Quote:
Originally Posted by GVDrummer
We had the same problem at first but if you have your wires zip tied through your board that its on leading to your block you really shouldn't have a problem with them falling out.. also sottering works great.
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I want to punctuate Al's earlier statement with regard to not using solder on the wires that go into the power distribution block. These terminals are designed to clamp on clean wire and give the best performance on clean wire. Solder flux does not conduct current and it is likely that flux will be left when you use solder. Soldering the wire may not lead to a low resistance connection if the resulting contact area is small. Strip the wire to a length that stops against the back of the hole, so that the full length of the clamp engages the wire. Don't double up the 6 gauge wire, and insert 10 gauge wires in pairs to get the best clamping action, being very careful about the strip length, it is easy to get insulaton from a 10 gauge wire into the clamp. If you have a lone 10 gauge wire going into the terminal block, it can be helpful to double it up to get better clamping action.
The number 6 wire going into the maxi fuse block can be problematic because the hole in this block is very large. You might crimp on a ferrule that is soft enough to be crushed by the set screw, to get a good connection here that is hard to pull out. Ferrules are also made to improve reliability of connections in din rails.
http://www.americanelectrical.com/wireferrules.htm
Make sure that you zip tie all wiring in your robot to the board that the electrics are mouted on near the termination point with a little loop that provides stress relief. This is needed on all of your wiring, and in particular the pwm cables that enter victors and spikes. Your robot will likely interact vigorously with others and when it gets whacked you don't want the wires moving.
Have fun,
Eugene