[Rookie] How to set up electrical the best way?

[otherguy]

Originally Posted by mikets

Here is our software development bot. It is in a smaller footprint than the competition robot so it is less intimating when testing software. We are trying Jaguars for the first time and we made a backbone CAN bus (not daisy chain so it won't have the problem of one Jag dies, all down stream jags will fail) using RJ-12 connectors. The bus is pretty much two twisted-pair wires punchdown to 4 RJ-12 connectors. Also notice the Anderson connectors for motor power and RJ-11 connectors for the encoders. So unplugging all motor power and encoder cables will allow us to separate the electronics from the frame cleanly.

Just so you know... If a jaguar in a daisy chain fails, down stream jags are NOT affected. The contacts on the PCB are wired through (in to out) without going through active components.

The only exception to the rule is in the case where you are using the Jaguar as an RS232 to CAN bridge... Since that jaguar is actively translating commands, if it fails, the link fails. But again, any other Jag in the chain can lose power and everything will keep operating as it should.

Test it out for yourself - we did.