Lithion-Ion Batteries

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by IndySam

I get what you're saying, but we can't be afraid to try new things just because they are new and untested in a FRC robot.

We have all been bitten by that bug in the past but we can't be afraid to move on. Who can't forget the debacle of the BaneBot gearboxes in 2007? Those were fun times.

I have no problem trying new things, I didn't mean for my posts to come off that way. I'm really trying to say here that we just need more information and testing done before these motors should be seriously considered for use by all teams. We'd need to understand their properties and be able to compare their specs directly to the "tried and true" motors we're familiar with, something no one has been able to provide yet.

I'd love to see a team adopt a couple of these motors and run them through their paces through a couple of off-season competitions. Find out how well they hold up, figure out how efficient the motors are. We're supposed to be engineers here... do we field prototypes as production equipment? Should we include a new motor we know little about and have no experience with in a Kit of Parts for thousands of teams, when we aren't even sure what the benefit (or drawback) of such a motor is?

I'm not saying we shouldn't look at these... I'm saying we need to make sure we understand the true benefits and costs before we start arguing for adopting them.