[SteveJanesch]

I was the Lead Electrical Guy for the rookie build in NC last year, and we built and did basic tests with the electrical boards before mounting to the chassis at the end of the day. We wired main power first, then checked those paths with indicator LEDs and multimeter before proceeding.

What I noticed is that it's handy to have one almost-complete set of wrenches, screwdrivers and the like in the electrical area to share, in case the mechanical teams are keeping the main sets of tools busy.

We had a couple spools of #10 and #16 wire (red and black, of course) and had a couple volunteers cut the main wires and crimp terminals on them for all the teams. I made the mistake of buying wire with stiff insulation at the local home center, and it was a pain to work with - start looking early enough and find some nice flexible wire, you'll be glad you did. Get plenty of crimp terminals and a couple sets of strippers and crimpers, and three or four students with serious grip strength. The e-board is intimidating enough for rookies as it is, they don't need to be distracted with something as mundane as crimping terminals to wires (though they'll need to learn it eventually).

A set of colored electrical tape is handy for marking things. Our team marks power and control wires plus each breaker and jag/victor/relay and motor with a consistent color throughout. Wildstang 111 wrote the book on how to do this (thanks again). Home centers around here have small rolls of red, white, blue, yellow, and green in a set for about five bucks. Also bring a full roll of standard black. You may want a knife or shears to cut the tape.

During build season we realized we needed a bent WAGO tool because we didn't leave much room next to the power distro board. What we wound up doing was buying a couple sets of cheapo mini screwdrivers and used a torch and vise (and once, some bad language) to make our own. Make one of these for each of the rookies and you'll have friends for life.

I'd use 3/8" or 1/4" plywood rather than pegboard. The holes you'll need to drill for mounting components don't follow the pegboard pitch. We had templates for drilling holes and locating components (I believe they came from the Mother Ship). Teams were supposed to bring their own drills and bits, but having a spare set on hand is helpful. Bring a circular saw, tape measure, pencil and straightedge for that team or two who didn't pre-cut their board properly.

I'm sure I'm missing some things (I was still getting used to the idea of foot-high bumps running the width of the field when we were doing the build), and you'll have ideas of your own. It'll be a busy day, but very rewarding. Good luck!

- Steve