[archiver]

Posted by Mike Dubreuil.

Student on team #175, Buzz, from Enrico Fermi High School and UTC/Hamilton Sundstrand.

Posted on 7/14/2000 4:24 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: Con-Fused.... posted by Ken Patton on 7/11/2000 3:41 PM MST:



It makes it safer because you can't pull as much power out of the battery as possible. I think that could add a hazard into the game: melting electrical wires (although I'm not sure with the generous safety margin FIRST has in effect on gauge), leaking batteries, fire, stuff like that.
When I made reference to the frying of components I was talking about fuses in general, spefically those that protect Spikes or Victors. They could easilly fry under too high of a load (without fuses).

:
: Does it really make the system safer? Specifically how?

: It doesn't change the likelihood that you will fry something, other than the 60A fuse itself (and thats what its there for).

: As you say, you experienced a gain because you would not be dead in the water due to a 60 amp fuse blowing. Why would your 60 amp fuse tend to blow? My guess is because you were on the ragged edge in terms of motors being driven at one time, or gear ratios chosen for robot speed, or both. What would you say to teams that didn't use Joe's mod, but instead backed off on gear ratio a little and settled for less speed than you guys did? Do you think it was an equal playing field?

: The fact that people are doing this doesn't bother me as much as it surpises me. Its technically cheating isn't it?

: Ken

:
: : Well you have to look at the reasoning behind a rule like this: safety and so you don't fry anything. The only real gain we experienced was that if our 60 amp fuse blew we wouldn't be dead in the water. The circut would not allow any more than 60 amps. So, we did not receive a performance gain. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly we did not use the circut as 'the 60 amp fuse'. The 60 amper was still wired in but the circut would protect it.