Current Sensors

[Phil Mack]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

the data proved very important in electrical design in the years since

What changes in the design came as a result of knowing this information? And what impact did those changes have on the robot's performance?

Myself and the other mentors on my team that have discussed the topic have figured that the existing inefficiencies in the system far overshadow any possible inefficiencies in wiring. After all, we don't have a choice in the motor controllers we use, or the wires used to connect the components (the wire has to be copper, and 12 gauge copper wire has a resistance of 1.6 milliohms per foot). Only the lengths and placement of the wires is up to us, and the resistance and inductance of even the longest wire that could feasibly be attached to the robot is so small that the results are effected more by the variances in manufacturing processes of the transistors within the victor and the attached motors. Beyond that, all of the sensors, relays, pneumatic valves, and anything not a motor uses less energy over the course of an entire match than one of the drive motors does in a second of a pushing match that stalls the motor.

So rather than focus on building with the shortest wires possible, we teach about neat wiring and accessible designs that allow for repair of any part. But if a real performance gain can be made, then we would certainly want to research this.
~Phil