Neat & Organised Electric Wiring

[Sparks333]

Hi!
I really can't talk too much (our robot's wiring job was TERRIBLE!!!) but here's some good ideas.

1) Use plugs. If you use, say, a Molex connector, then if you have to pull a component or even an entire board, you just disconnect it. My team is after me to modularize the entire electronics board, so this seems like a reasonable idea. It is, however, one more thing to go wrong.

2) SOLDER WHENEVER POSSIBLE!!!! I really don't care if you have crimp fetishes or only have crimps or if you have already crimped a wire. Crimps fail much more often than solder jobs. (Last year for our main connector to the battery, we used crimps tightened down in a vice, then we heated it with a blowtorch and put lots of solder on it. Worked like a charm, and looked cool too.)

3) Never, and I mean never, put a wire under stress and expect it not to come out. If you have a 12" gap and an 11" wire, then go get yourself a 13" wire, dangit! Vibrations can wear through wires, pinch sections can cut wires, and tension can pull your connectors right out. USE A LONGER WIRE THAN WHAT SEEMS REASONABLE! it may weigh more, but it will work.

Neatness and orgainization is a very valuable thing to have on a robot. It streamlines repairs, diagnostics, and makes the robot look good. And your team will love you for it.

Sparks