This is the beginnings of our 2007 electronics panel. We should hopefully finish it up tomorrow night.
Very Nice. Looks good. I like the way you are saving weight by cuting out the center of the speed controlers. May i ask what type of material your using to mount everything to.
It is ABS 1/4" plastic. We might still take some weight out of it, if we have time to take the electronics off and cut it before the panel is needed on the robot.
I like the neatness of the wiring. No access wiring to get caught up in the moving parts of your robot or someone elses. Plus the amount of weight your saving by cutting the excess wiring.
Every year that I been on a team the wiring was dealt with as a last priority, causing many unexpected failures that were very difficult to diagnose and fix. We finally decided that we would do it right this year 
I will post a picture when the board is more finalized.
Thanks!
I like the short runs of #6 and the central location of the blocks and Main breaker. The output of the main breaker must feed the distribution blocks before the fuse panels per the wiring diagram and Tips and Guidelines and
<R57> The 12V battery, the main 120-amp circuit breaker, the power distribution block, and circuit breaker distribution panels must be connected as shown in the 2007 Power Distribution Diagram.
Thanks, and yes - we were already discussing whether that was acceptable or not. Thanks for pointing out the specific rule though!
Anytime!
Glad you were able to catch it early.
what fasteners are required for mounting the electrical hardware to a flat panel? Is it provided in the KOP?
How much does your electronic panel weigh, with all the victors, and etc?
We are just using standard #8-32, #10-32, and 1/4"-20 bolts for mounting, and zip ties for the speed controllers. It is stuff not generally supplied. (I know there are zip ties in the KOP, but I am not sure about any other appropriate hardware).
We will weigh it tonight…
Looks nice… I’ve found that #8 nylon machine screws and nuts save some weight over steel screws and also provide one less conductive surface to short out to.
See you in Portland.
Jason
Very nice job. I just wish they’d come up with something better than the maxi block for the 40 amp circuits. It’s the most ridiculously heavy breaker block I’ve ever seen. I think the 4 position maxi block weighs more than the entire '05-'06 IFI breaker panel. I don’t know why more teams didn’t use the IFI panel (other than size, which wasn’t that bad, and maybe too many 20-30 amp circuit slots). 
Wouldn’t it be nice if they came out with the DIN rail product to accept the breakers? That would kill two birds with one stone, and I think the DIN rail is even lighter than the maxi blocks and it’s handling the entire 120 amp load.
Very nice you guys!
For each of the four victors you have a single wire coming out of the DIN block ports. You can combine them:
Battery Power Distribution Terminal Strip Manual:
Maximum Wire Size and Max Quantity Allowed per 1492-J16xx Terminal
1 - #6 or
1 - #8 or
2 - #10 or
3 - #12 or
4 - #14 or
4 - #16
I like it… it is clean and looks nice!
Can we use any material for the electronics mounting board?
Also, is it necessary to add any dampers to limit any vibration or is this not an issue?
I am also considering using the 1/4" ABS plastic as well but wanted to make sure that there isn’t any rules against using it.
thanks!
Japper,
Nothing in the electronics is so fragile that it can’t take a hit from another robot. There are things you do want to make sure are secure. The battery musst be mounted in such a way that it won’t fly out in a crash with another robot. The PWM cables have a tendency to pull out if you don’t tie them into position. We usually just loop the cable out of the device and tie wrap it to the mounting board next to the device. This goes for both ends, RC and Victor, Spike or servo. The power cables, if left to flop around, will loosen at the screw terminals of the Victors so tie those down as well. Time will tell if the terminal blocks will stand up to the vibration of matches. I am recommending that teams check the tightness of each one in the pit between matches.
Thanks Al-
Is there a rule of thumb regarding how much of the robot should be covered in Lexan to protect parts and besides the electronics panel, which areas should have this type of protection?
Is there any chance at seeing an updated version of this panel? I know you said it was going off to be weighed, so im guessing it is completed by now. It appears very efficient and neat, and I hope that it meets your requirements well.
There is no robot rule for lexan coverings. It is up to the individual teams as to how much they want or can use with regards to weight since all nonfunctional decoration is included in the weight. We generally enclose most of the robot with either thin Lexan or punched aluminum. The Lexan is a good base for our stick on Wildstang decor and team numbers and is attached with Velcro to allow us access for repairs. The punched aluminum is riveted to the robot frame and is used to mount electronic and pnuematic parts. It is easy to mount these objects with ty wraps or hardware as needed.