Search the manual

Rule R622

R622 *Use appropriately sized wire. All circuits shall be wired with appropriately sized insulated copper wire (SIGNAL LEVEL cables don’t have to be copper):

Table 8‑4 Breaker and wire sizing

Application	Minimum Wire Size
31 – 40A breaker protected circuit	12 AWG (13 SWG or 4 mm2)
21 – 30A breaker protected circuit	14 AWG (16 SWG or 2.5 mm2)
6 – 20A breaker protected circuit	18 AWG (19 SWG or 1 mm2)
11-20A fuse protected circuit
Between the PDP dedicated terminals and the VRM/RPM or PCM/PH
Compressor outputs from the PCM/PH
Between the PDH and PCM/PH
Between the PDP/PDP2.0/PDH and the roboRIO	22 AWG (22 SWG or 0.5 mm2)
Between the PDH and VRM/RPM
Kraken x60 Powerpole Adapter protected circuit
≤5A breaker protected circuit
≤10A fuse protected circuit
VRM 2A circuits ≤2A fuse protected circuit VH-109 Passthrough per R626	24 AWG (24 SWG or .25 mm2) Cat5e/6/7/8 cable, 2 pairs
roboRIO PWM port outputs ≤1A fuse protected circuit	26 AWG (27 SWG or 0.14 mm2) Cat5e/6/7/8 cable, single pair
SIGNAL LEVEL circuits (i.e. circuits which draw ≤1A continuous and have a source incapable of delivering >1A, including but not limited to roboRIO non-PWM outputs, CAN signals, PCM/PH Solenoid outputs, VRM 500mA outputs, RPM outputs, and Arduino outputs)	28 AWG (29 SWG or .08 mm2)

Wires that are recommended by the device manufacturer or originally attached to legal devices are considered part of the device and by default legal. Such wires are exempt from this rule, provided they are powered by the smallest value fuse or breaker which permits proper device operation.

In order to show compliance with these rules, teams should use wire with clearly labeled sizes if possible. If unlabeled wiring is used, teams should be prepared to demonstrate that the wire used meets the requirements of this rule (e.g. wire samples and evidence that they are the required size).

Rule R626

R626 *VH-109 PoE passthrough. The VH-109 PoE output may be used only under the following conditions:

A. The device being powered is a COTS device or COTS adapter connected to a single COTS device with current draw ≤ 2A at 12V.

B. The connection is made using standard Cat5e/6/7/8 cable.

C. The VH-109 is powered using the 12V input terminals with 18AWG wire or larger (it may additionally be powered using the PoE input if desired).

Rule R623

R623 *Use only appropriate connectors. Branch circuits may include intermediate elements such as COTS connectors, splices, COTS flexible/rolling/sliding contacts, and COTS slip rings, as long as the entire electrical pathway is via appropriately gauged/rated elements.

Slip rings containing mercury are prohibited per R203.

Rule R702

R702 *Communicate with the ROBOT with the specified radio. 1 Vivid Hosting wireless bridge (P/N: VH-109), that has been configured with the appropriate encryption key for your team number at each event, is the only permitted device for communicating to and from the ROBOT during the MATCH. Events held in China and Chinese Taipei are the exceptions to this rule and must use an OpenMesh (P/N: OM5P-AN or OM5P-AC) radio.

Rule R504

R504 *Power (most) actuators off of approved devices. With the exception of servos, fans, or motors integral to sensors of COTS computing devices permitted in R501, each actuator must be controlled by a power regulating device. The only power regulating devices for actuators permitted on the ROBOT include:

A. motor controllers:

a. DMC 60/DMC 60c Motor Controller (P/N 410-334-1, 410-334-2),

b. Jaguar Motor Controller (P/N MDL-BDC, MDL-BDC24, and 217-3367) connected to PWM only,

c. Koors40 Motor Controller (P/N am-5600),

d. Nidec Dynamo, BLDC Motor with Controller to control integral actuator only (P/N 840205-000, am-3740)

e. SD540 Motor Controller (P/N SD540x1, SD540x2, SD540x4, SD540Bx1, SD540Bx2, SD540Bx4, SD540C),

f. Spark Flex Motor Controller (P/N REV-11-2159, am-5276)

g. Spark Motor Controller (P/N REV-11-1200, am-4260),

h. Spark MAX Motor Controller (P/N REV-11-2158, am-4261),

i. Talon FX Motor Controller (P/N 217-6515, 19-708850, am-6515, am-6515_Short, WCP-0940, WCP-0941) for controlling integral Falcon 500, Kraken X60, Kraken X44 only,

j. Talon FXS Motor Controller (P/N 24-708883, WCP-1692)

k. Talon Motor Controller (P/N CTRE_Talon, CTRE_Talon_SR, and am-2195),

l. Talon SRX Motor Controller (P/N 217-8080, am-2854, 14-838288),

m. Thrifty Nova (P/N TTB-0100),

n. Venom Motor with Controller (P/N BDC-10001) for controlling integral motor only,

o. Victor 884 Motor Controller (P/N VICTOR-884-12/12),

p. Victor 888 Motor Controller (P/N 217-2769),

q. Victor SP Motor Controller (P/N 217-9090, am-2855, 14-868380), and

r. Victor SPX Motor Controller (P/N 217-9191, 17-868388, am-3748).

