Negative Bus

[Greg]

Hello everyone

We are still working hard on the robot, and decided to make our wiring neater by having a "negative bus bar" that goes across the area that holds our electrical components. It is just a piece of angle iron that all our negatives from relays and speed controllers connect to. The negatives from motors, etc. are connected to relays/pwms. The bar is connected straight to the battery negative terminal.

Are we allowed to design our wiring like this, or do we have to use the negative plate on the circuit breaker panels? We still have not finalized the drive system, and rewiring everything would just mean even more work to be done this week.

[rbayer]

Section 3.2.1 of the Robot Manual:

All electric current used on the robot must be conducted via wires or electrical paths through
electrical components. No part of the robot, such as the chassis or superstructure shall be
used for this purpose. All Common (-) circuits must be returned to the negative terminals of
the power distribution circuit breaker panels via appropriately sized wire.

Unfortunately, I think you're not going to be able to do this.

--Rob

[Lloyd Burns]

Check those rules again...

Except as noted herein, each Ground (GND) wire from a Speed controller, relay, or Robot Controller (begin underline) must go directly (end underline) from that item to one of the 12 Common (-) terminals on the circuit breaker Fuse Blocks.

They make the exception that certain low power items may be returned together.

NOTE: with one 12 fuse block and a MAXI fuse block, 16 circuits in all, you only get 12 returns. Some crowded, eh ?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

3.2 Wiring the Robot Controls
3.2.1 Power Distribution Circuits
All electric current used on the robot must be conducted via wires or electrical paths through
electrical components. No part of the robot, such as the chassis or superstructure shall be
used for this purpose. All Common (-) circuits must be returned to the negative terminals of
the power distribution circuit breaker panels via appropriately sized wire.
I think that says it all. However, if the buss was insulated from the chassis and was itself somehow insulated, that is common electrical practice. It is just not allowed on the robot. Sorry.