Basic Terminology Terminology Basic Electrical Terminology Volts (Power), V The potential difference in charge between two points The size of the force that sends the electrons through a circuit Amperes (Current), Amp, I The unit used to measure electric current The number of electrons flowing through a circuit.  Watts, W A measure of the rate of energy transfer of an appliance The rate of energy generated or consumed Ohms (Resistance), 𝝮 A measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit Circuit:  A closed loop of conductive material. Continuous flow of electric current. Positive to negative or ground. (+, -) Series:  Components are chained together from positive to negative to positive, etc. Parallel:  Negative to Negative and Positive to Positive CANchain -  The chain of CAN devices and their connections gives information to each other. Also referred to as CAN bus, there may be multiple for different parts of a robot. Electrically, the FRC CAN network is a two-wire bus, designed to allow dozens of devices to talk to each other with a single network.  Needs two 120-ohm resistors to terminate the ends of the bus. Bandwidth: the ability to measure a signal Multimeter:  Electronic measurement tool Used to measure various electrical values Analog vs Digital  Must-Knows FRC Electrical Must-Knows: COMMON TERMS TERM DEFINITION CAN "CONTROL AREA NETWORK" A COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL USED BY DEVICES FOR BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION ON A CHAIN. COMMONLY FOUND AS A 22AWG GREEN AND YELLOW TWISTED PAIR. MUST BE TERMINATED USING 1200 RESISTOR BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW (YELLOW AND GREEN RESPECTIVELY) PDH "POWER DISTRIBUTION HUB" WHICH CONNECTS DIRECTLY TO BREAKER AND BATTERY AND DISTRIBUTES POWER. BREAKERS AND FUSES FOR OVERCURRENT PROTECTION. CONNECTS TO CAN FOR DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION ROBORIO MAIN ROBOT COMPUTER RSL "ROBOT SIGNAL LIGHT" USED TO INDICATE STATUS OF ROBOT VRM VOLTAGE REGULATOR MODULE" USED TO SUPPLY SENSORS AND DEVICES WITH REGULATED 12V OR 5V POWER RATHER THAN RAW BATTERY VOLTAGE PWM "PULSE-WIDTH MODULATION" SIMPLE UNIDIRECTIONAL SIGNALING USED TO TRANSMIT A VALUE BETWEEN 0-100% AWG "AMERICAN WIRE GAUGE" AMERICAN STANDARD FOR WIRE DIAMETER. PRONOUNCED GAUGE. SMALLER NUMBER MEANS LARGER DIAMETER, DOUBLING WIRE DECREASES AWG BY 3 FUSE OVERCURRENT PROTECTION DEVICE WITH COLORFUL PLASTIC HOUSING. PERMANANTLY DAMAGED WHEN TRIPPED BREAKER OVERCURRENT PROTECTION DEVICE WITH COLORFUL METAL HOUsING. AUTOMATiCALLY RESETS AFTER COOLING WHEN TRIPPED, TRIP INDICATED BY BLINKING LIGHT ON PDH FALCON 500 BRUSHLESS MOTOR WITH BUILT IN MOTOR CONTROLLER. CONTROLLED OVER CAN KRAKEN X60 NEWER BRUSHLESS MOTOR WITH BUILT IN MOTOR CONTROLLER. CONTROLLED OVER CAN, REPLACABLE LEADS SPARK MAX STANDALONE MOTOR CONTROLLER, COMPATIBLE WITH WIDE RANGE OF BRUSHED AND BRUSHLESS MOTORS   Tips Tips: Generally, follow your subsystem leader before acting on anything Have someone pull test your connections after you’ve done them (you can save so much time in the pits) Work closely with the programming and mechanical subteams to make sure that what you’re doing aligns with team goals and mechanisms Follow the safety guidelines mentioned in What is Electrical? Always sanity check (you never know) Always cross-check with leaders, resources, or mentors if you are stuck or unsure about anything Have a system for batteries whilst in the pits to maximize organization, time, and battery output Always say no to pneumatics (just kidding) Try and keep wire connections outside of hidden locations and easy to access if needed in a situation Always make sure you have enough crimps, wire, whatever before and/or during the season to prevent a shortage of what can be done Be sure to mount your devices with actual mounts and not zipties if you can. Using zipties can be helpful if used properly.