Hidden Wires???

[merybar]

Do the inspectors mind if wires are hidden on your robot? Ours go from the component under the board to the next component and then pop up into the slot in which the wire attaches. Do the inspectors look down upon this, or is it a legal thing to do?
Thanks!
Matt

[Maxpower57]

As long as you have them clearly labeled i would think they'll be fine with it.

[Russ Beavis]

There are no rules concerning wire visibility or labels. There are only rules about wire size and color (and no non-copper wire and, of course, where wires are allowed to connect).

However...

It's in your best interest to clearly label and route your wiring and apply tie-downs wherever possible. Clean wiring will definitely make the inspector's job easier. He/she will need to follow all of your wiring to ensure that you're complying with the rules. Hidden wires obviously make that a lot more difficult. Plus, WHEN things break, you'll be much happier that your wiring is easier to access.

Russ

[bmarick]

Well that is exactly what I did last year while designing our board.
There is nothing illegal and actually our inspector preferred it by calling it the neatest and most organized board he say.
My only suggestion is quick disconnects so that you can remove and switch out everything with easy for testing.

Brandon

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Matt,
In most cases an inspector will take a little longer to look over your robot to be sure. Many teams run wires under components, through frame members (tubing), inside wire races and flexible couplings. It should not be a problem under normal circumstances. However, as you are a Michigan team, inspections will be handled as quickly as possible in order to get you into competition. If you can make your layout neat and organized so that the inspector can easily see wire size and where it goes, it will be better for them and you. Michigan volunteers are working hard to insure all robots are inspected and ready to compete. Inspectors will have a tough job at these events.

[merybar]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Matt,
In most cases an inspector will take a little longer to look over your robot to be sure. Many teams run wires under components, through frame members (tubing), inside wire races and flexible couplings. It should not be a problem under normal circumstances. However, as you are a Michigan team, inspections will be handled as quickly as possible in order to get you into competition. If you can make your layout neat and organized so that the inspector can easily see wire size and where it goes, it will be better for them and you. Michigan volunteers are working hard to insure all robots are inspected and ready to compete. Inspectors will have a tough job at these events.

Thanks for the help! Right now our wires run under our board so we will try to clean them up some and label them. That should make it easier to inspect.
Thanks for the help everyone!
Good Luck!
Matt

[Jon Stratis]

This is the method we took with our board last year, and never had a problem with it. The standoffs we used for the board were easy to undo, so if an inspector wanted a more thorough look it could be managed quickly for them. We also got complimented by a ton of different teams (and inspectors) for how neat, clean, and organized our electrical board was!

[GaryVoshol]

One of the Michigan inspectors had a suggestion that teams provide a wiring (and pneumatic) schematic to make the process go quicker. He would have liked to make this a requirement, but I don't know if he was able to get that.