All images courtesy of Alex Slocum.
How to Wire Your Machine
About the Batteries
About the Control Box
How to Mount the Control Box
How the Contest Will Run
How to Run the Control System
Blue podium.
1. Get a control box. Match the color on the control box to the color on the front of the podium.
2. Connect power to the control box through the AMP 4-pin connecter, either using the power supply in the podium or your batteries. To connect to the podium power supply, simply connect the tether cable on the front of the podium to the box. Be sure to check that your machine runs with batteries too.
Connecting power.
3. Make sure power on the control box is off. The control box is off if both the red and green buttons are not lit.
4. Connect the motor signal cable to the control box using the AMP 14-pin connector.
5. Turn on the control box by pressing in the red button. Do not press the green button.
6. Check the status of the indicator LEDs to make sure your batteries is sufficiently charged and the system is calibrated.
Drive your machine.
7. Drive your machine! Each joystick on the podium will supply a maximum positive voltage when it is pushed forwards (towards the low marking on the joystick) and will supply a maximum negative voltage when it is pulled backwards (towards the high marking on the joystick). Supply voltage out of the control box will be a scaled value of the output voltage from the battery. Nominally, this value should be around 9V, which corresponds to the torque-speed data recorded for the Tamiya motors. How your machine responds to positive or negative voltage depends on how you have wired your AMP 14-pin motor connector. Be sure to test your machine before impound day so you can adjust the wiring for the easiest possible operation. You will not be allowed to change this afterward.
The high and low markings, the buttons on the joysticks, and the pneumatic pedals are all non-functional or inactive for this contest.
8. Practice a lot! Remember, driving 2.007 machines is difficult. Plenty of time should be allocated for practice.
Do not leave the control box on the table when you are done or you may lose the right to use it. Return it to the magnet on top of the podium.
Also, do not remove the control box from the area surrounding the table.
Important Note: The control system is designed to run your machines for no more than a couple of minutes. Running your motors for a long period of time will cause things to get very hot. If you see the amber "thermal warning" light go on, you should keep the power plugged and let your box cool for 1 minute. If this happens to you frequently, you might also be slowly frying your motors.