Introducing a New Modular Control Board System

[coolhandluke811]

Hello Everyone! Happy Pre-kickoff season!

I would like to introduce you to a new modular control board system tailored to the needs of FRC Teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_UQ4ymBXSo

The system is deemed the "T811" in honor of the chairmans-award-winning team that got me hooked onto FIRST during high school.



The system works with two parts: "cells" and "mounts"



Cells:
-interlocks with one another via a lip and notch system
-bolts to robot with 1/4x20 bolts
-streamlined to reduce weight
-each cell has a built in lock down system for 2 anderson powerpole connectors



Mounts:
-bolts to: RoboRio, PDB, PCM, Voltage regulator, old talon, new talon, new victor, spike relay, breaker switch
-bolt hole have nut retainers for ease of use
-quickly and easily clips into cell parts (tool-less) (with experience, can be done with one hand)
-streamlined to reduce weight
-four corner slots allow wires to reach sublevel

Once clipped together, a small gap forms called the "wiring sublevel". This sublevel allows you to route your wires underneath your board. Wires are protected and neatly concealed, giving a very clean look to your board that didn't take hours of slaving with zipties.

For more info, head to my website: http://t811modulus.com/

MSRP is $90 for a kit of 60 parts total (which satisfies the needs of most robots)
Preorder now on my site to guarantee a kit for your team this year.
AndyMark will also be distributing kits.
Check out my special rebate offer to get $15 off (under blog posts).

The system was designed by a FRC student for FRC teams and their needs and goals. Such as:

-Easy modularity while prototyping or making design changes during build

-No more sticking hardware "where it fits", because sometimes it just doesn't
fit (and what kind of engineering lesson is that?). Students can now easily plan out their board on pad and paper or use CAD.

-Addressing the need to make wiring easier for rookie teams.

-Remember seeing a team miss a match because they had to replace a hardware piece? During bracket matches you barely have time to go to your pit. With the T811 you can replace a motor controller in under two minutes without having to use tools.

-Strategic teams design robots that can be modified to different match strategies (did you see Einstein last year?!?). A modular control board makes it easy to mechanically adapt robots legally between matches.

As FRC teams we have standards for robots mechanically. It's why we have chassis kits:the basic standard. We also have coding standards: the WPI libraries and etc. Now there is a wiring standard: the T811.

Like Modulus on facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/ModulusLLC?ref=hl

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you to the mentors who made this possible.

Feel free to ask questions or post comments here. Good luck this year teams!

[metalthorn]

This looks awesome!

How does a full board set up effect weight? Essentially, how much weight does the "average" set up weigh? Also is there a cad up online that we can gain access to?

[coolhandluke811]

Good questions.

Weight: I cannot give an official weight until I receive final parts from my manufacturer.

Based off my 3D printed samples, using a full kit on a robot would add less than 4lbs to the bot.
*Side note: I believe we are losing almost 5lbs this year with the hardware updates if you were using older hardware
*FIX. I am a little rusty on the exact weights

Working to get the CAD up on the site, but here is what will be released:

https://grabcad.com/library/modulus-t811-1

[tim-tim]

Great concept. I have a few questions:
What is the material used?
Is it 3D printed? (I ask because you can see the raster lines in the video, but could be a prototype of the final product) For mass production would a different manufacturing technique be cheaper/more efficient? Think injection molds.
What is the individual weight for each, cell and mount?
Why such a large fastener size? Why not provide a #6 (or similar) clearance hole as a pilot if teams need to use something larger. For the weight of the components, a 1/4" screw is way overkill. In the game of pounds, ounces matter.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by coolhandluke811

*Side note: I believe we are losing almost 10lbs this year with the update of crio to roborio

10 lbs?!?!?. That seems a bit much... The cRio-frc II is listed at about 22 oz per the official spec from NI, less than 2 lbs. Even with the modules and digital sidecar, I don't know how your going to get a 10 lbs reduction.

[coolhandluke811]

Correct, the samples in the video are 3d printed. Those are PLA (not safe to print ABS in my dorm )

The final parts are being injected molded and will be ABS. So the finish will be far superior.

ABS is what was used on an older version of the system on team 811's robot last year. It worked very well. The right amount of flex for the clips. Plenty sturdy.

I don't have a scale to measure my parts but this is what I base my estimations off of.

There are ~330 meters in a 1 kg spool of 3d printing plastic.
Printing a cell takes me 8.5 meters with support
Printing a cell takes me 10 meters to print with support

A final cell should be less than 0.03 kg or 0.066lbs.
A final mount should be less than .045 kg or 0.1lbs.

This is calculated with PLA, which is slightly denser than ABS.

I hope that answers the weight question.

I did an early poll with about 30 teams. The majority of teams preferred the larger bolt which was also easier to use with a peg board. The way the lip system works we only had to bolt down every other cell last year, which was actually close to overkill.

My opinion on it was that if teams are diligent about weight at the beginning with a similar concern level to yours, then they will unlikely have a problem with the weight of 15 1/4x20 nuts and bolts.

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

10 lbs?!?!?. That seems a bit much... The cRio-frc II is listed at about 22 oz per the official spec from NI, less than 2 lbs. Even with the modules and digital sidecar, I don't know how your going to get a 10 lbs reduction.

Good call. I was off. I remember hearing a while back that if you were using the original crio, digital sidecar and other old hardware you could shed up to 10lbs by the 2015 hardware. In reflection I believe 2012 to 2015 difference is around 5 lbs. However I may still be slightly off with that.

I edited my response.

[Jim Wilks]

How does this work with the new motor controllers?

Talon SRX
Victor SP

Both of these have a significantly different footprint and needs for wires to exit at the ends of the speed controller.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by coolhandluke811

In reflection I believe 2012 to 2015 difference is around 5 lbs. However I may still be slightly off with that.

I think that it's more in the neighborhood of a 2 lb savings.

[nathannfm]

Originally Posted by tim-tim

Why such a large fastener size? Why not provide a #6 (or similar) clearance hole as a pilot if teams need to use something larger. For the weight of the components, a 1/4" screw is way overkill. In the game of pounds, ounces matter.

I agree 1/4-20 sounds like overkill in this situation but you could probably use much lighter and cheaper plastic (nylon) bolts in this situation. I believe the reason he could not design to have a drilled out hole is because there is a nut capture hex indent that matches a 1/4-20 nut.

[Dale]

I'd love to see how well these works with the new Talon SRX and Victor SP speed controllers. Those are a different form factor and also use their entire body as the heat sink. I don't know if they'll get so hot as to melt the ABS (105 C) but it may soften it.

[Monochron]

Boy, that video. I like it

I would love to see some of this hooked up in various configurations with the new control system though. Lots of possibilities.

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by Dale

I'd love to see how well these works with the new Talon SRX and Victor SP speed controllers. Those are a different form factor and also use their entire body as the heat sink. I don't know if they'll get so hot as to melt the ABS (105 C) but it may soften it.

Here's what they look like with the new motor controller. The wiring is a little different but should function fundamentally the same.

If the hardware is getting so hot that its softening the ABS I would say there are likely other issues occurring.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Luke,
I am impressed, nice job!
Al

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by coolhandluke811

Here's what they look like with the new motor controller. The wiring is a little different but should function fundamentally the same.

If the hardware is getting so hot that its softening the ABS I would say there are likely other issues occurring.

Does it seem possible to mount two controllers to one board? You might lose some of the air space for heat control, but the space savings might be worthwhile.