Drivetrain Wiring Instructions
Label bottom of battery cage with North, East, South, West. This allows for easier labeling in the future.
Source and mount the electronics
PDH
#10-32 Bolt, length .75”
RoboRIO 2.0
#4-40 Bolt, length .25”
RIO has a 3D printed cover that keeps all wires in place
CANivore
#4-40 Bolt, length .75”
CANivore has a 3D printed cover that keeps the wire from unplugging. THIS IS REQUIRED!!
Pigeon 2.0
#4-40 Bolt, length .75”
Once electronics are mounted, grab your 3 different strings to plan wire routes. Route string in this order:
Red thick string represents 10 or 12 AWG power wires
Orange thin string represents 18 AWG power wires
White thin string represents CAN wire
Once all string is laid, get approval from a mentor. Once approved, you are good to start routing real wires, following the same order as above (thickest wires go first, then thinnest):
10 AWG power wires
18 AWG Power wires
CAN wires
As you wire, make sure to label the wires with zip tie labels.
Color of zip tie labels is important. Be sure to follow the year-specific color coded wire guide. In these pictures, the labels were orange. That may change year after year so be sure to check!!
The way we label zip ties is FROM/TO
So, for example if there is a wire going FROM the PDH TO the North West Drive motor, the label would read PDH/NWD. Be sure to label both ends of the wire. So the other end that would be plugged into the NWD would be going FROM NWD TO PDH. It would read NWD/PDH
Use label maker to make zip tie labels but use clear background labels so you can still see the zip tie label colors.
PDH needs breakers in its top slots. Make sure all breakers are the orange REV 40 amp breakers.
There are smaller breaker slots where the 18 AWG wire plugs into the PDH. Those are small, 10 amp red breakers.
Once the above wires are laid, wire the electrical components to each other.
Now that all wires are laid, ask a mentor for approval
Main Power Wires
Usually there is a standard (more or less) on where the power wires should go. This determines the length of the wires and placement.
Once a location is set, you should start by making the side of the wires where the battery plugs into.
To start, source the 4AWG red and black wire. Choose either positive (red) or negative (black) to begin with. Once you have your wire, strip the wire to the silver sharpie line as shown below
Once wire is stripped, place a swaged SB50 Battery contact on it and crimp
TO SWAGE:
Take the swage guide and place it in with the curve facing down. Make sure it is as straight as possible.
Once it is secured in the guide, take it to the arbor press and press starting from small tool to big, then ending by pressing with the concave end.
After the swaged battery contact is on the end of the wire, you are ready to crimp it with the hydraulic crimper. Make sure the 2AWG crimp attachments are on (even though the wire is 4AWG). Once the end is crimped, there will be fins sticking out the side. Turn crimp 90 degrees and crimp again in order to flatten those fins. Once all sides are flat, you are ready to insert it into the red SB50 AndyMark Battery Housing. Make sure the curved hook side of the swage hooks over the metal prongs inside the Battery Housing
From there, do the other colored wire and get approval from a mentor.
Once approved, have the mentor there to consult on the length it should be cut to. (This can change from year to year)
Now that you have your desired wire length cut, slide a piece of clear heat shrink on the end that doesn’t already have the Battery Housing. This end should be stripped twice to the gray line on the wire stripper. Now that it is stripped, slide the heat shrink back up to cover half of the exposed wires and heat shrink it. Repeat this step for red wire once you are ready for that (hold off for now until you are ready). Now, you are ready to connect this wire to the PDH.
For red power wire, you will need to follow the Main breaker Wiring section below since you essentially have two red wires.
MAIN BREAKER WIRING
The main power breaker has two ports for wire connection. Only positive (red) 4 AWG wire should be connected to both these terminals. This is because the breaker acts as an interruptor of the red circuit or flow of power. When closed (flipped shut) the power should be flowing and the bot will be on. When the red button is pressed and the switch is flipped open, the circuit of power is interrupted and there is no power flowing. The bot will be shut off.
To start, strip the end of 4AWG red wire once to the gray line and slide a 4AWG Breaker 1/4” Ring Terminal on the end. Use the Hydraulic Crimper once again, yet this time use the 4AWG attachments. You will need to do this twice, once on the opposite end of the red SB50 Battery Housing and another time on a separate piece of 4AWG red wire. The wire with the SB50 Housing is now ready to connect to the Main Breaker. Don’t forget the NordLock Washers that sit on top of the ring terminals when tightening the wires!
Repeat step 2 for another 4AWG red wire length. This wire will go from the Main Breaker to the PDH.
Once you know the wire length for MB-PDH wire, cut it to length and repeat step 6 from the Main Power Wires section.
