Elite electrical teams do not rely on memory; they run checklists. A consistent routine catches the loose lug or low battery before the robot rolls onto the field.
Pre-match checklist (run every match in the queue):
- Battery: freshly charged and load-tested 'Good' (resting ~12.6-13V, low internal resistance on a Battery Beak). Battery securely strapped in. SB-50 fully mated and tied so it cannot pop.
- Main breaker: seated and reset (button in).
- Connections: tug-test battery lugs and PD input lugs. They must not rotate by hand.
- Fuses: all PD fuses seated hard.
- Power-on test: roboRIO Power LED solid green, Status LED off after boot, PD LED green, RSL solid (disabled).
- Comms: Driver Station shows green comms, code, and joystick; battery voltage reads sane (>12V at rest).
- CAN: no red device LEDs; a quick enable shows all motors respond and the RSL blinks.
- Bumpers/cover do not pinch any wires.
Post-crash / 'it died on the field' triage:
- Read the Power LED. Amber -> it browned out; check battery and current limits, swap to a fresh load-tested battery, review the match log for the brownout timestamp.
- Read the DS log (Driver Station Log Viewer): look for brownout events, comms drops, and the 12V fault count. This tells you whether it was power, comms, or code.
- Jostle-test CAN if a specific mechanism died: a hard hit commonly loosens a CAN or WAGO connection. Watch for red LED blips.
- Check the main breaker did not trip from a stall or short.
- Inspect for physical damage: a pinched or severed wire from the collision, a popped SB-50, a connector pulled out of a WAGO.
- Confirm before re-queuing: re-run the pre-match checklist; do not send a robot back out on a guess.
Documentation that pays off: keep a CAN ID map, a wiring diagram, and labeled wires so anyone on the team can debug. Mark any dropped or suspect battery as faulty until it is re-tested; never lift a battery by its wires. These habits turn chaotic between-match scrambles into a calm two-minute routine, which is exactly what wins close eliminations.
Key takeaways
- Run a fixed pre-match checklist every match: battery load-tested, lugs tug-tested, fuses seated, LEDs green, comms and CAN verified.
- After a death on the field, read the Power LED and the DS log first to classify it as power, comms, or code before touching hardware.
- Maintain a CAN map, wiring diagram, and labeled wires; retire suspect batteries until re-tested and never lift a battery by its wires.
Keep going
Take the quiz · +10 XP with an accountSources & corrections
This lesson is AI-assisted: drafted from primary sources, then reviewed and edited by hand. Errors still get through. When one is reported we fix it and write down what changed — publicly, in the corrections log.
Sources and further reading
- WPILib: Wiring Best Practices (maintenance cadence)docs.wpilib.org
- 2026 FRC Inspection Checklistfirstfrc.blob.core.windows.net
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Lesson quiz
RequiredAll 4 right completes the lesson. Miss one and only that question comes back — anything you already answered correctly stays banked.
0 of 4 answered
01.The robot died on the field. What does the triage routine have you do first?
02.During post-crash triage you read the Power LED and it is amber. What does that indicate?
03.On the pre-match checklist, how should the power connections be verified?
04.How should you handle a dropped or suspect battery?
Answer every question to submit.
All 35 lessons in Electrical & Wiring
- Not started:Mini-Project 1: A Single-Motor Test Stand from Battery to Spin
- Not started:Mini-Project 2: Current-Limited Drivetrain (CTRE and REV)
- Not started:Mini-Project 3: A Live Power-Monitoring Dashboard
- Not started:Mini-Project 4: A Switchable Channel for Lights and Vision
- Not started:Mini-Project 5: CAN Device Bring-Up with Tuner X and the Hardware Client