[Mike Betts]

Originally Posted by Sparks333

WHY does FIRST insist on using oversized wires??? I mean, I can understand that FIRST doesn't want any wires to fail, but if you are using thicker wire than the leads on, say, the compressor, than the extension will not burn up, but the leads will. That's not avoidable...PLEASE TELL ME WHY!!!!!...

Sparks,

I tried to address this issue last year: Last Year's Discussion

Please let me know if this does not make sense.

I can assure you that proper engineering has gone into FIRST's selections. People like Al, Adrien and I would be all over FIRST if they were being too conservative or too risky.

Please remember that no engineering decision is ever black and white. Without compromise, engineering would be boring. Just as you and your team will make hard decisions as you struggle to build a robot, FIRST has had to make hard decisions concerning maximizing safety while making the number of rules as small as possible.

It's not easy...