How to keep cable connections together

[RoboticsAtRangitoto]

You may all know about this trick, we appologise if you do but the forum question about heat shrink tells us that 1 person needs help so…

Use a cable tie ‘sewn’ between cables and tightened as in the picture attached. Simple and NEVER fails!

[RoboticsAtRangitoto]

Here is the photo:mad:

[juankiCIEM]

I agree. It is the best way to secure the connections. Our team, in addition to the tie wraps, also uses electrical tape. Just to be extra secure :p.

[Rick_TYler]

@juankiCIEM

I agree. It is the best way to secure the connections. Our team, in addition to the tie wraps, also uses electrical tape. Just to be extra secure :p.

Be careful, this rule does not include electrical tape as a legal component:

<R7> Robots are allowed the following additional “non-VEX” components:
[INDENT]a. Any material strictly used as a color filter for a VEX Light Sensor.
b. Any parts which are identical to legal VEX parts.
c. Teams may add non-functional decorations provided that these do not affect the robot performance in any significant way or affect the outcome of the match. These decorations must be in the spirit of the competition. Inspectors will have final say in what is considered “nonfunctional”.
d. Any non-aerosol based grease, when used in extreme moderation on surfaces and locations that do NOT come into contact with the playing field walls, foam field surface, game objects, or other robots.[/INDENT]

If you are playing Clean Sweep, inspectors may make you remove the tape. I’ve seen PWM connector clips and it would be interesting to have an official Q&A question asking if these could be legalized for Clean Sweep.

One of our team slogans is, “Wire ties are the duct tape of youth robotics.”

[juankiCIEM]

@Rick TYler

Be careful, this rule does not include electrical tape as a legal component:

If you are playing Clean Sweep, inspectors may make you remove the tape. I’ve seen PWM connector clips and it would be interesting to have an official Q&A question asking if these could be legalized for Clean Sweep.

One of our team slogans is, “Wire ties are the duct tape of youth robotics.”

OK, but isn’t the tie-wrap doing the same function as the electrical tape (in this case)? Which is holding the connections together. Considering tie-wraps used for this function are legal, I’m guessing the tape would be legal to. Wouldn’t it? But yeah, we should have an official Q&A question.

[Krummel]

@juankiCIEM

OK, but isn’t the tie-wrap doing the same function as the electrical tape (in this case)? Which is holding the connections together. Considering tie-wraps used for this function are legal, I’m guessing the tape would be legal to. Wouldn’t it?

Zip ties are part of the VEX kits and is a VEX part - electrical tape is not. Hence, the VEX materials are allowed for almost everything, and non-VEX parts that aren’t authorized can’t have any function beyond decoration.