View Single Post
  #9   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 26-06-2016, 18:12
David Lame David Lame is offline
Registered User
FRC #0247
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Berkley, MI
Posts: 84
David Lame is a jewel in the roughDavid Lame is a jewel in the roughDavid Lame is a jewel in the roughDavid Lame is a jewel in the rough
Re: Rules Change I Would Like to See - Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hill View Post
I would suggest against a USB converter because you're really only guaranteed 500 mA. Odds are it can actually do more than that, but something to watch out for, especially if you're doing anything computationally intensive on the Pi. I'd also watch out for some of the cheaper automotive USB converters. The power is often really ugly (lot of switching noise), which is generally fine for charging your phone, but for a Pi, it may be a little more sensitive to switching noise.
Thanks for illustrating the issue very well.

Yes, there are ways to do it, and lots of teams do them. However, there are issues with them. Gotchas. Things to look out for.

If the students were just allowed to use devices that were actually designed specifically for providing power to a device that was specifically designed to use that power, those gotchas wouldn't exist.

Again, some people might look at that as a good thing. Providing an easy solution is not necessarily the best thing for a FIRST team. The question that the rule makers have to ask themselves is whether they want to encourage people to make use of the fancier processing available through the use of coprocessor boards. If so, do they want to make a little bit of electrical engineering a prerequisite, or do they want to let them cut straight to the processing part, assuming they are willing to pay a small weight penalty. (I would assume that, unlike the main battery, any batteries used to power auxiliary computers or sensors would count against the robot weight allowance.)

I don't think there's a "right" answer to the question. I have an opinion on the subject, obviously, but I won't say that there is an obvious answer.

So far, though, the people providing information haven't really discussed advantages and disadvantages, just that the rule change isn't necessary because there are engineering solutions available for teams under the current rules. I suppose the disadvantage is that it introduces an unnecessary change to solve a problem that, in many people's opinion, already has an adequate solution.
Reply With Quote