Introducing a New Modular Control Board System

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by MrBasse

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.

The reason this wasn't built-in was because you can only drill so many holes in the places you want them. On top of that when you decide to do it this way, it becomes harder to route the wires below because it blocks the channels.

BUT.... the 811 is an adaptable system. You want something to fit? Drill new holes or make an adapter plate. They are pretty simple to make and are great intro CAD/machining/3D printing projects for new students.

The picture attached is just to show that you can fit two per part.

I will release CAD so that teams can 3D print/manufacture these motor controller adapter plate.

They will work by:
1. drop in the nuts for bolting to mount
2. bolt the hard ware pieces on top (this capture the previous nuts)
3. bolt to mount through holes already in the mount for some other hardware (lots of options)

easy peasy

If your team doesn't have 3D printing/manufacturing resources I am happy to help work something out.

[x86_4819]

What about using Jaguars with this?

[mastachyra]

I bought it! I think it's a great idea! I'll make sure to let everyone at the Midwest regional know how well it works.

[nuclearnerd]

I was about to be all snarky and say "what problem is this solving that DIN rail doesn't already"...

...and then I saw the sub-level wiring channel. Take my money.

PS - Have you considered making "vertical mount" modules? You could probably get two victors (or 4 of the new design) onto a single module if they were supported "on edge".

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by x86_4819

What about using Jaguars with this?

Due to the Jaguars large foot print and uncertainty in current lifespan, it was not incorporated into the built in bolting options.

I hope the attached images help justify this decision.

It is possible to create adapter plates to fit 2 jaguars on 4 cells.

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

I bought it! I think it's a great idea! I'll make sure to let everyone at the Midwest regional know how well it works.

Thank you for your order! I look forward to your feedback!

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

PS - Have you considered making "vertical mount" modules? You could probably get two victors (or 4 of the new design) onto a single module if they were supported "on edge".

At the top of the page you can see how to easily fit 2 new controllers onto 1 mount.

I think the attached image shows what you are trying to describe.

Issue #1: Wires extending out of the bottom create slight wiring complexities and add required height. A possible work around would be do drill out holes for routing the wires immediately to the sub-level.

Issue #2: Coupling 4 controllers like this so close can create heat problems. Its possible to use heat shielding or insulating. But this is at your own risk and should contact Vex or CRE before trying this.

Issue #3: Wiring all those wires can become complex.

Still doable. Proposed alternative to better use the 3rd spacial dimension:
In the videos you can see how to double the Cells back to back.
-Mount 12 cells in a 2x3 grid back to back.
-On one side mount the Power Distribution Panel to 6 cells. (or whatever you want)
-On the other side mount up to 12 of the new motor controllers, or whatever the robot needs/your heart desires.

[JamesTerm]

Originally Posted by 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

Wow Luke! Thanks for sharing totally a great idea!

The more I think about this the more of an internal dilemma I face with the "one-size fits all" against the "customized to the max"... ultimately the trade-off is time and money (typical of a lot of things I suppose).

I guess if the BOM doesn't fit the budget print something custom... otherwise if BOM can fit and you need time (don't we all)... this may be the way to go. Thanks for the new option!

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by coolhandluke811

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

Do you already have the molds? :-/ Those can easily be $100,000 per, and it looks like you'll need two of them. Have you worked with anyone who has done injection molding before? Because you can't directly translate from a 3D printed part. For example, vertical sides are very difficult to achieve with injection molding, so you generally use about a 1 degree angle on all sides (check out the CAD file for the roboRIO if you don't believe me). There are also quite a few other things to be wary of.

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Do you already have the molds?

The two cavity mold is being machined currently and will be finished within the next two weeks.

I've received a more than decent amount of guidance from several very experienced mentors. One of them ensured I was setup with a trustworthy molding company. He also made sure that my designs were optimized for mold injection and walked me through it. The part is properly drafted and cored out for wall thicknesses associated with part cooling.

This same mentor organized the 3D printing award last year and is a large part the reason we are seeing more 3D printing in FIRST.

[coolhandluke811]

Update 12.13.14:

Here's a picture of part of the molds machined. Still some work to do. I will be visiting the shop at the end of the week for part approval and paperwork. I'll get some more pictures for everyone then.

Thanks!

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Do you already have the molds? :-/ Those can easily be $100,000 per, and it looks like you'll need two of them. Have you worked with anyone who has done injection molding before? Because you can't directly translate from a 3D printed part. For example, vertical sides are very difficult to achieve with injection molding, so you generally use about a 1 degree angle on all sides (check out the CAD file for the roboRIO if you don't believe me). There are also quite a few other things to be wary of.

The cost of mold making has come down in price significantly over the last decade. You can do a full set of molds for this size part for 15-20k. Also depending on the molder he is using you could just do a family tool for both parts in a single mold, to reduce the cost even farther. Even less if you go to asia instead of domestically. You can save even more if you choose aluminum molds for low quantities (less than 5,000 pieces) as the machining time is much less.

You are actually looking at a pretty good designed part for plastic, as it uses some of the best tricks to reduce the cost, large draft angles, using shut offs to create hols instead of slides, fairly constant wall thickness, and generous radius in the corners. I would say luke has it all under control and I look forward to seeing these in action.

[coolhandluke811]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry that I've been quite recently. Spent a solid week devoted to tackling my first college finals and driving from Center County Pennsylvania to Arkansas City Kansas.

Anyway, the trip has certainly paid off already by being able to see the molds and check out one of the facilities.

Ladies, Gentleman, Robots a like....I would like to present you the molds:

Everything together:



Base of Cell:


Top of the Cell:



Base of Mount (even though you see the lines from cutting, I guarantee that it is all extremely smooth and flat):



Top of Mount:

[Oblarg]

This would have made our lives so much easier last year on 4464. Purchased a set, and will try to convince other teams I know to do the same.

[coolhandluke811]

Originally Posted by Oblarg

This would have made our lives so much easier last year on 4464. Purchased a set, and will try to convince other teams I know to do the same.

Awesome to hear! Our year before this system was actually pretty rough from a wiring perspective. Too much magic smoke haha
Make sure to go for the rebate if you get another team to order.

Also, here are some picture to prove that the system actually bolts to hardware. The pieces are all 3D printed, but still pretty accurate representations.

New Motor controllers:


Spike:


Talon:


PCM: