2015 Control System Alpha Testing

[Mike Copioli]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

To start, the positive power lead is VERY VERY close to the CAN board. Like 1/16" close. We actually put a lock washer under it to raise it so it's 1/8th away.

This will not be an issue when the PDP is inside it's enclosure. There is plenty of plastic between the two.

Originally Posted by Tom Line

Next, one of the members already boogered up one of the power lugs. The mounting lugs are aluminum, and it took 2 seconds for it to be cross-threaded.

The Lugs are actually made of a copper alloy that is plated with tin. The material used is chosen for it's conductive properties (100-200 micro Ohms). However it is strong enough to apply the torque required to provide a reliable connection. As with any screw fastener the possibility of cross threading exists. We will just need to address this in the user manual.

Originally Posted by Tom Line

The push-to lock connectors are FANTASTIC. You can put components next to the modules that have them, because you don't need to put a lever tool in and mess around with them. No PWM crimping is a welcome change.

I am glad to hear you like these. They are very convenient.

[protoserge]

We're a little late to the party... We are also a LabVIEW alpha test team.

We have a working setup with a window motor and AM9012 at present. Hopefully we will have it integrated into the robot by the middle of this week.

We will be blogging about our progress on our team's website. Here is the first installment. Very high resolution photos are linked for those curious.

Hopefully, we will have a video overview up tomorrow evening that goes over each component and the noted features.

Here is our current test board:


Alpha Test Hardware by FRC Team 836, The RoboBees, on Flickr