Attached is a study of Voltage drops within a FIRST robot.
Perhaps not easily extensible as systems change - at least the effects of wire selection can be investigated analytically.
Good luck in 2017!
Voltage drop study 160324.xlsx (30.3 KB)
Voltage drop study 160324.xlsx (30.3 KB)
Peter,
Please check your wire resistance. Current flows through both the red and the black wire. 12 inches on the battery connection is actually 24 inches of wire.
Nice job on showing where the losses are.
Wouldn’t you also need to take into account internal resistance of the battery? I’m sure the voltage at the battery terminals is MUCH less than the no-load voltage under hundreds of amps of discharge.