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Safety and Cable Management

Don’t be dumb, be smart, be safe​

  • Don’t eat or drink near electronics
    • That being said don’t leave opened drinks on a table with electrical things
  • Wear close shoes with rubber soles
    • You are a conductor
    • Prevents you from being grounded (complete a circuit between component and ground)
    • Technically you should also wear closed shoes since you are in a lab
  • Isolate all exposed metals in the rover!! No buts!
  • Don’t work with wet hands
  • Check conditions prior to interaction
  • Ask/google if you are unsure
  • Don’t be lazy
  • USE COMMON SENSE

Short Circuits​

  • Positive side of battery is “shorted” (connected) to negative side
  • Battery will draw a huge amount of current because the potential difference will be 0
  • Sparks at connection point
  • Can damage battery
  • You can also short circuit other components by shorting the leads, so please don’t
  • Don’t use duct tape inside rover, it is conductive

Tools 101​

  • Don’t touch the hot end of the soldering iron
  • Wash your hands after soldering - lead is toxic
  • Unplug equipment when not in use

Batteries 101​

  • Don’t leave batteries charging overnight
  • Don’t overcharge battery either

Cable Management and Convention​

  • Zip-ties/Cable-ties
    • zips that tie and ties that zip
    • Don’t cut at an angle. It leaves sharp ends
  • Always try to follow convention
    • Avoids confusion with other people
    • e.g. black wire = ground wire, red wire = power (positive) wire
  • Cable sleeving is good to bundle wires together
  • Cable shielding is good to reduce external noises
  • Printed Circuit Boards is plus ultra to reduce jumper wires on circuits
  • Make an electrical Block Diagram
  • Plan electrical layout with Mechanical System
    • Use SolidWorks to approximate sizing