[vhcook]

Make sure you really understand what's going on in the power distribution diagram. If there's something there that you can't figure out after reading through the rules and the tips and good practices, ask.

Correctly stripping and crimping the wires is the most essential skill. Also make sure you put enough tension on the screw connections on the Power Distribution Block and the Maxi Block. All of your connections should pass the "jiggle test" -- if you jiggle the wire a bit, it shouldn't pull loose. If it doesn't pass the jiggle test, it's likely to work loose in competition, which can result in your robot being disabled, becoming immobile, or, in extreme cases, catching fire. Use the proper gauge wire for the breaker protecting the circuit (bigger wire is ok if it fits, but will cost you weight).

We're using a lot of current here, so don't skimp on the electrical tape to cover any exposed conductor, particularly your battery terminals once you've got the Andersen connector hooked up.

Make sure the main breaker button is always easily accessible in case you need to do an emergency shutdown (you need to be able to get to it without having to remove a cover first, but you'll want to position it so that other robots/trackballs aren't going be able to accidentally shut you down).

Make sure you leave enough room by the robot controller to be able to get the serial cables in and out -- those bulky connectors are not terribly maneuverable. (That's the mistake we made as rookies.)

Label wires at both ends, especially the PWM cables to the motors. A labelmaker is your best friend.

You're going to want to build or buy a disable/autonomous mode switch to hook to the OI for testing purposes. During actual matches, the field will take care of that for you, but for practice, you'll need a set of switches.