Victor Blinking Light Question

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Ether

So, is the firmware the only difference between the Pre2003(?) red text 883 and the 2013 green text 888?? I would think some non-trivial hardware changes would have been made in the intervening 10 years.

The change from red to blue label 883s was a hardware change. The old ones required external transorbs (provided). They were implemented internally on the newer 883s.

From the 2000 robot manual:

There are two models of the Victor 883 speed controller being used in the 2000 FIRST
Robotics Competition. The older models are identified by a red “Victor 883” label, while the
newer models have a blue label. There is no difference in performance between the old and
new models. However, the older models do require the installation of a transorb (included
with the speed controllers) across the power input terminals.
Tip: Teams which purchased spare Victor 883 speed controllers in 1999 should be aware
that there is a low cost firmware upgrade available from Innovation First. Teams may use
Victor 883 speed controllers purchased in 1999 with or without the firmware upgrade. For
more information, consult the Innovation First web site at www.innovationfirst.com.

I don't know what the other changes affected. I find it hard to believe that there were no other hardware changes in the last 15 years, but can't point to anything particular. I suspect better FETs were used in the 884, as the continuous current rating increased.