Electrical Pathway

The Electrical pathway develops students from basic electrical safety and component identification to full-system architecture, fault isolation, and mentorship. The goal is not only to wire a robot that works, but to build systems that are safe, maintainable, and easy for the whole team to understand.

Core Public Resources

• WPILib Hardware Component Overview
• WPILib Introduction to FRC Robot Wiring
• CTRE Phoenix 6 Documentation
• FIRST FRC Season Materials

Level Pages

• Level 0 Overview
• Level 0 Exercises
• Level 1 Overview
• Level 1 Exercises
• Level 2 Overview
• Level 2 Exercises
• Level 3 Overview
• Level 3 Exercises
• Level 4 Overview
• Level 4 Exercises

Level 0: Exposure

Learning objectives

• Understand voltage, current, resistance, polarity, and electrical safety
• Identify the major parts of an FRC control system
• Build confidence around tools such as wire strippers, ferrules, and multimeters

Required skills

• Follow safety instructions
• Distinguish positive and negative wiring
• Use a multimeter for voltage and continuity under supervision

Core concepts and theory

• Simple circuits
• Series and parallel ideas at a beginner level
• Battery safety and short-circuit risk
• What the roboRIO, PDH, breaker, radio, motor controller, and sensor do

Hands-on activities

• Build a battery-switch-motor circuit on a training board
• Measure battery voltage and continuity on a sample harness
• Identify components from a real robot or demo board

Suggested mini-projects

• Wire an LED circuit with a switch
• Build and label a simple practice board with one motor and one sensor

Assessment of mastery

• Student explains current flow through a basic circuit
• Student identifies major FRC electrical components correctly
• Student demonstrates correct polarity and safe meter use

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• Reversing polarity
• Leaving exposed conductor outside terminals
• Using the wrong meter mode
• Powering a circuit before a second person checks it

Expected outcomes

• Ready for FTC-prep board wiring or guided FRC control board work

Level 1: Foundations

Learning objectives

• Build a basic FRC-style control board safely
• Understand wire gauge, breaker sizing, crimps, and connector types
• Learn the difference between power wiring, signal wiring, and CAN communication

Required skills

• Strip wire cleanly
• Crimp terminals and ferrules correctly
• Route and secure wires without strain

Core concepts and theory

• FRC power path from battery to breaker to distribution hub to devices
• CAN basics and unique device IDs
• Why service loops, strain relief, and labeling matter

Hands-on activities

• Assemble a training control board with battery, main breaker, PDH, roboRIO, radio, and one motor controller
• Practice crimp pull-tests
• Check continuity before power-up

Suggested mini-projects

• Build a single-motor drive module test board
• Create a labeled wiring diagram that matches the physical board

Assessment of mastery

• Student powers a training board without faults
• Student explains the function of each major component
• Student demonstrates clean wire management and labeling

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• Loose crimps
• Wires cut too short
• CAN polarity or order errors
• Missing labels that make later troubleshooting harder

Expected outcomes

• Can contribute to an FRC electronics board under direct supervision

Level 2: Application

Learning objectives

• Wire a complete subsystem or robot section
• Integrate sensors, motor controllers, and communication wiring
• Diagnose common electrical faults systematically

Required skills

• Read a wiring diagram and match it physically
• Use a multimeter to isolate open circuits and shorts
• Work with Programming and Mechanical to place sensors and route serviceable harnesses

Core concepts and theory

• Grounding and return paths
• CAN topology and fault isolation
• Noise, wire protection, and physical packaging
• Power budgeting for drive, manipulator, and accessory loads

Hands-on activities

• Wire an entire chassis or training drivetrain
• Add encoders, limit switches, and robot signal light wiring
• Verify voltages at staged checkpoints during bring-up

Suggested mini-projects

• Complete a full drivebase electronics board with documented CAN IDs
• Build a sensor harness for an intake, elevator, or shooter

Assessment of mastery

• Student powers and enables a subsystem with no wiring-related faults
• Student troubleshoots a seeded issue such as a reversed motor, broken CAN link, or dead sensor
• Student produces accurate labels and documentation

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• Bare wire contacting frame or neighboring terminal
• Poor routing near moving mechanisms
• CAN IDs not matching software expectations
• Replacing parts before confirming the failure mode

Expected outcomes

• Can own wiring for a practice robot or simple competition subsystem

Level 3: Leadership

Learning objectives

• Design a maintainable full-robot wiring architecture
• Lead quality checks, integration, and failure-response drills
• Set standards for labeling, routing, and electrical review

Required skills

• Produce clean schematics or board layouts
• Plan service access and fast replacement at events
• Coordinate with Programming on diagnostics and with Mechanical/CAD on packaging

Core concepts and theory

• Failure modes and event-side repair strategy
• Electrical layout tradeoffs: compactness, serviceability, cooling, and protection
• Current draw trends and match reliability

Hands-on activities

• Lead complete wiring for a robot
• Run a board review before final installation
• Simulate event repairs such as failed controller swaps or damaged harness replacement

Suggested mini-projects

• Write team wiring standards
• Build a reusable test board for onboarding and diagnostics

Assessment of mastery

• Student leads a successful wiring review
• Student isolates and fixes a hidden electrical fault under time pressure
• Student creates standards another student can follow reliably

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• Optimizing for appearance over serviceability
• Routing without allowing subsystem removal
• Inconsistent naming between hardware and code
• Skipping review because the board already powers on

Expected outcomes

• Can lead the electrical portion of a competition robot program

Level 4: Mentor

Learning objectives

• Teach electrical fundamentals and best practices to others
• Improve team standards based on competition failures and maintenance data
• Build a training system that scales across teams

Required skills

• Explain concepts at beginner and advanced levels
• Create durable onboarding materials
• Evaluate tradeoffs in architecture, spare strategy, and maintainability

Core concepts and theory

• Reliability engineering mindset
• Standards management
• Knowledge transfer and succession planning

Hands-on activities

• Teach a rookie electrical lab
• Audit another team’s board layout and provide actionable feedback
• Update team standards after post-season review

Suggested mini-projects

• Create a full electrical onboarding module with quiz, lab, and rubric
• Build a mentor reference with common failures and photos

Assessment of mastery

• Student or mentor successfully trains newer members to Level 1 or Level 2 performance
• Team standards improve build quality across multiple students or teams

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• Teaching isolated facts without connecting them to field repairs
• Overcomplicating standards for beginners
• Failing to preserve lessons learned after the season

Expected outcomes

• Can mentor an electrical subteam, define standards, and support multiple teams consistently