Learning goals

Electrical and Sensors Learning goals

• Electricity

  • volts, amps, power

  • Ohms law, heat, wire gauge

  • basic electrical safety

    • 48vdc low voltage limit (and why)

    • Voltage vs. current

  • batteries, loads, multimeters

• Wiring

  • Stranded, solid, gauge, insulation

  • Connector types (polarized, locking, screw, lever/wago, etc.)

  • Stripping, soldering, crimping

  • Circuit protection devices (esp. Fuses, breakers)

• Actuators

  • Electromagnets

  • Solenoids

  • DC motors

    • Directionality

    • Start, unloaded, loaded, stall currents

    • Speed control (PWM motor control)

    • ​CIM, ​mini-CIM, ​baby-CIM, ​RS775, etc.

    • Understanding ​performance curves

    • Gearing

      • speed vs. torque

      • Axial and radial load limits

    • Back-EMF

  • ​Servo motors

  • Linear actuators (e.g. door lock)

• FRC Electrical Control Plane

  • 12V/18AH ​SLA battery

    • Safety

    • Charging

    • Testing

    • Wiring

  • ​120A Breaker

    • Wiring and operation

  • Power Distribution Panel (​PDP)

    • Connectors

    • Fusing

    • Power monitoring

  • Voltage Regulator Module (​VRM)

    • Voltage regulation

    • SEPIC

  • Embedded computer: ​RoboRIO

    • Wiring power, USB, Ethernet

    • PWM, DIO, CAN

  • Radio: ​OpenMesh

    • Secure mounting

    • Wiring power, Ethernet

    • Programming (practice, competition)

    • Static IP vs. DHCP

  • PWM motor controllers: ​Spark, legacy (​Talon SR, ​Victor SP, etc.)

    • Wiring

    • H-Bridge

    • PWM

    • Back-EMF and Brake mode

  • Smart motor controllers: ​Talon SRX, ​Victor SPX

    • Wiring/CAN bus

    • Closed-loop control

  • Inertial Navigation Unit: ​NavX

    • MXP Port

    • Calibration

  • Pneumatic Control Module: ​PCM

• USB Cameras

  • USB Cameras

  • Switching and Bandwidth

• Pi-Vision

  • Raspberry Pi

  • Vision module

  • Wiring

• Sensors

  • Switches: ​mechanical, ​magnetic, ​optical

  • Range sensors: ​ultrasonic, optical, ​LIDAR

  • Rotary encoders: ​optical, ​magnetic,

    • Quadrature

    • ​Talon SRX interface

  • ​Potentiometers

  • Accelerometers

• Testing and Debugging

  • Testing Continuity

  • Testing Voltage

  • Clamp-on Ammeter

  • RoboRIO Web Interface

  • Driver-Station Logs

• Advanced tools

  • Multimeter Hz, Duty

  • Oscilloscope