Metal Electrical Board

[aaeamdar]

I know that the "proper" forum in which to post this question is the FIRST Q & A Forum, but considering that my un-scientific sampling tells me that we can expect to wait at least two days (which would be too late) to hear a reply to our question, I'm going to re-post this here.

Our electrical board is made out of metal. We were told at a playday by someone who said he would be inspecting at Chesepeake that this was really not a good idea and the inference was that it could pose a hazard (to our robot passing inspection)*. The suggestion was that we replace the boards with a non-conductive material. We are not eager to do this, as it would involve many hours worth of work at a time when we're already very busy. We proposed to this inspector that some sort of insulator be put between the top and the bottom boards (we've split them in twain), and he seemed to find this acceptable. However, since the boards are not electrically isolated from each other, this seems rather like putting a water-resistant material on your thigh and thinking that you are protected from the rain. Namely, it will do little to assuage the problem (if there is one).

I already know about R51, and I've checked the resistance between pretty much every component and the chassis. My question is, if we PASS R51, could the inspectors still fail us and if so, how?

Thanks,
Paul Dennis
Team 1719


*I'm getting a report of this conversation second-hand, so I really cannot be specific as to a) who this person was and b) what they said.


P.S.: I'm not asking if this was a good idea, just whether it's legal. Helpful advice is still appreciated, of course.