While a good electronics board wont win an event. a bad electronics board will loose an event.
For this process we will use Onshape to design the board, and corell draw and the Epilog 40w Laser cutter to cut the board.
Steal from last year
First step to making a great electronics board is starting from where we left off last year
Open Onshape and open last years robot.
Find the electronics board sub assembly and copy in to this years robot.
Determine the number of electronics parts the robot needs
Lay out your parts in Onshape
Transfer your holes
Use the laser cutter to cut your board
Put the correct terminals on your electronics
Mount the Electronics
Wire management & Strain relief
Prep and Cut your wire.
Once you have mounted your electronics board to the robot chassis extend all arms and manipulators to the greatest distance.
Use some string and scotch tape to measure out the length each wire run needs to be at each end of the wire run loop the string around your hand to add additional strain relief.
Determine the gauge of wire you need to use
Cut the wire to the length you measured with the string
Follow the Pearce Robotics Wire Terminal Guide to terminate the wire correctly
In the places you used tape to hold the string mount wire tie anchors to bundle your wires
Shielding on Signal wire.
So wire that goes to sensors ( potentiometers, gyros, encoders, etc) need to be sheidded from the EMF produced by the main power lines in the robot
Use a 1/2" rounded steel rod to thread the signal wire through the 3/8" or 1/2" nickle plated copper sleaving
use 3" of 1/2" or 3/8" shrink wrap on each end to securely attach the sleaving to the cable ends.