Victor connect to 30 A instead of 40 A

[Rafa12]

We connected our visitor to a 30 A to our distribution board, does it cause víctor any damage or to the robot?

[eddie12390]

The only difference between plugging it into a 30A port vs a 40A port is that the breaker could potentially trip earlier. It won't be harmful.

[Rafa12]

Thanks it helped a lot

[Al Skierkiewicz]

There is no rule about breaker size and the controller. You could use a 20 amp breaker with a Victor as long as the wire size from the PD is #18 AWG minimum.

[yash101]

When talking big power like this, less is better
30 Amps means that less current (hoh flowing through the pipe) is flowing than the 40 amps, or greater current.

That means that:
A) Motor Controllers Cooler
B) Fuses trip easier
C) You can use thinner wires
D) You fuse is smaller
E) You will ask yourself why a motor suddenly shuts down at ~75% power!

[ksafin]

Originally Posted by yash101

When talking big power like this, less is better
30 Amps means that less current (hoh flowing through the pipe) is flowing than the 40 amps, or greater current.

That means that:
A) Motor Controllers Cooler
B) Fuses trip easier
C) You can use thinner wires
D) You fuse is smaller
E) You will ask yourself why a motor suddenly shuts down at ~75% power!

I think "less is better" isn't accurate.

Using a 30 amp fuse does not mean "less current" flowing. It just means that once the current draw reaches 30 amps, it'll pop, instead of at 40. That is to say, fuse doesn't determine current.. a victor in identical conditions will draw X current in both the 30 amp and 40 amp fuse, but will not draw > 30 amps in the 30 amp fuse.

Motor controllers cooler - not really. Again, this is dependent on the stress involved. They'll only be cooler by the consequence of stopping due to a fuse pop.

Fuse trips easier - no bueno.

Thinner wires - more resistance, meaning hotter wires. For most motor applications you can end up pulling quite a bit of current which in extreme cases could even melt your wires.

[seg9585]

When choosing breaker (and subsequent wire size), I typically consider 2 factors:
- Motor selection
- Duration of usage in match

I use 40amp on CIMs almost exclusively due to their power draw. For smaller motors like PG71/188, usually or 30 amp unless its a continuous-usage motor (for example some conveyors) because of the heat produced in the wiring. Window motors usually 20 amp, Mini CIM either 30 or 40, Van Door/Snow Blower 30 amp.

Moral of the story, determine the power draw based on your motors, not speed controllers. I recommend checking the stall current draw for each motor (those specs are widely available) and judge accordingly.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by seg9585

When choosing breaker (and subsequent wire size), I typically consider 2 factors:
- Motor selection
- Duration of usage in match

I use 40amp on CIMs almost exclusively due to their power draw. For smaller motors like PG71/188, usually or 30 amp unless its a continuous-usage motor (for example some conveyors) because of the heat produced in the wiring. Window motors usually 20 amp, Mini CIM either 30 or 40, Van Door/Snow Blower 30 amp.

Moral of the story, determine the power draw based on your motors, not speed controllers. I recommend checking the stall current draw for each motor (those specs are widely available) and judge accordingly.

This is not quite right.

When choosing a breaker, choose it by the wire gauge attached to that breaker as breakers and fuses only protect the wiring.

Now to go further, you choose your wire gauge and drive circuit(victor, talon, spike, etc.) by the load (motor, solenoid, etc.) on the wire.

[IndySam]

Wire size is not a problem. The wire size is a minimum not maximum. You can use the same size wire on a 30a as you can on a 40a.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by IndySam

Wire size is not a problem. The wire size is a minimum not maximum. You can use the same size wire on a 30a as you can on a 40a.

Only as long as the wire gauge is good for 40A

[FrankJ]

The idea that the breaker is sized just to protect the wire is facilities logic. When you size breakers or other over current devices on a piece of equipment, like a robot, you size them for the protection of the load. You size the wire to suit.

A smaller breaker won't hurt your victor, it might save your motor.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by FrankJ

The idea that the breaker is sized just to protect the wire is facilities logic. When you size breakers or other over current devices on a piece of equipment, like a robot, you size them for the protection of the load. You size the wire to suit.

A smaller breaker won't hurt your victor, it might save your motor.

Sorry, FrankJ, but I respectfully disagree.

A breaker or fuse is no where near fast enough to protect a load from overcurrent (look at the trip specs).It is, instead, there to protect the rest of the wiring from an overcurrent event once a electrical failure has occurred. Thus, you size the wire to suit the load and you size the fuse/breaker to protect the wiring.

[seg9585]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

This is not quite right.

When choosing a breaker, choose it by the wire gauge attached to that breaker as breakers and fuses only protect the wiring.

Now to go further, you choose your wire gauge and drive circuit(victor, talon, spike, etc.) by the load (motor, solenoid, etc.) on the wire.

What's "not quite right"? I don't know about you, but I choose my wire based on the motor and its associated load, and select a breaker current limit accordingly. You really do it the other way around?

With that logic I feel like this would be a real conversation:

Student: "This CIM will give us all the torque we need to run our shooter!"
Mentor: "Yeah but we already cut and crimped this awesome 18 gauge wire, so pick a different motor compatible with it"
Student: "But we won't get enough torque from anything pulling under 20 amps"
Mentor: "I guess your CIM solution was destined to fail then"

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by seg9585

What's "not quite right"? I don't know about you, but I choose my wire based on the motor and its associated load, and select a breaker current limit accordingly. You really do it the other way around?

<SNIP>

My previous statement was, in effect, you choose the wire size by the current draw of the load (motor, etc.) and then you choose the breaker by the wire size.

Breakers (and fuses) do not limit current. they open the circuit when the bimetallic surfaces get too hot. In the case of auto-resetting breakers they then close the circuit when the bimetallic surfaces cool.

Again, size the breaker (or fuse) for the wires connected to it.

[FrankJ]

Breakers (and fuses) do not limit current. they open the circuit when the bimetallic surfaces get too hot. In the case of auto-resetting breakers they then close the circuit when the bimetallic surfaces cool.

Granted they don't limit current in the same way as certain power supplies do (like the jag), but they do limit current. That is pretty much their function.