Drivetrain Wiring 101.pdf
Drivetrain Wiring Instructions
Label bottom of battery cage with North, East, South, West. This allows for easier labeling in the future.
Source and mount the electronics
PDH
#10-32 Bolt, length .75”
RoboRIO 2.0
#4-40 Bolt, length .25”
RIO has a 3D printed cover that keeps all wires in place
CANivore
#4-40 Bolt, length .75”
CANivore has a 3D printed cover that keeps the wire from unplugging. THIS IS REQUIRED!!
Pigeon 2.0
#4-40 Bolt, length .75”
Once electronics are mounted, grab your 3 different strings to plan wire routes. Route string in this order:
Red thick string represents 10 or 12 AWG power wires
Orange thin string represents 18 AWG power wires
White thin string represents CAN wire
Once all string is laid, get approval from a mentor. Once approved, you are good to start routing real wires, following the same order as above (thickest wires go first, then thinnest):
10 AWG power wires
18 AWG Power wires
CAN wires
As you wire, make sure to label the wires with zip tie labels.
Color of zip tie labels is important. Be sure to follow the year-specific color coded wire guide. In these pictures, the labels were orange. That may change year after year so be sure to check!!
The way we label zip ties is FROM/TO
So, for example if there is a wire going FROM the PDH TO the North West Drive motor, the label would read PDH/NWD. Be sure to label both ends of the wire. So the other end that would be plugged into the NWD would be going FROM NWD TO PDH. It would read NWD/PDH
Use label maker to make zip tie labels but use clear background labels so you can still see the zip tie label colors.
PDH needs breakers in its top slots. Make sure all breakers are the orange REV 40 amp breakers.
There are smaller breaker slots where the 18 AWG wire plugs into the PDH. Those are small, 10 amp red breakers.
Once the above wires are laid, wire the electrical components to each other.
Now that all wires are laid, ask a mentor for approval
Main Power Wires
Usually there is a standard (more or less) on where the power wires should go. This determines the length of the wires and placement.
Once a location is set, you should start by making the side of the wires where the battery plugs into.
To start, source the 4AWG red and black wire. Choose either positive (red) or negative (black) to begin with. Once you have your wire, strip the wire to the silver sharpie line as shown below
Once wire is stripped, place a swaged SB50 Battery contact on it and crimp
TO SWAGE:
Take the swage guide and place it in with the curve facing down. Make sure it is as straight as possible.
Once it is secured in the guide, take it to the arbor press and press starting from small tool to big, then ending by pressing with the concave end.
After the swaged battery contact is on the end of the wire, you are ready to crimp it with the hydraulic crimper. Make sure the 2AWG crimp attachments are on (even though the wire is 4AWG). Once the end is crimped, there will be fins sticking out the side. Turn crimp 90 degrees and crimp again in order to flatten those fins. Once all sides are flat, you are ready to insert it into the red SB50 AndyMark Battery Housing. Make sure the curved hook side of the swage hooks over the metal prongs inside the Battery Housing
From there, do the other colored wire and get approval from a mentor.
Once approved, have the mentor there to consult on the length it should be cut to. (This can change from year to year)
Now that you have your desired wire length cut, slide a piece of clear heat shrink on the end that doesn’t already have the Battery Housing. This end should be stripped twice to the gray line on the wire stripper. Now that it is stripped, slide the heat shrink back up to cover half of the exposed wires and heat shrink it. Repeat this step for red wire once you are ready for that (hold off for now until you are ready). Now, you are ready to connect this wire to the PDH.
For red power wire, you will need to follow the Main breaker Wiring section below since you essentially have two red wires.
MAIN BREAKER WIRING
The main power breaker has two ports for wire connection. Only positive (red) 4 AWG wire should be connected to both these terminals. This is because the breaker acts as an interruptor of the red circuit or flow of power. When closed (flipped shut) the power should be flowing and the bot will be on. When the red button is pressed and the switch is flipped open, the circuit of power is interrupted and there is no power flowing. The bot will be shut off.
To start, strip the end of 4AWG red wire once to the gray line and slide a 4AWG Breaker 1/4” Ring Terminal on the end. Use the Hydraulic Crimper once again, yet this time use the 4AWG attachments. You will need to do this twice, once on the opposite end of the red SB50 Battery Housing and another time on a separate piece of 4AWG red wire. The wire with the SB50 Housing is now ready to connect to the Main Breaker. Don’t forget the NordLock Washers that sit on top of the ring terminals when tightening the wires!
Repeat step 2 for another 4AWG red wire length. This wire will go from the Main Breaker to the PDH.
Once you know the wire length for MB-PDH wire, cut it to length and repeat step 6 from the Main Power Wires section.
Drivetrain Wiring 101.pdf