In the past our team has used crimped ferrules on the low amperage leads going to the CTRE PCM, VRM and PDP. Would anyone be able to comment on if ferrules should/could be used with the new REV components? If so, what ferrule types are compatible? The ones we have on hand were compatible with the CTRE components but don’t seem to fit in the new REV control system.
For the Larger PDH Circuits, I don’t imagine Ferrules would be an issue. For the smaller circuits and the Pneumatic Hub however, I wasn’t able to get the 14awg Ferrules we used for our RoboRIO to fit. 22awg ferrules would however fit, but I don’t remember if I did a pull test at the time to see if they were held securely.
We managed to use ferrules for the CAN and Power connectors on the PH, but nothing else. The small pushdown connectors on the new REV PH are a ferrule hostile environment. I love, love, love the larger wago style lever connectors they use. However the small pushdown connectors are a real headache.
The pushdown connectors are so hard to insert wires into, that when we had to replace a dead PH in competition two weeks ago, it was easier to prewire on the bench and then splice all the wires to the robot using small lever connectors once mounted on the robot.
If anyone has tips and tricks for getting wires into the REV PH, please share. Preferably video.
FWIW, we didn’t seem to have any problems using the ferrules/crimper I linked – even for the small ones.
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If you are using ferrules, make sure to purchase a reputable brand from a reputable supplier. In the past my team had trouble with various crimped connectors, including ferrules, that were purchased from an online supplier owned by someone who also builds oddly shaped rockets. Dissecting some of the bad connectors and comparing them to known good connectors showed the metal was thinner and softer on the bad ones.
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I have read on other threads that non-insulated ferrules take up less space. We grabbed some off McMaster-Carr. I do think they fit a bit better.
Note that the ferrules for the solenoids are tiny, and work with fine wire (24AWG).
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