Why not integrate Jaguars with Diodes?

[Jim Wilks]

Originally Posted by KrazyCarl92

Most people in the FRC who have experience with Jaguars know how frustratingly fragile they are. If you hook up the positive lead from the PDB to the V- and the negative lead from the PDB to the V+ on the Jag accidentally, the thing is busted, blown, and destroyed. So I have to wonder, why wouldn't they integrate a diode into the Jaguar's circuitry so that current would only pass through the one direction? Seems like that would be 10 cents to fix a problem rather than $90 fix for having to purchase an entirely new Jaguar.

Not asking if this would be FIRST legal (obviously you couldn't modify the internal circuitry of a motor controller), but just asking if this is something that could be integrated to make the product more durable, maybe by a manufacturer in the future. I know I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for a product that wouldn't break when someone on the team unknowingly swaps the black and red screws...

A diode to handle the 60A or so that a Jaguar can handle would cost a lot more than 10 cents. As well. it would create a lot of heat that would somehow have to be dissipated. Finally, you would have a power reduction in the output due to the 0.7 volts lost in the diode. This would translate to something in the order of 6% at full output.

These all go together to make the "fix" you suggest a bit more difficult to accomplish.