B. relay modules:

a. Spike H-Bridge Relay (P/N 217-0220 and SPIKE-RELAY-H),

b. Automation Direct Relay (P/N AD-SSR6M12-DC-200D, AD-SSRM6M25-DC-200D, AD-SSR6M40-DC-200D), and

c. Power Distribution Hub (PDH) switched channel (P/N REV-11-1850) for controlling non-actuator CUSTOM CIRCUITS only.

C. pneumatics controllers:

a. Pneumatics Control Module (P/N am-2858, 217-4243) and

b. Pneumatic Hub (P/N REV-11-1852).

D. servo controllers:

a. Servo Hub (P/N REV-11-1855)

Note: The Automation Direct Relays are single directional. Per R504 they may not be wired together in an attempt to provide bi-directional control.

Rule R621

R621 *Protect circuits with appropriate circuit breakers. Each branch circuit must be protected by 1 and only 1 circuit breaker or fuse on the PDP/PDP2.0/PDH per Table 8‑3. No other electrical load can be connected to the breaker or fuse supplying this circuit with the exception of devices downstream of a Kraken X60 Powerpole adapter board (WCP-1380, RF-4003).

Table 8‑3 Branch circuit protection requirements

Branch Circuit	Circuit Breaker/Fuse Value	Quantity Allowed Per Breaker
Motor Controller	Up to 40A	1
CUSTOM CIRCUIT	Up to 40A	No limit
*Automation Direct Relay 40A (6M40)*	Up to 40A	1
Fans permitted per R501 and not already part of COTS computing devices.	Up to 20A	No limit
Spike Relay Module	Up to 20A	1
*Automation Direct Relay 25A (6M25)*	Up to 20A	1
PCM/PH – with compressor	Up to 20A	1
Servo Power Module/Servo Hub	Up to 20A	1
Additional VRM (non-radio)/Additional PCM/PH (non-compressor)	Up to 20A	3 total
*Automation Direct Relay 12A (6M12)*	Up to 10A	1

This rule does not prohibit the use of smaller value breakers in the PDP/PDP2.0/PDH or any fuses or breakers within CUSTOM CIRCUITS for additional protection.

Fans permitted per R501 may also be included within CUSTOM CIRCUITS.

Rule R624

R624 *Use specified wire colors (mostly). All non-SIGNAL LEVEL wiring with a constant polarity (i.e., except for outputs of relay modules, motor controllers, or sensors) shall be color-coded along their entire length from the manufacturer as follows:

A. red, yellow, white, brown, or black-with-stripe on the positive (e.g. +24VDC, +12VDC, +5VDC, etc.) connections

B. black or blue for the common or negative side (-) of the connections

Exceptions to this rule include:

C. wires that are originally attached to legal devices and any extensions to these wires using the same color as the manufacturer

D. Ethernet cable used in PoE cables

Rule R620

R620 *Only use specified fuses in PDP/PDP2.0/PDH. The only fuses permitted for use in the PDP/PDP2.0/PDH are automotive blade fuses with the following values:

A. for the PDP, ATM style fuses with values matching the value printed on the device’s corresponding fuse holder,

B. for the PDP 2.0, ATC/ATO style fuses with values 10A or lower, and

C. for the PDH, ATM style fuses with values 15A or lower with the exception of a single 20A fuse for powering a PCM or PH.

Note that these fuses must be pressed very firmly to seat properly. Improper seating can cause a device to reboot upon impact.

Rule R625

R625 *Don’t modify critical power paths. CUSTOM CIRCUITS shall not directly alter the power pathways between the ROBOT battery, PDP/PDP2.0/PDH, motor controllers, relays (per R504-B), motors and actuators (per R501), pneumatic solenoid valves, or other elements of the ROBOT control system (items explicitly mentioned in R710). Custom high impedance voltage monitoring or low impedance current monitoring circuitry connected to the ROBOT’S electrical system is acceptable, if the effect on the ROBOT outputs is inconsequential.

A noise filter may be wired across motor leads or PWM leads. Such filters will not be considered CUSTOM CIRCUITS and violate neither this rule nor R712.

