[jvriezen]

Some tips from my experience as a robot inspector for years and years...

1. When using velcro as part of your method to secure your battery, use a continuous loop of velcro that passes through two holes in your belly pan or other structural member. Relying on an attachment of velcro to your structure with adhesive or a screw, nut/bolt, rivet etc. usually results in a weak spot in the system, weaker than the velcro hook/loop interface.

2. Also with velcro, make the overlap of the straps as long as possible to maximize the area where the hook/loop connnection is made. Wider straps are also better, but a 3/4" strap is usually sufficient if the overlap is across the longer dimension of the battery (i.e. not just across the top of the battery.)

3. After securing your battery, test it by grabbing the battery and vigorously pulling, twisting, shaking it to see if it moves or comes out. If it comes out or has enough 'slop' so that it can bang against hard surfaces, it is not secure enough.

4. Finally, I suspect a lot of batteries that come loose on the field are due to improperly securing the battery even though there is a good securing system. Not tightening down straps or restraints correctly can make the best system useless.

5. Bungy cord based systems are often not adequate. They can be, but often is is far to easy to stretch the bungy with a battery that experiences sudden deceleration due to a hit or fall.

6. Your battery must be secure from movement in all directions-- a deep battery box with 6" high sides with an upright battery that can be lifted out is not secure, even if you aren't planning on climbing-- even if it is a flat floor this year.

7. At events I volunteer at, there is almost always an inspector in the queuing area checking the batteries on every bot to assure they are secure. Its amazing how many are not secure (at least to my standards and my LRI's standards) despite having passed inspection. Other times, teams just forget to close the restraint.