[Kevin Sevcik]

I don't know. Call me crazy, but i really think a DON'T list should have a list of things that are highly foolish and dangerous to do that might actually, you know, permanently damage things. Half of Vince's current list is much better posed as a troubleshooting list, since they're just things that keep the robot from working correctly. I figure a DON'T list should look something like, ohhh:

Call me crazy, but in my opinion, a list like this should be reserved for things that you REALLY shouldn't do because they're dangerous to your equipment (in this case) or your life. It should be a checklist of things you can run through to make sure you're not about to turn your thousand dollar investment into so much magic smoke. It should not be a list of oddly worded good ideas, or odd things that might prevent your robot from working. Those sorts of things seem (to me) to properly belong on "Top 10 tips on using the new control system" or a nice troubleshooting list, respectively. Admonishing teams to "Don't forget to read the manual" seems silly when you should be telling them not to turn their cRIO into a very ostentatious paperweight.

To that end, here's my proposal of a more useful list of "Don't"s that I'd actually be comfortable giving to teams.

1. Don't connect reverse polarity power to the Power Distribution battery lugs.

2. Don't connect reverse polarity power to ANY power terminals on any device.

3. Don't connect power to the motor output side of a speed controller.

4. Don't mount the cRIO or Axis camera on a conductive material: the enclosures for these devices are grounded.

5. Don't disconnect the power to the Driver Station while downloading the firmware upgrades via a USB thumb drive.

6. Don't try to operate the robot without an appropriate Enable/Disable dongle connected to the Driver Station.

7. Don't touch the pins on the cRIO backplane if you've removed a module; they are static sensitive, so you can damage them. Corollary: Awlays cover the connectors for removed modules.

8. Don't use 1/4-20 nuts on the Power Distribution lugs: M6 nuts must be used. 1/4-20 nuts will permanently damage the lugs.

9. Don't use unmodified keyed PWM cables from the kit. They can only plug in backwards and may damage your sensors.

10. Don't turn on your Driver's Station while the joysticks aren't centered. They automatically center when powered up and your robot may move unexpectedly.

Now, 6 and 10 there won't actually inherently smoke something on the control system, but I figure it's also important to tell teams that paper-clip disable switches are a bad idea, and that their robot might develop a mind of its own if they're not careful.