paper: Electrical Tips Handout

[Anne Shade]

Thread created automatically to discuss a document in CD-Media.

Electrical Tips Handout by Anne Bergeron

[RyanN]

I would add
Secure all wires - Make sure to secure all wires so they don't wander around the robot. Loose wires will tend to make screws come loose, and the darn PWM cables will always end up in the wrong place at the wrong time (durint a match) and cause a great amount of Magic Smoke. Also, loose wire will give an opportunity for another robot's parts to become entangled within the veins of your robot and rip them out, causing your robot to die.

[joeweber]

Use solid wire on the main wiring board, you can make perfect bends so it will look pretty. Us electricans will make the students do it over and over until it looks good.For other electrical tips http://team1322.org/electrical.htm

[alex1699]

Originally Posted by joeweber

Use solid wire on the main wiring board, you can make perfect bends so it will look pretty. Us electricans will make the students do it over and over until it looks good.For other electrical tips http://team1322.org/electrical.htm

that is amazing pretty

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by joeweber

Use solid wire on the main wiring board, you can make perfect bends so it will look pretty. Us electricans will make the students do it over and over until it looks good.For other electrical tips http://team1322.org/electrical.htm

I disagree, as I understand it (granted, I'm no electrician), stranded wire is a better choice in areas that experience a lot of vibration, such as a FIRST robot. Plus, sharp bends increase the resistance of the wire.

[joeweber]

The location for the solid wires is from the fuse block to the vic884 and spikes. From their on you would have to use stranded. I suppose you could use solid up to the quick connectors at the motor leads. Tie wraps will hold down the wire for the vibrations, of course you would have to use stranded for the moving joints and protect the wire.
I am sure many of you have seen some wiring practices that look like spaghetti. I try to instill some pride in our students when they wire the robot. Think about how you are going to run the wires before you install them. If they make it look sloppy I will make them do it over. The older students watch the new students when they wire and automatically make them do it right. If you are wiring a machine in the factory you don’t dare make it look bad, the other professionals will be all over you in a second and they will not let you for get it. Do it right , make it look good, and always use the right size wire.

[joeweber]

I forgot to mention the sharp bends, you can watch the bends, but for the distance we are runing 3 to 20 inches the amount of resistance on a 20 amp and 40 amp circuit is not even worth woring about. If you are use the next size wire.

[tseres]

as simple as it may sound, out team has made this mistake before:

POSITIVE +NEGATIVE = BAD!!!

[GVDrummer]

Don't forget to mention that every connection must be covered eathier by wire nuts or along the lines of electrical tape. Not live connection should be open. Even connections to fuse boxes, motors, sensors, ect.

[joeweber]

POSITIVE +NEGATIVE = BAD!!!

Yes that can be a problem, in our feild (electrical wiring) the black is hot and white is ground. In the robot black is ground and white is positive. One year I was not watching and all the wires were revearsed, I caught this before it was too late. We quickly rewired.

Something else we do is make a small wire way that can be mounted 2 inches above the wiring board. In this we route the control wires. This way they are separt