Quote:
Originally Posted by KrazyCarl92
TL;DR: We love ferrule connectors, and they belong on just about every other possible connection except the power on the RoboRIO; bare wire is best there. The barrel connectors that come in the KOP for radio power are ill-suited to the rigors of FRC (especially this year's game); use PoE, hot glue, or a rubber band to mitigate the risk of your radio losing power. It is important that teams be aware of solutions that may help their robots stay alive.
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I would strongly suggest that you leave the wires a bit long if you are not using ferrules for connections where you may want to re-do the connection at some point such as the RoboRio power. The strands of the wires tend to fray and you risk shorting to adjacent wires at the Wiedmuller connectors. The wires are only 3mm apart, center-to-center. The best way to fix wire strands that have frayed is to cut the exposed conductor off and re-strip to the appropriate length. To be able to do this, you will need some extra wire length.
I think it would be easier for people to understand how you use a rubber band to hold the radio power plug on the radio if you post a picture. It is a great idea if am reading you right but it is tricky to envision how the rubber band holds the plug. I am assuming that you have a straight plug.