FRC Blogged - Wireless Security, Karthik at TEDx and a Pop Safety Quiz!

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Okay, so, regulation (and Travis and Joe) say I'm wrong, and I'm fine with that. Clearly I am not an expert on OSHA and UL regulations.

However, if FIRST is concerned with making any actual improvement in electrical safety, they should mandate the installation of Anderson SB50 connectors on battery chargers. The potential to short a battery across aligator clips while charging is a HUGE fire risk. The way some teams charge their batteries with alligator clips into the battery connector means you're just milimeters away from a 600-Amp dead short of very very little resistance. All it would take is a bump or a tool to land on it. And it's really no better if the alligator clips are down on the battery terminals. It's still exposed and prone to a spark-throwing short circuit.

Let's stop playing safety theater and impose regulations that reduce actual serious risks, rather than preventing things that are likely to never happen.