[EricVanWyk]

I can't guarentee that you are or are not damaging things. However, it sounds like a patently bad idea. The breakers are there for a reason. I would recomend creating a simple PWM generating box to do these sorts of things.

We made one from a 555 and a potentiometer, it was rediculously useful.

As for why things get power:
The Victor is a simple H-Bridge. When you apply voltage to the middle terminals of the bridge, the current flows backwards through the MOSFET's body diodes to the rest of the robot. These body diodes are rated for 64amps a piece, so you _probably_ won't destroy them that way. However, they do have a 1.2V drop, so you will generate a good portion of heat if you try to power anything else.

The two 1.2V drops add up to a fifth of the voltage coming from the battery. Anything powered by the battery through the victor the wrong way therefore dumps 1/5th of its power through those FETs.

Long story short, tell the students not to do so. If the RC decides to tell another motor to turn on during this proceedure, it could go pop.