Subject:
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[MindStorms FAQ 2.13 Can I burn out my RCX, motors, or sensors by connecting them improperly?]
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.faq
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Date:
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Tue, 13 Jul 1999 21:48:45 GMT
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Viewed:
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2389 times
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Subject: 2.13 Can I burn out my RCX, motors, or sensors by connecting
them improperly?
Content-Language: en
Topic-Level: 0
Revision: Robert Munafo, 1999-07-13
Location: /robotics/rcx/
Comment: Topic-level is inaccurate pending a reference for topic
levels
<p>No. LEGO® MindStorms is marketed and sold to American classrooms for
students age 12 and up, and it was designed to withstand that
environment. You cannot damage your RCX, motors or sensors simply by
shorting two outputs to each other and driving them in opposite
directions, connecting an output directly to an input, connecting a
sensor to an output or any combination of such techniques. </p>
<p>In fact, the RCX by design detects these types of situations and
handles them appropriately. For example, if you hook up one motor to
output A and run built-in program #3, the motor will turn on and the
RCX display will show two arrows indicating that outputs A and C are
both going to the right. Now, take another connector lead and connect
output A to output C. If you connect them one way, the motor will keep
running because you have matched polarities. But if you reverse one
end of the connector cable so the polarities are reversed, the motor
stops and both arrows on the display turn off. The RCX detected the
short-circuit and shut down both outputs. Undo the short circuit and
the motor starts right back up again. </p>
<p>The one way you <i>can</i> damage your components by miswiring is by
connecting two or more RCXs and/or battery packs in series. This can
create voltages in excess of 9 volts and that definitely will cause
permanent damage. Fortunately, wiring in series is fairly difficult
and you probably won't do it by accident, even if your design does
happen to involve more than one RCX and/or battery pack. </p>
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