Well, we’ve seen the new Jaguars, and the cRIO…
What about this new Power Distribution Block? If there’s one thing we really need its a new distribution block… 
Anyone know whos making it? Where it can be found? Is it already on the market?
Can I download a CAD yet? 
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/31404
the thing in the middle, from what I hear, is much like the IFI board from 2005, combining the functions of power distribution and holding the fuses.
Here is more info: http://first.wpi.edu/FRC/powerdistribution.html
From my understanding the new distribution block is being fabricated by Diversified Systems (DivSys) out of Indianapolis. These are the same folks who provided the IR boards last season.
hmmm, i guess we’ll just have to hope that these boards work better than the IR ones (my team could never get them to work), though they do look very nice so far.
I have firm reason to believe these will be the best power distribution blocks since the 2005 season.
I totally get what you’re saying, but that isn’t saying much, given that IFI boards were great, and the distro blocks the last 2 years sucked.
Yeah, but didn’t that one use push-on connectors?
This one uses screws to clamp down the leads… the same method the Rock-fail-well Distro’ block used :mad: Those screws always came loose.
We shall see… At least its nice and compact and not too heavy-looking…
Nope.
The main battery leads are ring crimped and attached to a pair of press fit shanks. A nut is then tightened down on top of this. This is similar to the old IFI breaker board and the 120A main breaker connection, but with enhanced awesome. These are the square chunks of metal on the right hand side of http://first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/power_distribution_rdax_600x406.jpg
As for the fanout past the breakers, these use Wago 745-85X and 745-83X cage clamp style connectors. A piece of spring steel, not a screw, supplies the clamping force. These are the blue and white connectors on the top and bottom of http://first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/power_distribution_rdax_600x406.jpg
I like the New Control System, the 07-08 was really annoying.
Care to elaborate?
I for one enjoy using products that work–something IFI is very good at.
FIRST has a dismal track record when it comes to introducing new vendors/products into FRC. It’s going to take a lot more than fancy specs to make the new controller superior to the old–first it has to work, which is no small task.
For one, on the distro block the terminals were very hard to work with. They would wiggle out. There were other small things that i do like about the new controller. The new distro block has everything included into a package. BTW, Cory what terminal connectors did you use one your batteries, they were really cool.
I think it’s important to distinguish between IFI and third party manufacturers. IFI manufactured the control system. They are in no way responsible for the shortcomings of a product being used outside of it’s intended application (the Rockwell Distribution Block)
As for our batteries, we just used standard ring terminals. We had 4 gauge monster wire, which was what looked different from most teams.
Oh, otherwise IFI products were great. Can you give me link to the standard ring terminals. Thanks Cory
Please note that the Rockwell block has a specification for strip length that teams chose to ignore. Without stripping to 5/8", the wire was guaranteed to push out as the screws were tightened. The new Waco blocks have a similar specification. You must strip 1/2" of insulation for the wire to be properly terminated in the 745-85X block according to the manufacturer. You must strip 1/3" of insulation for the wire to be properly terminated in the 745-38X block according to the manufacturer. Their ability to stand up to robot movement will be tested during the beta testing. Please standby…
We might as well get this discussion going early, so let everyone know what the spec is.
Well said Al. We never had a single failure withe the Rockwell. Properly used they were very reliable.
Any product improperly used is subject to failure.
I also agree we Al.
I think we should remember GP and realize that everyone associated with the FIRST organization is trying with all their ability to do their best and that no one is perfect. As for the IR receiver board we did not have a problem with it and appreciated the introduction of a new component. All we did was follow the directions on how to install and use. My impression was the developer and producer was trying his best and probably at a sacrifice to some other more important business or personal endeavors. It seems that anytime there is change introduced to a system especially trying to make an improvement in technology there are going to be some rough spots to be dealt with. GP goes a long way to separate FIRST from many other organizations. Let us all pull together to improve our technology, hardware, software and most importantly the culture for the students. Constructive criticism works the best! Reading and following the documentation works very well too.
Although not necessarily a fan of the Rockwell distribution block because of its size, we had no complaints about its performance. We followed the manufacturers directions regarding wire prep. All inbound wires were secured with strain reliefs. We used wires of the appropriate gauge size, and left the ends loose (unsoldered). As a result, we never had a problem with wires working loose from the block during the entire season. We checked the clamp screws periodically to see if there was an issue, but found that they never worked loose and did not need to be retightened.
Although I have not had a chance to play with one yet (c’mon, when are they going to announce who is in the beta test program? ), I expect that the 2009 distribution block will perform just as well if reasonable care is taken to use it properly. Follow the manufacturers recommendations, use the correct wire size, tie down all wires properly (this is a VERY important step - anticipate that wire bundles will be vibrating and shaking, and apply appropriate countermeasures to minimize the transmitted forces), tighten everything to spec, and I suspect that you won’t see a whole lot of problems.
-dave
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We never had any issues with the Rockwell PD Blocks. Although the screws did start to back off after a while, or maybe the wire was shifting around a little, we never did lose power, and all we did was tighten the screws more. After one tightening, all was well.
Also, I’d imagine that the smaller wire sizes will make a difference with how they’re secured. I’ve never had any issue with smaller wires coming out of this compression type of connection. There’s a right wire size for every hole. If the new PD block manufactures did their homework, then I believe everything will go well.
We never had an issue with the Rockell PDB other than it being massive and the fact that we loved the IFI breaker board.
One of the reasons is probably that we used 4 gauge wire instead of 6.
It seemed like too many teams who really know what they are doing did have trouble, though.
