Rookie Team: Electrical / Wiring advice

[Wayne C.]

The competition manual spells out most of the wiring you will need to know. Be especially attentive to the gauges of the wiring you use for each of the motors or components as this will be checked closely in the inspection before competition.

Try to keep lengths of wiring to a minimum and fasten everything down with connectors in an orderly fashion. A rats nest of wires becomes a nightmare when a wire is crimped or disconnected.

Applying label tags to the various lines will be invaluable when you need to find the inevitable loose wire.

We solder all junctions and use shrink tubing to seal all connections.

In laying out your bot. be sure the control system, spike relays and speed controllers are visible and accessible by the workers but protected from an errant robot arm or crash.

Fasten your battery down securely- they fall out of somebody every year. We use a belt with a connector to hold the battery into a small box in the chassis.

Generally, most FIRST teams use the large 8 gauge connectors to wire the battery and the control system so you can easily swap out batteries between rounds. Make the battery easy to get to that way. Reinforce the connector with a zip tie so it cannot be knocked loose if the bot is jarred. Insulate all the battery terminals.

Don't worry. If you follow the guidelines FIRST gives you all this is rather easy.

WC

[Deltafrog]

Make your wiring as easy as possible, or it will give you hell later on!

[Al Skierkiewicz]

You have some great advice so far. The electrical rules look a little more complex than last year. I would spend the next week reading and rereading the robot manual and become dead certain that your electrical meets the robot required wiring. Please ask specific questions and anyone will give you an answer. I am always available and will check the board daily, you can PM me if you feel unsure of posting in public.