⬡ FRC WORKBENCHROBOT SYSTEMS LABElectrical design · Oct 7
WIRE COLORS12V power (+ / −)CAN (H / L)EthernetPWMUSBDIO / analog / I²C / SPIAir
Click two matching ports. Drag empty space to pan.
PowerCANEthernetSignalPneumaticMechanicalDrag devices to arrange · Select a wire to remove it
WIRING DIAGNOSTICS Not checked
Connect your robot, then check the wiring. The example is ready to explore.
ROBOT CONNECTIONS

Power, control, and network wiring.

Connect ports here or directly on the hardware canvas. CAN and power lines represent paired conductors.

ELECTRICAL LOAD ANALYSIS

Understand your electrical design.

Robot electrical map

Power, CAN, network, and control connections with a wire schedule. Arrange devices in the wiring editor to adjust this map.

PHYSICS PLAYGROUND

Elevator

Stopped

Starting runs the physics clock with motor outputs at their set commands. Move Motor command to drive this mechanism, or use Run selected at 30%. Unpowered motors cannot move it.

EXPANDABLE PARTS REGISTRY

Build with the hardware you use.

Electrical, pneumatic, sensing, and mechanical components. Custom parts cover new hardware and team-built systems.

MODEL TRANSPARENCY

A robot design sandbox.

This independent workbench is inspired by Team 691’s circuit simulator. It uses original simulator code, with hardware illustrations from Team 691’s 691SIM and representative artwork for added part families. It is an educational model, not CAD, firmware emulation, or an inspection certification.

What this tool calculates

Enter expected continuous and peak battery-side loads, one-way routed wire lengths, wire gauge, and circuit protection. Analysis sums downstream loads and calculates battery sag, power-path voltage drop, and cable loss. Gauge suggestions combine your voltage-drop target and the configured circuit's conductor minimum.

What students should understand

Shared battery and distribution feeds carry the sum of downstream branch currents. Longer wires and smaller conductors have higher resistance. Voltage drop is I × R; heating loss is I² × R. A larger conductor reduces drop but adds weight. A breaker protects a circuit; its rating does not prove the connected device draws that current.

Assumptions and limits

Analysis uses entered loads, not motion predictions or measured robot behavior. Missing loads and lengths are marked; incomplete designs cannot give complete totals. Only radial power wiring is calculated. Regulator conversion, motor phase cables, thermal ampacity, breaker trip time, and CAN traffic are not calculated. Check manufacturer guidance and the applicable season rules. Existing mechanism data stays in saved projects for future calibrated work.

Reference documentation

WPILib control system documentationREV brushless documentationCTRE Phoenix documentationCTRE motor characterization dataFIRST competition manual

Project files

Save and open portable JSON files containing devices, wires, custom component definitions, mechanism settings, and CAN termination. Your working project is also saved in this browser automatically. Export before moving browsers or clearing browser data.

Custom component

Add a part with the ports your robot needs.

Types: power, can, ethernet, pwm, dio, analog, i2c, spi, usb, motor, shaft, air, solenoid. Direction: in, out, both.

Add mechanism
ROBOT STARTERS

Start with a wired drivebase.

Choose a starting point, then change parts and gearing for your robot. Creating a robot replaces the current project; Undo template restores it.

Templates start with pneumatics disabled. Swerve includes drive, steering, and feedback hardware; its motion model uses the four drive motors and a commanded chassis turn rate. Steering firmware and individual module kinematics are not simulated. Ratios and motor choices are editable starting assumptions.