Acceptable signal filters must be fully insulated and must be 1 of the following:

- 1 microfarad (1 µF) or less, non-polarized, capacitor may be applied across the power leads of any motor on your ROBOT (as close to the actual motor leads as reasonably possible) or

- a resistor may be used as a shunt load for the PWM control signal feeding a servo.

Rule R501

R501 *Allowable motors. The only motors and actuators permitted include the following (in any quantity):

Table 8‑1 Motor allowances

Motor Name	Part Numbers Available
AndyMark 9015	am-0912	AndyMark 9015
AndyMark NeveRest	am-3104
AndyMark PG	am-2161 (alt. PN am-2765)	am-2194 (alt. PN am-2766)
AndyMark RedLine Motor	am-3775	am-3775a
AndyMark Snow Blower Motor	am-2235	am-2235a
Banebots	am-3830 M7-RS775-18 RS775WC-8514	M5 – RS550-12 RS550VC-7527 RS550
CIM	FR801-001 M4-R0062-12 AM802-001A 217-2000 PM25R-44F-1005	PM25R-45F-1004 PM25R-45F-1003 PMR25R-45F-1003 PMR25R-44F-1005 am-0255
CTR Electronics Minion	24-777378	WCP-1691
CTR Electronics/VEX Robotics Falcon 500	217-6515 am-6515	19-708850 am-6515_Short
Current/former KOP automotive motors	Denso AE235100-0160 Denso 5-163800-RC1 Denso 262100-3030	Denso 262100-3040 Bosch 6 004 RA3 194-06 Johnson Electric JE-PLG-149 Johnson Electric JE-PLG-410
Nidec Dynamo BLDC Motor	am-3740	DM3012-1063
Playing with Fusion Venom	BDC-10001
REV Robotics HD Hex	REV-41-1291
REV Robotics NEO Brushless	REV-21-1650 (v1.0 or v1.1)	am-4258 am-4258a
REV Robotics NEO 550	REV-21-1651	am-4259
REV Robotics NEO Vortex	REV-21-1652	am-5275
VEX BAG	217-3351
VEX Mini-CIM	217-3371
West Coast Products Kraken x44	WCP-0941
West Coast Products Kraken x60	WCP-0940	am-5274
West Coast Products RS775 Pro	217-4347
Fans, no greater than 120mm (nominal) size and rated electrical input power no greater than 10 watts (W) continuous duty at 12 volts (VDC)
Hard drive motors part of a legal COTS computing device
Factory installed vibration and autofocus motors resident in COTS computing devices (e.g. rumble motor in a smartphone).
PWM COTS rotational servos with stall current ≤ 4A and mechanical output power ≤ 8W at 6V. PWM COTS linear servos with max stall current ≤ 1A at 6V.
Motors integral to a COTS sensor (e.g. LIDAR, scanning sonar, etc.), provided the device is not modified except to facilitate mounting
1 compressor compliant with R806 and used to compress air for the ROBOT’S pneumatic system
COTS linear actuators, electrical solenoid actuators, or electromagnets rated for 12V and wired downstream of a breaker 20A or less. Electrical solenoid actuators or electromagnets used at 24V must be rated for 24V.

For servos, note that the roboRIO is limited to a max current output of 2.2A on the 6V rail (12.4W of electrical input power). Teams should make sure that their total servo power usage remains below this limit at all times.

Servo mechanical output power is approximated by the following formula (using 6V data reported by manufacturer): Mechanical Output Power (in W) = 0.25 x (Stall Torque in N-m) x (No Load Speed in rad/s). This calculator from the FIRST Tech Challenge documentation can be used to help calculate output power from inputs of various units.

Given the extensive amount of motors allowed on the ROBOT, teams are encouraged to consider the total power available from the ROBOT battery during the design and build of the ROBOT. Drawing large amounts of current from many motors at the same time could lead to drops in ROBOT battery voltage that may result in tripping the main breaker or trigger the brownout protection of the roboRIO. For more information about the roboRIO brownout protection and measuring current draw using the PDP/PDH, see roboRIO Brownout and Understanding Current Draw.

AndyMark PG Gearmotors are sold with labeling based on the entire assembly. Assemblies labeled am-3651 through am-3656 contain legal motors specified in Table 8‑1. These motors may be used with or without the provided gearbox.

Rule R601

R601 *Battery limit – everyone has the same power. The only legal source of electrical energy for the ROBOT during the competition, the ROBOT battery, must be 1 and only 1 non-spillable sealed lead acid (SLA) battery with the following specifications:

A. Nominal voltage: 12V

B. Nominal capacity at 20-hour discharge rate: minimum 17Ah, maximum 18.2Ah

C. Shape: Rectangular

D. Nominal Dimensions: 7.1 in. x 3 in. x 6.6 in., +/- .1 in. for each dimension (~ 180 mm x 76mm x 168 mm, +/- 2.5 mm for each dimension)

E. Nominal weight: 11lbs. to 14.5 lbs. (~5 kg. to 6.5 kg.)

F. Terminals: Nut and bolt style

"Nut and bolt style" refers to any style battery terminal where the connector is secured to the battery using a threaded fastener.

