PWM Cable Clip for Victors

[Joshua May]

Excellent find, before we ended up gluing in the connectors, but that way we were unable to change cables or take them out. This could be very handy, might even look into machining them, doesn't look too hard.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by HHSJosh

might even look into machining them, doesn't look too hard.

I think it would be more of a lasercutting/waterjet and bending type of thing with sheet metal rather than machining out of a solid block.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I think it would be more of a lasercutting/waterjet and bending type of thing with sheet metal rather than machining out of a solid block.

Or...
you could probably make one with some sheet metal, a pair of tin snips, and a ruler.

snip, snip, bend bend.... done.

[Ryan F.]

That's a very good idea. Our team had one come out right when we were about to hang this year, preventing us from doing so. Thanks for the link...I"m definetly going to look into making some of those this year.

[Joshua May]

Originally Posted by JVN

Or...
you could probably make one with some sheet metal, a pair of tin snips, and a ruler.

snip, snip, bend bend.... done.

That's more what I was talking about. Aluminum or steel sheet, band saw, pliers, and some goood ol' elbow grease should do the trick.

[Billfred]

I recall seeing those at one point. They seem pretty useful, especially if you've got to attach Victors a ways away from the robot controller.

On the other hand, a good whack can still spell disaster for those cables. Maybe it'd be simpler/cheaper to zip-tie the PWM cable to the Victor, then screw the Victor to the robot. With the zip-tie put inside the screws, your cable is going nowhere fast. (And you can always use a pin and defeat the ratchet if you have to switch cables.)

Perhaps we FIRSTers could learn a trick or two from the Battlebots set. I mean, we both have to come with a pretty durable machine, given how things get on the field. (Of course, the intent of the way things get is different, or so we hope!)

(I'm reminded of a trick I once read where a person used a zip tie to hold the battery connectors together. Not once was there a problem.)

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Billfred

(I'm reminded of a trick I once read where a person used a zip tie to hold the battery connectors together. Not once was there a problem.)

There might not have been an actual problem but that "solution" presented a large potential problem. If the battery had to be unplugged quickly because of short or other dangerous situation, it would be bad news for whoever is trying to unplug it. Velcro strap is much better. But, I suppose this discussion should be left for another thread.