix is to add a #10, external tooth star washer between the wire terminal and the battery terminal when assembling the battery wiring. This simple addition will bite through any surface crud on the terminals and lock the two terminals together so that they cannot rotate. Use the provided locking hardware in addition to this one lock washer.
Push the PD fuses all the way in. When properly installed the fuse will be just 1/8" above the PDP surface. It should be hard to remove.
Strip the wires that are inserted into the various Weidmuller connectors to the required length. Often teams make these too short and the result is the wire is not properly retained. Do not tin the wire, these connectors are intended for bare stranded wire. If you pull the wire and it pulls out of the connector suspect the connector. I have seen these damaged by aggressive installers.
A small number (<1 in 100,000) of main breakers have a manufacturing defect. While the robot is on, lightly tap the red button. If your lights flicker, replace the main breaker.
Make sure that the terminals you use to feed the PDP input seats all the way down into the PDP terminals. Some terminals are a little too wide to fit the terminal and will not seat all the way down. This raises the series resistance considerably. Inspect these terminals with a bright light.
Use proper strain relief at each end of the wire. We use self adhesive wire tie blocks or wire tied directly to frame to keep everything from moving around.
This year's radio has antennas behind the vents on either side of the radio. Do not mount your radio near metal objects so that the vents are near the metal objects on your robot.
Observe when your radio reboots. If you have the issue when traversing the defenses, then it is likely a poor connection. If it occurs when turning, then it is a brownout issue.
Never, never, not ever, lift the battery by the wiring. The terminals on the battery are simply soldered in place inside the battery. This is a manufacturing method that allows attaching various terminal styles to the same basic battery. Lifting the battery by the wire will break the solder connection internal to the battery. You will never know you have permanently damaged the battery until you really need it.
I do not recommend hot glue for many reasons. It might give you a false sense of security and will make you look elsewhere when the problem is really under the hot glue all along. If you think about it for a few minutes you can come up with a much better solution.
If you do not use the power plug that came with the radio, then it is very likely you have the wrong diameter plug. They look alike but the center pin varies.
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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.
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