Examples of batteries which meet these criteria include:

A. Enersys (P/N NP18-12, NP18-12B, NP18-12BFR),

B. MK Battery (P/N ES17-12),

C. Battery Mart (P/N SLA-12V18),

D. Sigma (P/N SP12-18),

E. Universal Battery (P/N UB12180),

F. Power Patrol (P/N SLA1116),

G. Werker Battery (P/N WKA12-18NB),

H. Power Sonic (P/N PS-12180NB),

I. Yuasa (P/N NP18-12B),

J. Panasonic (P/N LC-RD-1217),

K. Interstate Batteries (P/N BSL1116), and

L. Duracell Ultra Battery (P/N DURA12-18NB).

Teams should be aware that they may be asked to provide documentation of the specifications of any battery not listed above.

Batteries should be charged in accordance with manufacturer’s specification. (Please see the FIRST Safety Manual for additional information.)

Section 12.2

12.2 FIRST Championship Eligibility

A team competing in a Regional in 2025 qualifies for the FIRST Championship by meeting 1 of the following criteria:

A. Regional FIRST Impact Award Winner,

B. Regional Engineering Inspiration Winner,

C. Winning Alliance: Captain,

D. Winning Alliance: 1st Pick, or

E. Invited from the Regional Pool

Rule R602

R602 *Other batteries for cameras or computers only. COTS USB battery packs with a capacity of 100Wh or less (27000mAh at 3.7V) with 5V/5A max output or 12V/5A max output using USB-PD per port, batteries integral to and part of a COTS computing device or self-contained camera (e.g. laptop batteries, GoPro style camera, etc.), or batteries used to power CMOS/RTC features may be used to power COTS computing devices and any peripheral COTS input or output devices connected to the COTS computing device provided they are:

A. securely fastened to the ROBOT,

B. connected only using unmodified COTS cables, and

C. charged according to manufacturer recommendations.

A COTS computing device is a non-roboRIO device used to process or collect sensor information (e.g. a “smart flashlight” is not a COTS computing device).

Rule R802

R802 *No custom pneumatics and meet minimum pressure ratings. All pneumatic items must be COTS pneumatic devices and either:

A. rated by their manufacturers for pressure of at least 125psi (~862 kPa, 8.6 Bar), or

B. installed downstream of the primary relieving regulator (see R809), and rated for pressure of at least 70psi (~483 kPa, 4.8 Bar)

Any pressure specification such as “working,” “operating,” “maximum,” etc. may be used to satisfy the requirements of this rule.

It is recommended that all pneumatic items be rated by their manufacturers for a working pressure of at least 60 psi (~414 kPa, 4.1 Bar).

Rule R608

R608 *Limit non-battery energy. Non-electrical sources of energy used by the ROBOT (i.e., stored at the start of a MATCH) shall come only from the following sources:

A. compressed air stored in the pneumatic system that has been charged in compliance with R806 and R807,

B. a change in the altitude of the ROBOT center of gravity,

C. storage achieved by deformation of ROBOT parts,

D. closed-loop COTS pneumatic (gas) shocks, or

E. air-filled (pneumatic) wheels.

Section 7.2

7.2 Conduct

Section 14.9

14.9 In the Stands

Rule R606

R606 *Secure the battery. The ROBOT battery must be secured such that it will not dislodge during vigorous ROBOT interaction including if the ROBOT is turned over or placed in any arbitrary orientation.

Rule R717

R717 *USB to CAN adapter permitted. Additional CAN bus connections may be added to the roboRIO using the CTR Electronics CANivore^TM (P/N 21-678682, WCP-1522) USB-to-CAN adapter.

Any additional CAN bus added in this manner satisfies the requirements of R714 (i.e. you may connect motor controllers to this additional bus).

Rule R612

R612 *Must be able to turn ROBOT on and off safely. The 120A circuit breaker must be quickly and safely accessible from the exterior of the ROBOT. This is the only 120A circuit breaker allowed on the ROBOT.

Examples considered not “quickly and safely accessible” include breakers covered by an access panel or door, or mounted on, underneath or immediately adjacent to moving COMPONENTS.

It is strongly recommended that the 120A circuit breaker location be clearly and obviously labeled so it can be easily found by FIELD STAFF if needed.

While the main breaker must be accessible, consider positioning or shielding it such that it’s protected from accidental actuation (e.g. it’s unlikely to be hit by a SCORING ELEMENT during game play).