This year, our team decided to use Victors instead of Jaguars for the first time since 2008. It’s been trouble.
Yesterday, we were having motor signal issues. Some victors would start receiving signal, then stop, then start again. Eventually, we managed to make them all stop working. After three and a half hours, we finally figured it out - the PWM cables have to be put into the victor exactly right, or one of the pins misses and doesn’t connect.
Mentors don’t seem to remember having all this trouble back in The Olden Days, so what’s up? Have the tolerances on the Victors changed, does it have to do with the fact that we make our own PWM cables whereas back then we most likely bought them, or are we doing something terribly wrong?
Victor PWM connections have always been finicky in my experience (since 2004). It’s probably just that people are out of practice now, after having used Jaguars for a while.
Adding to what Alan has said is that there appears to be 3 wire PWM cables that have an extra tab along one part of the connector (keying feature?). This key increases the size and makes it more difficult, if not impossible, to insert into the PMW connector housing on a Victor. I found this issue while changing PMW cables at the Waterford MI district tournament.
BTW, I use a paint pen (better than hot, sliced bread!) to whiten the side of the PWM connector housing corresponding to the white PWM signal wire. This helps everyone to remember the correct physical orientation of the PWM cable. I recommend this practice for everyone.
As previously stated, Victor PWM sockets are notoriously difficult to properly seat the PWM cable in to. Once the connection is made, a small application of Hot Glue to the connector will aid in them staying in place. (Small, as in the size of a BB or 4mm sphere.) Additionally, it is removable and quick setting.
not sure if it always works (we have some quite messed up PWM wires at our place) but my general rule of thumb is that the metal side (the side of the connector housing with it showing) should be so that it faces inward (toward the center of the Victor).