Removable Electronics

[whytheheckme]

I have done modular elec. systems for bots before, so here's what I have to say.

1. Conduit is your friend. If you have many wires going to the same removable component (i.e. an ARM, or a turret), put them in a conduit, with connectors on both ends (so that the whole harness can be removed).

2. Connectors. For data (sensors, low voltage devices, etc.) I like to use DB-9 or DB-15 or DB-25 connectors. Either using ribbon or the regular shielded cable is great. Just keep track of which pin you are using for what. Having connectors on the device, the main board, and on both ends of the harness is helpful. For power (i.e. 12 GA to motors), use SMALL anderson connectors. The big ones are hard to use. If you have more than two wires going the same place in the same conduit, you can use the quick-disconnects that lock together in a row, so that you can have more than two leads on a connector.

[CheesyASCIart]

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[/CheesyASCIart]

The connectors lock together horizontally, so that you can disconnect them all at once.

3. Label your wires. Weather using a multi-colored electrical tape system (i.e. white-red-green) around each end of each cable, or using real wire labels, this is the most important. Nothing is worse than not knowing what a wire is, and taking time to figure it out.

4. Radio. IFI likes to blame radio problems not only on the position of the radio, but the cable. They say that they like a straight run from your FRC Controller to the radio with their 6' Black cable. They say they dont like it wound up tightly anywhere. This makes it difficult for a modular system, where you want to be able to disconnect the main panel easily. The solutions that I have found for this are

4a. Mount your FRC Controller so that the serial ports are on the edge of the board, so that you can plug in your programming cable and radio cable directly without digging into a mess of wires. This is probably IFI preferred.

4b. Run an extention cable (3' or shorter if you can find it (don't make it. At least not for the radio. This is another blame point)) from the port on the FRC Controller to the edge of your board where all of your other disconnects are. Then you can treat it like a different data cable.

5. Make the system usable for someone else. At any point where wires may need to be connected/disconnected to remove your panel, put electrical tape around the connectors AND LABEL THEM (using marker/pen on the tape).

These are just some tips that I have observed while attempting to do this.

Jacob